Artists At Work (AAW) is a national workforce resilience program, in the spirit of the Works Progress Administration, that supports artists and their communities through artistic civic engagement. The program funds artists in cities across the United States. In Tucson, the Southwest Folkilfe Alliance serves as the lead partner.
AAW leverages the creativity of artists to address pressing issues in their local communities—from substance abuse to youth welfare to public health, among others—and fosters new economic models of support for artists. AAW provides artists with W2 employment, health benefits, and access to retirement benefits; and supports local cultural and community organizations to host and work with those artists as key contributors to the well-being of their local communities.
In Tucson, AAW has provided seven artists and culture workers with a salary and health benefits in partnership with seven cultural and community organizations.