2013 Convention News
Tuesday, May 7, 2013 - 2:24pm
Due to the popularity of the convention program, our preconferences, USUAF meeting, various council activities, and many other events being held in Pittsburgh June 12–16, the Westin Hotel is currently sold out of rooms.
Americans for the Arts has confirmed additional hotel rooms at the Wyndham Grand Hotel. The room rate is $169 a night single or double occupancy and is valid during our preconference and main convention dates.
The Wyndham Grand Hotel is about a 10-15 minute walk from the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and offers a complimentary shuttle throughout downtown Pittsburgh.
For reservations, book online or call 1.888.317.0197 and reference the Americans for the Arts room block or booking code 06086781AM.
Monday, April 29, 2013 - 10:21am
It just so happens that there is a lot going on in Pittsburgh when we are there for the Americans for the Arts 2013 Annual Convention. There’s the Three River Arts Festival. There’s Gay Pride March and Festival. And there’s all there is to see at The Andy Warhol Museum, The Carnegie Museum of Art, The Mattress Factory, and The ToonSeum. As you descend on our host city this June, these are just a few of the exuberant arts and cultural activities and institutions that you and other conference attendees will experience in a city bursting with natural and cultural amenities. You’ll see that Pittsburgh is just right in discussing how the arts are creating thriving communities - a city that has been reinvented and redefined by its bold cultural assets.
Monday, April 15, 2013 - 10:31am
April 26 marks the deadline for the discounted early-bird registration rate for the 2013 Annual Convention. This is the best registration rate available, so be sure to register today and save!
Want to get even more bang for your buck? Become a member of Americans for the Arts today to save $80 and receive benefits throughout the year!
Please note that you will not be able to purchase a membership and register online with the member benefit in the same transaction. Please purchase a membership in advance, or register via our hard-copy registration form. More information.
Monday, April 8, 2013 - 11:12am
Friday, June 14, 12:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Jim Messina, the man behind the successful re-election campaign of President Barack Obama, and Manuel Pastor, acclaimed demographer and community empowerment expert, kick off an overarching topic of this year’s convention: messaging and storytelling. Learn different strategies to help us inspire others and transform how we talk about the arts.
Featuring Jim Messina, National Chair of Organizing for Action, Campaign Manager for 2012 Obama Re-Election Campaign, and White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations under President Barack Obama (2009-2011) and Dr. Manuel Pastor, University of Southern California, Program for Environmental and Regional Equity, Los Angeles, CA
Thursday, April 4, 2013 - 10:17am
It was hard to narrow them to ten, but we pulled together our top reasons you’ll love Pittsburgh when you visit during this year’s Annual Convention.
1. Mid-June is prime time in the ‘Burgh. During the Americans for the Arts convention, the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival, Pittsburgh Pride, and Pirates baseball games will be steps away from the beautiful convention headquarters, the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
2. Discover downtown and the Cultural District with the help of Pittsburgh Art in Public Places: Downtown self-guided tour book. Visit Jenny Holzer's For Pittsburgh, Romare Bearden's Pittsburgh Recollections, and InformationLab's Cell Phone Disco.
3. Explore the Northside, boosting more than a dozen cultural venues including the Mattress Factory*, the National Aviary, and the site of our opening reception, the Andy Warhol Museum.
4. Experience Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob in nearby Mill Run, PA. Travel + Leisure listed Fallingwater as one of “12 landmarks that will change the way you see the world.” A special tour of both is available on Monday, June 17.
5. Adventure out to a few of Pittsburgh’s nearly 90 neighborhoods. Locals love the historic Arsenal Lanes in Lawrenceville, the Penn Avenue Arts Initiative* and Kelly Strayhorn Theater* in the East End, and the Carnegie Museum of Art* in historic Oakland.
6. Feeling hungry? Indulge in some artful eats from Zenith Antiques, Conflict Kitchen, Bar Marco, Dream Cream, or any of the ethnic eateries in the Strip District*.
7. Shop local by strolling through the Artists Market at the Arts Festival, 208 Boutique, Wildcard, or the shops at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts* and the Society for Contemporary Craft*.
8. Get active! Rent a kayak, grab a bike, or walk across one of the 'Burgh’s many historic bridges.
9. Ride the 135-plus-year-old Duquesne Incline to the top of Mt. Washington to see what USA Weekend rated as one of America’s most beautiful vistas.
10. Be inspired by Pittsburgh’s green buildings including Phipps Conservatory*, Carnegie Mellon University’s Kraus Campo at the Posner Center, and the Pittsburgh Glass Center*.
*Included in an ARTventure tour on Saturday, June 15.
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater.
Photo courtesy of Western Pennsylvania Conservancy.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013 - 2:48pm
Experience the arts and culture of Pittsburgh first-hand! ARTventure Tours provide special off-site, educational tours for all conference attendees. This is your chance to learn about the naturally occurring cultural districts or rich African-American culture or the deep relationship between arts and industry in the area. Space is limited, so be sure to purchase the ARTventure Tour of your choice today. ARTventure Tours require an additional registration fee of $30 per person. Get tour details.
The 2013 Americans for the Arts Annual Convention ARTventure Tours are sponsored in part by The Heinz Endowments and the President's Discretionary Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013 - 9:40am
Looking for a way to receive discounted rates for the 2013 Annual Convention? Americans for the Arts is pleased to provide the following opportunities for you and your organization to cut costs – make sure to check out our Ways to Save page for full details.
EARLY-BIRD REGISTRATION
Don’t miss the chance to get the lowest rates. The deadline to register for the early-bird registration price is April 26.
GROUP DISCOUNT
Gather 10 or more of your colleagues from any number of organizations to attend the Annual Convention, and receive a discount of $50 off each registration.
TRAVEL DISCOUNTS
Save more on published room rates when you book at the headquarters hotel! Americans for the Arts has negotiated a non-public room rate lower than any published rate over our meeting dates at the host hotel! Reduce costs by sharing a room. See more details.
Monday, March 11, 2013 - 4:32pm
Join us in recognizing the great work of individuals, organizations, or programs committed to enriching their communities through the arts with the 2013 Americans for the Arts Annual Leadership Awards on June 15 in Pittsburgh, PA.
The deadline to nominate someone for one of the following awards is March 22, 2013:
Monday, March 4, 2013 - 11:00am
There’s a lot that’s special about the 2013 Annual Convention beyond the workshops, discussion sessions, innovators, and keynotes. Here are a few unique opportunities that go above and beyond:
Special Gathering: Public Art Opportunity,
Wednesday, June 12, 5:30 p.m.-9:00pm
Before the preconferences or convention even begin, here’s a chance to explore Pittsburgh’s downtown public art collection and then enjoy dinner at a local restaurant with friends, colleagues, and Pittsburgh artists. Meet in the Lobby of the Westin Convention Center, Pittsburgh Hotel to start your tour and sign up for dinner dine-arounds.
Special Tour: Public Art Collection at the Pittsburgh Convention Center, Friday, 4:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
Take a tour of the fantastic collection of art work at the LEED Platinum Certified David L. Lawrence Convention Center with Pittsburgh artists and learn more about the building’s innovative green practices.
Special Session: The Arts Administrator, Saturday, June 15, 4:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
The life of an arts administrator is challenging, exhausting, and sometimes thankless. Take a mini-retreat with David Grant, facilitator of the National Arts Policy Roundtable and Local Arts Agency Executive Leadership Forum, as he enables you to stop the world for a few minutes and consider steps you can take to achieve balance in your life and prioritize time to think, strategize, and improve your work habits. Really, you need to do this.
Special Session: Rapid Research Roundup, Saturday, June 15, 4:30 p.m-6:00 p.m.
You won’t need caffeine for this one! Randy Cohen and a multitude of leading arts researchers share key details on the latest groundbreaking arts research on engaging stakeholders, communicating value and impact, arts marketing and better decision-making. Walk away with a better understanding of the application of this valuable information and the steps you can take to apply it to your everyday work.
Special Film Opportunity: The Outs, Saturday, June 15, 8:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
Join us for cocktails and a few episodes of the popular LGBT web series The Outs, followed by a Q&A with its producer, director, writer, and lead actor Adam Goldman. This popular Internet series was entirely funded by Kickstarter campaigns and prominently features Brooklyn, NY as its background. This is special ticketed event and you can purchase your ticket with your registration or on site in CenterStage during the convention. A limited number of tickets are available for this event which is open to the public and produced in collaboration with Pittsburgh Pride and the Pittsburgh Lesbian and Gay Film Society. Cash bar will be available.
Special Film Opportunity: Inocente, Saturday, June 15, 8:00 p.m-10:00 p.m.
Watch this year’s Oscar-winning documentary—a film about a 15-year-old girl who overcomes insurmountable obstacles and realizes her artistic dreams through participation in programs at ARTS | A Reason To Survive, founded by Americans for the Arts member Matt D’Arrigo.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - 12:12pm
Americans for the Arts is pleased to offer three preconferences in advance of our 2013 Annual Convention. Register today to participate in these informative, interactive, and engaging experiences.
Emerging Leaders Preconference
Join more than 100 emerging leaders working in the arts today to discuss how change is happening all around us – in the way audiences are interacting with arts and culture and how we as arts administrators are managing organizations to respond to the fluctuating needs of our communities. The 2013 Emerging Leaders Preconference will help participants learn to lead change in themselves, their organization, and their communities.
The Emerging Leaders Preconference is generously supported by the Carnegie Mellon University Master of Arts Management Program.
Cultural, Arts & Entertainment Districts Preconference
Join more than 100 peers and colleagues working to build new or improve existing cultural, arts, and entertainment districts. What better place to learn than Pittsburgh, home to one of America’s oldest and most dynamic cultural districts! With numerous states and municipalities using arts districts as economic and community development strategies, this preconference will provide targeted professional development and training for practitioners from across the country. Don’t miss your opportunity to see up-close how a cultural district can work and learn about existing policies, incentive programs, and much more.
The Cultural Districts Preconference is generously supported by The Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Public Art Network Preconference
The 2013 Public Art Network (PAN) Preconference is THE public art educational and networking opportunity of the year! More than 250 public art leaders will come together to explore the intersection of public art engagement, evaluation, ethics, education, and more. Case study tours of Pittsburgh’s vibrant public art scene will illustrate important issues facing the field and will culminate in a PAN reception at the Mattress Factory—the internationally renowned installation art museum. Dig deep in to critical issue facing our field and be sure not to miss the opportunity to see how public art contributes to Pittsburgh being called America’s most livable city.
The Public Art Network Preconference is generously supported in part by the McKay Lodge Conservation 
Laboratory.
