Join ArtsBuild for an Art Advocacy Day Watch Party on Thursday, March 12!
From 10:30 am to 12:30 pm, we'll be at Redbud, a local music venue and event space. Join us to learn more about local advocacy efforts and watch Tennesseans for the Arts' Virtual Arts Advocacy Day presentation from 11 am - 12 pm.
The theme for this year's Virtual Arts Advocacy Day is "Local Matters: The Art of Everyday Advocacy." Advocacy isn't just something that happens at the State Capitol. It is local; it is something anyone and everyone can do, and it works. To illustrate this year's theme, TN4ARTS will show a video demonstrating how the same funding tools and advocacy efforts work in both rural and urban communities, with Chattanooga as one of the focus areas.
Light refreshments - coffee/tea, water and cookies - will be provided, and Redbud has sodas and other drinks available for purchase. Feel free to bring your lunch!
Redbud is located at 2314 E 13th St. Chattanooga TN 37404. Parking is free, both on and off-street. Entrance is through the side gate.
ArtsBuild is now taking applications for its Mission Support Grants through Thursday, March 19. The grant is open to local arts organizations that provide year-round arts programs and experiences for the community. Funding is for the 2027 fiscal year from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027.
Mission support grants are awarded annually and provide general operating funds to eligible organizations. These grants are designed to support access to the arts and to supplement other earned revenue and contributed income generated by the organization. Grant recipients enrich Chattanooga and Hamilton County, making it a better place to live, work, and visit. In 2025, ArtsBuild invested $1.5 million in Chattanooga and Hamilton County, with over $800,000 grants to local arts organizations through community contributions. Anyone interested in supporting this work can donate through the ArtsBuild website.
Deadline to Apply: Thursday, March 19
A grants review panel made up of local community volunteers evaluates each organization’s application, heavily weighted on the organization’s efforts to create access to the arts across our community – through outreach, inclusion, and diversity in programming and participation. Organizations must meet certain requirements to be eligible, which are found in the Grant Guidelines available through the Grants Portal.
ArtsBuild is hosting two “Cooking with AI” workshops this March for artists to learn how to use AI for professional development. Eain Chappell, AI consultant and founder of M26 Consultants, will conduct two sessions on March 23 and 30, 2026, at ArtsBuild. Artists interested in attending can sign up through the link below.
Chappell, a proud Morehouse College graduate with nearly 20 years in media and advertising, helps businesses harness AI to unlock efficiency, boost revenue, and engage customers. Known for making innovation feel simple and human, he’s a changemaker at the intersection of media, technology, and transformation. Chappell’s workshops use live demonstrations and hands-on activities to teach artists and creative entrepreneurs how to use AI to effectively communicate creative work.
Session 1: ChatGPT & LLM Starter Guide + AI for Presentations & Proposals When: March 23, 2026 from 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm Topic: Introduction to ChatGPT and large language models (LLM) and how to use them to create presentation and proposals.
Session 2: Personal Branding with AI When: March 30, 2026 from 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm Topic: How to use AI as a strategic thought partner to refine messaging that aligns with your creative identity.
At ArtsBuild, we work each day to build stronger communities through the arts with our investments and focus in three main areas—arts access, arts education, and arts leadership—to grow the arts ecosystem in Chattanooga-Hamilton County. Knowing the arts are essential to our lives and the economy, we take our unique role seriously as a grant maker, hub, and advocate for the arts. With the support of many donors and partners, we can generate resources towards our vision to provide more arts in more places for more people.
Learn more about ArtsBuild's grants, programs, and arts advocacy initiatives at one of our open house events! Click here to signup for the date that works best for you.
ArtsBuild is hosting two “Cooking with AI” workshops this March for artists to learn how to use AI for professional development. Eain Chappell, AI consultant and founder of M26 Consultants, will conduct two sessions on March 23 and 30, 2026, at ArtsBuild. Artists interested in attending can sign up through the link below.
Chappell, a proud Morehouse College graduate with nearly 20 years in media and advertising, helps businesses harness AI to unlock efficiency, boost revenue, and engage customers. Known for making innovation feel simple and human, he’s a changemaker at the intersection of media, technology, and transformation. Chappell’s workshops use live demonstrations and hands-on activities to teach artists and creative entrepreneurs how to use AI to effectively communicate creative work.
Session 1: ChatGPT & LLM Starter Guide + AI for Presentations & Proposals When: March 23, 2026 from 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm Topic: Introduction to ChatGPT and large language models (LLM) and how to use them to create presentation and proposals.
Session 2: Personal Branding with AI When: March 30, 2026 from 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm Topic: How to use AI as a strategic thought partner to refine messaging that aligns with your creative identity.
