$4.5M awarded to Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County

The Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County is set to receive $4.5 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act.

The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners earmarked the money for the Arts Council, which in turn will now focus on the best way to apply the funding.

Arts Council President and CEO Chase Law says the arts community suffered severe setbacks during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Law says the revenue losses were significant, amounting to up to $25 million. She adds the federal dollars will be a much-needed boost for local artists and arts organizations.

"It's just going to be a real game-changer, for not just the Arts Council and the arts and cultural sector but really across the community, across Forsyth County," says Law. 

Law emphasized that money from the American Rescue Plan Act will not be used to fund the Arts Council itself, but will be applied to community-based arts programming, development, and technical assistance.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misidentified Chase Law with the pronoun he, rather than she.