Pennsylvania Council on the Arts

The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) is a state agency serving the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Established in 1966 by Act No. 538, the mission of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) is to foster the excellence, diversity, and vitality of the arts in Pennsylvania and to broaden the availability and appreciation of those arts throughout the state. The agency accomplishes its mission through a combination of matching grants to arts organizations, community-based arts programs, and projects initiated by non-profit organizations, artists, community groups, and local government agencies. In addition to responsive funding, the PCA undertakes partnerships and initiatives to leverage opportunities, seek solutions to challenges affecting the arts in the Commonwealth, and initiate programs that serve a broad range of citizens throughout the state.

Organizations, artists and communities served by the PCA are geographically, culturally, and ethnically diverse; ranging from small community organizations that support local arts programs to world-renowned orchestras, museums, opera and dance companies, theaters and festivals. Funding from the PCA also assists hundreds of Pennsylvania schools to provide students with opportunities to explore and develop their creative abilities, to support curriculum, and to enrich the important work of arts educators. Study of the arts provides children and youth with models for discipline, teamwork, project management, and goal setting, along with occasions for intellectual and emotional discovery.

As the PCA navigates its fifth decade of support for participation in the arts, it will continue to enhance the quality of life for all Pennsylvanians by improving the environment for the arts, artists and audiences; seeking opportunities for the Commonwealth’s artists and arts organizations to increase their capacity to serve the people of Pennsylvania; and by using the arts as a catalyst for community revitalization and economic opportunity.

The PCA is governed by a Council of 19 members - fifteen private citizens and four members of the General Assembly. The citizen members of the Council are appointed by the Governor, with advice and consent of the Senate, and serve without compensation. The Council sets the mission and goals for the agency, evaluates the progress toward these goals, formulates policy, makes final decisions on the use of funds and approves all strategic plans.

The PCA will celebrate its 50th anniversary in January 2016. As a state agency it is located in the Office of the Governor. Its headquarters are in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Council members

Citizen members:

Legislative Members:

See also


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