Arts Disaster and Crisis Preparedness Conference 2026

Thousands of Local Arts Agencies (LAAs) exist across the United States, supporting artists and cultural organizations while working at the intersection of public systems and community life. Americans for the Arts (AFTA) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) recognize that LAAs are uniquely positioned to contribute to disaster readiness, response, and recovery. These organizations bring trusted relationships and expertise in cultural planning, grant-making, facilities maintenance, and healing arts programming that can be activated during any disaster. Yet this cultural infrastructure—rooted in relationships and community well-being—remains largely untapped in emergency management systems. There is a clear opportunity to address this gap in cross-sector partnerships by integrating LAAs as core collaborators in building more resilient communities.


This roundtable invites participants into a facilitated conversation with NEA and AFTA. The discussion will be grounded in the understanding that LAAs are critical to sustaining the systems of care, creativity, and belonging that
help communities strengthen social connections and maintain identity—important but often overlooked elements in disaster work. Through peer exchange and guided dialogue, participants will examine how LAAs build partnerships with emergency management offices and other sectors. The discussion will also explore how arts and cultural activity contribute to both economic and emotional recovery, with examples of LAAs acting to stabilize creative economies, reinvigorate community spaces, and support collective healing through artist-led programming such as story cicrles and memorialization. Through guided dialogue, participants will identify persistent barriers to effective cross-sector collaboration and develop solutions as a group.


The discussion will also consider how national leadership can further support this work, and attendees will leave with practical frameworks and partnership strategies that can be adapted and applied within their own communities. By sharing resources, best practices, and firsthand experiences, the roundtable will deepen understanding of how LAAs can be activated as essential care infrastructure before, during, and after disasters.