American Evolution: Arts in the New Civic Life
Americans for the Arts Annual Convention in Philadelphia
June 20-22, 2008

Call for Session Proposals

The deadline for session proposals has passed. For questions, please contact us.

Philadelphia is the birthplace of American democracy, and today it is a leader in the evolution of civic life. From history to hip, the city is alive with creativity. Cultures abound in Philadelphia, an open and engaged metropolis that welcomes a diverse community of artists, innovators, and creators.

At this convention, Americans for the Arts will come together to share the strategies and the secrets of leading creative communities. We'll celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first percent for art ordinance in the city that created it. We'll visit traditions in arts education that date back to the founding of the country and continue on the cutting edge. We'll also fast-forward to a new vision of civic leadership being crafted daily by the collaborative spirit of Philadelphia's artists, arts administrators, business innovators, and elected leaders.

Civic life is evolving in all of our communities and the arts are at the center. In this year of democratic decision-making, join more than 1,000 of your colleagues to laugh, listen, learn, and lead in the place where it all began—and is happening again.

Program Tracks
The convention is organized into the following seven concurrent program tracks: Arts Education, Civic Engagement, Economic Development, Leadership, Private-Sector Support, Public Advocacy, and Public Art. More than 75 sessions will be presented over the course of three days during the convention. Sessions that fit in more than one track are welcome and may be presented jointly to a larger audience. Each session should respond both to the program track in which it is presented, as well as the 2008 theme of civic evolution.

• Advancing Arts Education happens in two dimensions: quality and access. This year’s convention will focus on both—creating the best arts education for students and ensuring that every student has the choice. Peer-to-peer and expert-to-audience formats will provide the most comprehensive information to date on in-school and afterschool programs, pedagogy, research, policy, and advocacy at this year’s convention.
• From volunteering to voting, community building to community healing, issue awareness to social action—the arts enable people to participate in community life. The Arts and Civic Engagement track will use case studies, peer networking, and experiential arts-based civic engagement sessions to explore how the arts can offer welcoming invitations, needed spaces, and new forms for civic participation.
• Like leadership, the Leadership track is about vision and inspiring others to think and work differently. Examples of leadership can be seen in every session at convention; here we put it on stage and under the spotlight. Invited sessions will address how to lead by cultivating the best in oneself and in others and how to lead an organization through a new initiative or institutional challenge.
• The Private-Sector track will help attendees learn to make a case for support of the arts to businesses, foundations, and individuals, by examining best practices in stimulating financial support, the transfer of creativity skills from arts to business, and volunteerism programs with great impact.
• The Economic Development track will examine the realities and potential of arts and culture-oriented community and economic development. We seek provocative speakers and sessions that deliver research, case studies, and examinations of the dynamics and impact of various elements of this work, including real estate and business development and finance, cultural tourism, and community planning. Each session should discuss how artists and arts organizations are involved and examine issues of sustainability.
• The Public Advocacy track will explore current funding and legislative issues facing the field today and feature the work of arts agencies, administrators, and advocates from across the country who have increased their budgets, created new organizations, and successfully grown arts and culture in their communities. This track will give details on how to use research, digital tools, and new strategies to take action and advocate for the arts in your community!
• The evolution of the Public Art field over the past several decades has yielded numerous new programs and projects and Philadelphia has led the nation in public art and community development. The 2008 Public Art Track will investigate public art planning and its role in how programs bring together artists, arts professionals, designers and communities in creating visionary projects and places of meaning.