December/January Member Spotlight: Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts

The Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts was established in 1993 to strengthen the arts by initiating and incubating new ideas within the various constituencies and settings of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA). Regionally and nationally, the Kenan Institute collaborates with artists and partners with cultural organizations to advance the creative community. The Institute has been a GIA member for more than 25 years. Throughout its 30-year history, the Kenan Institute has developed programs and provided funding to support arts in education, career opportunities for creatives, research on cultural policy, and the role of arts in society. A notable legacy initiative was establishing the A+ Schools program in 1995, the longest-running, arts-based whole-school reform model in the nation which is now administered by the North Carolina Arts Council. Today, the Institute's programs provide artists, cultural leaders, and members of UNCSA with professional development, networking, and seed funding for creative endeavors. The bi-weekly Art Restart Podcast explores how creatives are reinventing their fields. Working in partnership with a local team of leaders from the arts, municipal, and community health sectors, the Kenan Institute for the Arts is also piloting a peer learning cohort through an Arts & Wellness initiative of the National League of Cities and One Nation/One Project. Executive Director Kevin Bitterman was appointed by UNCSA Chancellor Brian Cole in August 2021.

You can also visit the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts photo gallery on GIA's Photo Credits page