04/23/2009
Contact:
press@artsusa.org
202.371.2830
Innovative Speakers on the Arts, Sustainability, and Public Policy Among Highlights at the Americans for the Arts Annual Convention
Washington, DC — April 23, 2009 — Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America, will hold its annual convention in Seattle, June 18 – 20, 2009. This is the largest gathering in the nation of arts leaders and their partners in creative business, education, and government. The convention entitled, Renewable Resources: Arts in Sustainable Communities, will promote strategies for nearly 1,300 attendees to lead the way for sustainable arts, organizations, communities, and careers.
A series of exciting keynote speakers and arts innovators will address the theme of economic and environmental sustainability of arts organizations during each day of the convention.
June 18 at 11:30 am – Opening plenary session with Bill Ivey
Bill Ivey, former chair of the National Endowment for the Arts and director of the Curb Center for Art, Enterprise, and Public Policy at Vanderbilt University, will address how to position the arts in a challenging economy while highlighting potential opportunities for the arts in the new presidential administration.
June 19 at 8:15 am – Leadership keynote address by Dr. Peter M. Senge
Dr. Peter M. Senge, noted author and senior lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and founding chair of the Society for Organizational Learning, will discuss how today’s challenging times require innovative leadership strategies that guide the sustainability of our organizations, communities, and the world.
June 20 at 10:30 am – Closing plenary session with Terre Jones, plus Public Art Year in Review
Terre Jones, president and CEO of the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, will discuss strategies for ensuring organizational sustainability by implementing arts and environmental policies.
Also, Year in Review curators Janet Echelman and Mildred Howard will present their selections of 40 exemplary public art projects completed throughout the country in 2008. The Public Art Year in Review is the only national award that specifically recognizes public art projects.
Innovators
Convention attendees will also hear from pioneering individuals working in and around the arts. Innovator sessions are presented as a part of each convention track on June 18 and 20.
Arts Education Innovator: Daniel Windham and Robert L. Lynch
Daniel Windham is director of arts at the Wallace Foundation, and Robert L. Lynch serves as president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. Each of these leaders is a leader of systemic reform. In this interview, both speakers will share the innovations they’ve used to advance arts education, as well as provide insight into their organization’s future directions. Thursday, June 18, 4:00 to 5:30 pm
Civic Engagement Innovator: Jawole Willa Jo Zollar and Maria Bauman
Jawole Willa Jo Zollar is founder and artistic director of Urban Bush Women (UBW) and is renowned as a pioneering artist and educator of community-based practice in dance. Zollar is joined by Maria Bauman, a long-time company member who coordinates UBW’s extensive community engagement and education projects. Saturday, June 20, 1:30 to 3:00 pm
Diverse Cultures Innovator: Luis J. Rodriguez
With 10 nationally published books, Luis J. Rodriguez has emerged as one of the leading Chicano writers in the country. Luis’s poetry has won a Poetry Center Book Award, a PEN Josephine Miles Literary Award, and Foreword magazine’s Silver Book Award, among others. Thursday, June 18, 4:00 to 5:30 pm
Economic Development Innovator: Jon Hawkes
Jon Hawkes is an artist and author of The Fourth Pillar of Sustainability: Culture’s Essential Role in Public Planning, published by the Cultural Development Network in Australia. His framework places cultural vitality on par with social equity, environmental responsibility, and economic viability as the critical points of community development. Saturday, June 20, 3:30 to 5:00 pm
Private Sector Innovator: Akhtar Badshah
Dr. Akhtar Badshah, senior director of Global Community Affairs at Microsoft, will illuminate the company’s overall community investment strategy; including how and why Microsoft is committed to funding the arts. He will also discuss dynamic ways that technology enhances organizational operations and creates effective audience experiences. Thursday, June 18, 2:00 to 3:30 pm
Public Art Innovator: Edgar Heap of Birds
The art of Hock E Aye VI Edgar Heap of Birds includes public art messages, drawings, paintings, prints, works in glass, and sculpture. The work of Heap of Birds was chosen by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian for the U.S. Pavilion at the 52nd Venice Biennale. Thursday, June 18, 2:00 to 3:30 pm
The local host for Renewable Resources: Arts in Sustainable Communities is the Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs. Lead sponsorship of the convention has been provided by The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation with additional support from the Wallace Foundation, the Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, Bullivant Houser Bailey PC, California Arts Council, 4Culture, and the Washington State Arts Commission.
Americans for the Arts is the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. With offices in Washington, DC, and New York City, it has a record of 49 years of service. Americans for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. Additional information is available at www.AmericansForTheArts.org.
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