So the convention has now faded a bit into the past, and visions of pink flamingos (and slot machines) have stopped haunting my dreams. Now I can try to put the frenzy of activity in Las Vegas into some perspective. All in all, I thought the convention was a great success. I was especially pleased with how the new track structure worked. For the first couple of conventions after the Arts & Business Council merger, I was not sure we had really delivered on the promise of the convention adequately representing the addition of a Private-Sector focus. I really feel this convention began to get where we want to be in this area. Sessions on voluntarism, the National Arts Policy Roundtable, corporate arts support and young philanthropists, just to name a few, were reasonably to very well-attended, and the participants seemed to cover the spectrum of Americans for the Arts constituencies. The MetLife National Arts Forum, which featured SirKen Robinson, and was a collaboration with the arts education track, seemed to be a smashing success, had a packed house, and also incorporated a lively panel conversation and an interactive working session facilitiated by Eric Booth. Mark Brewer, the Private-Sector Innovator, also delivered a great talk, briskly and entertainingly presented, with refreshingly light and effective use of the dreaded PowerPoint. Of course, he was essentially telling us our model of fundraising is dead in the water, so it was a good thing the news was delivered in a manner that allowed for no slumber. So, let’s make the 2008Â Annual Convention even better than 2007 - please contribute session and speaker ideas! (One more comment - thanks to the Private-Sector Staff, especially Julie Peeler, Jay House and Valerie Beaman, for a job well done.)
Tagged with: AdvocacyBusinessEventsFundraisingVolunteerism
June 13th, 2007 at 09:18am
Gary Steuer
American Evolution: Arts in the New Civic Life
2008 Americans for the Arts Annual Convention
Philadelphia, PA
June 20-22, 2008
Call for Session Proposals - Deadline: August 3, 2007
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 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, more than 1,000 of your colleagues will gather together to laugh, listen, learn, and lead in the place where it all began, and is happening again. Proposing a session is your opportunity to share your strategies and secrets for the future of creative communities.
The proposal deadline is August 3, 2007. More information and the electronic proposal form is available at http://www.AmericansForTheArts.org/Convention/Proposals/
Tagged with: About-UsAdvocacyArts-EducationBusinessEventsFundraisingLeadershipPolicyPublic-ArtResearch
June 12th, 2007 at 12:08pm
Chad Bauman
Again I am writing from Minneapolis where Theatre Communications Group is holding their national conference. Today was the last day of the conference, and I am starting to get a little tired (mostly because I had one day of rest between our Annual Convention and this conference). Thankfully I convinced my body to get up and going after a couple of cups of coffee, and I headed off to the morning plenary session entitled “Visions of Tomorrow’s Theatre: A Roundtable Discussion.” On the panel this morning were the following people: Kristin Marting (HERE Arts Center), Clove Galilee (Trick Saddle), Joseph Haj (Playmakers Rep), Ruben Polendo (Theatre Mitu), Dan Rothenberg (Pig Iron Theatre), and Sean San Jose’ (Campo Santo). (more…)
Tagged with: BusinessEventsFundraising
June 9th, 2007 at 10:05pm
Chad Bauman
I am writing from Minneapolis where I am attending the Theatre Communications Group National Conference. This evening I had the pleasure of listening to keynote speaker, Molly Smith, Artistic Director of Washington, DC’s Arena Stage. I wholly expected Molly to discuss artistic issues in the theater since she is a director–issues such as copyright, unions, visas, co-productions, etc. So when she started off by asking the audience how many people have heard of Second Life, I was shocked. (more…)
Tagged with: FundraisingLeadership
June 7th, 2007 at 10:56pm
Chad Bauman
With the convention over, it’s nice to part with the chaos that is Las Vegas and apply some of the advice and models offered during the leadership track sessions. During convention there were many conversations, but now it’s time for the action. I think this is most important considering the arts is a sector that is criticized for commissioning many reports, but not leveraging more action beyond the thick reams of paper. Furthermore, many think that these reports only remind of what what we already know.
(more…)
Tagged with: EventsLeadership
June 5th, 2007 at 11:51am
John Arroyo
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