Sessions

Discussions Sessions

Discussion Sessions are facilitated dialogues giving attendees a chance to dig deeper into significant issues facing arts leaders.
The New View: Rural Arts in 2012
Friday, June 8, 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm

Do you serve, live, or work in a rural area? You’re not alone: 55 million people live in rural areas with populations less than 50,000. Join peers for a lively discussion with artists and arts professionals who connect with rural communities. Learn about resources and information to help you in your day-to-day work, including the Daily Yonder, a web-based central hub for rural arts and culture.

Local Arts and Culture Funders Roundtable
Saturday, June 9, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Grantmakers are striving for greater impact in their communities. Funders are discovering that research, evaluation, and personal interactions are great resources, but how can grantmakers use this knowledge to enhance the effectiveness of their own organizations and community? Join the discussion to talk about trends, needs, and the practical elements to make arts dollars move in a deep and impactful way in our communities.
New Models, New Ways of Doing Business
Saturday, June 9, 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm
For the past few years, arts organizations have been exploring new or nontraditional business models to adapt to 21st century changes, but which models work best for the arts, and what new challenges and opportunities do they offer? This session will feature short presentations and roundtable discussions to showcase how arts administrators and artists have incorporated new business models while creating an environment for new ideas to thrive.
Business Speak: Can We Talk?
Sunday, June 10, 9:30 am - 11:00 am
Learn how to effectively talk to business leaders, marketing departments, human resource personnel, and other decision-makers within the business environment. Discuss which messages best resonate with them about the value of the arts, and hear how other organizations are connecting and building sustainable arts and businesses partnerships.
Transition and Succession Planning for the Future
Sunday, June 10, 9:30 am - 11:00 am

Focus on succession planning and sustainability at all levels—not just the executive director level—in this session. What skills should hiring managers and boards look for in new leaders and staff to guide arts organizations into the future? Discuss new skills for current and new arts administrators to develop. Join university and local arts leaders to discuss what we need to develop to prepare ourselves for the future.

Innovation Sessions

Innovation Sessions offer a big-picture on issues and opportunities facing our sector and focus on the changing landscape of the arts in America.
Art of Healing
Friday, June 8, 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm
Learn how innovations and shifting attitudes toward the arts in healing are helping patients. Whether individuals are returning from war or victims of crime or accidents, the arts can help patients address these traumas, work through them in therapy, and enable them to come to terms with the changes in their lives. Be inspired by stories of how the arts give voice to the experience of trauma and support the healing process.
Profiting with Business Partnerships: The pARTnership Movement
Saturday, June 9, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm

Whether you’re a partnering pro or have no idea where to start, hear from a national funder and business leader about how he partners with the arts in unique ways that satisfy his company’s business goals and the goals of the arts organization. Join us to explore the pARTnership Movement, an initiative from Americans for the Arts, all about creating dynamic relationships between arts and businesses. Learn insights from the business world that will illuminate how to create successful partnerships with the businesses in your community.

Changing Demographics in America
Saturday, June 9, 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm
As our communities begin to look different from those of past generations, how do we adapt to these changes? Learn what significant demographic changes in communities across the United States mean for your organization. The latest U.S. Census results shows the Asian population as the fastest-growing ethnic group in the nation, while Latinos are closing the majority gap in California, which would make it the first U.S. state with a non-white ethnic majority. Moreover, the number of households with same-gender parents is rising. Explore why these trends underscore the need for arts organizations to adapt and remain relevant to their constituencies.

Practical Sessions

Practical Sessions provide participants with useful tools needed to build stronger local arts agencies and communities.
2012 Public Art Network Year in Review
Friday, June 8, 2:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Get a whirlwind of the best public art created last year, curated by Vice President, Public Art and Creative Individuals at Arts & Science Council of Charlotte Jean Greer. The Public Art Network’s Year in Review annually recognizes up to 50 public art projects that represent the most compelling work from across the country, and is the only national program that specifically recognizes and awards public art projects for outstanding excellence.
Arts on the Campaign Trail: ArtsVote 2012
Friday, June 8, 2:30 pm - 4:30 pm

ArtsVote, a program of the Arts Action Fund, is a national initiative geared toward ensuring that the arts impact federal elections. Find out where presidential and congressional leaders stand and how you can take action locally with your candidates for office. The arts can energize the political dialogue in your community—but not without your voice!

Bringing Creative Arts Programs to Business
Friday, June 8, 2:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Businesses large and small are seeking ways to boost creativity and innovation in the workplace and enhance teamwork and collaboration. Learn how arts organizations are creating programs and partnerships that successfully help businesses engage and inspire their employees.

The Arts Education Field Guide
Friday, June 8, 2:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Ever wonder if your advocacy messages are hitting the mark? Unsure of who in your school district or community is the biggest change agent or most powerful decision-maker for arts education? Learn how the newest publication from Americans for the Arts, The Arts Education Field Guide, will help you design targeted advocacy messages for various education stakeholders. Practice your messaging with your peers, and use the newest national data in combination with your organization’s own stories to powerfully convey the importance of arts education to anyone.

All (Federal) Things Considered
Friday, June 8, 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm
Find out how three important federal events can affect your work this year. Congress is working to reauthorize the Elementary & Secondary Education Act; the U.S. Department of Education is releasing its study on arts education across the country; and the National Coalition for Core Arts Standards will be revising the national arts education standards. Learn how to leverage all this new activity and information into action in your community.
Putting Change Management Theory into Practice
Friday, June 8, 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm

During the past three years, the arts management field responded to government funding cuts, shifts in grantmakers’ priorities, and a national recession. Change is a part of the new normal. However, the best practices for change management leadership are often not core educational priorities for future or current arts managers. Put change management theories into practice and leave with tool kits and resources to utilize for future learning.

Using Arts & Economic Prosperity IV Research in Your Community
Friday, June 8, 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm

Following the release of national data for Arts & Economic Prosperity IV, this session highlights how the study has been used locally for effective advocacy. Learn tips and tricks from arts, government, and business leaders on how to demonstrate that the arts are an industry that supports jobs, generates government revenue, and is the cornerstone of tourism.

Be the Solution
Saturday, June 9, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm
As schools face increasing pressure to perform with smaller budgets, learn how you can position arts organizations as key allies and problem-solvers. With the help of facilitators and new tool kits, practice the language school administrators use while best leveraging your organization’s relevance to urgent matters such as budget restrictions and new curriculum expectations.
Bullets to Brushes: The Arts Serving Veterans’ Needs
Saturday, June 9, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm

A new generation of veterans is dealing with the aftereffects of wartime experiences. Learn about how creative programs and models within community settings are assisting active duty military personnel, veterans, and their families—both during pre-deployment and in healing. Hear how organizations are finding partnerships and resources at this intersection of art and veterans’ needs.

Election Dos and Don’ts for Nonprofits
Saturday, June 9, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Before you take political action in your community, make sure your nonprofit knows what it can and can't do—legally. With the November 2012 elections on the horizon, learn the ropes from real-life scenarios on everything from IRS rules to meeting with legislators.
Planning for Your Community
Saturday, June 9, 2:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Local arts agencies are catalysts for cultural planning in their community. However, the new normal is about rapid and often unanticipated change, so how we should plan for the future has changed as well. Discuss best practices on leading and participating in the planning process for your organization and community. Get tips on engaging your community and making plans that make sense for your organization.

Private-Sector Funding in the New Normal
Saturday, June 9, 2:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Arts organizations are testing new funding strategies with success. Join experts to discuss some of the newest paradigms for arts funding—including crowd-sourced funding, donor-advised funding, and small group grant collaborations. Hear how foundations are also exploring new ways to fund entrepreneurs and non-501(c)(3) organizations.
A CEO's Guide to Surviving Gotcha Politics and Miscommunications
Saturday, June 9, 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm
While print, broadcast, and social media can be effective tools in communicating your organization's mission and promoting its causes, discuss what challenges new media introduces to nonprofit arts leaders and their work. Learn techniques to address controversial situations, such as when your audience or members of your community spread misinformation about your organization and its work.
Arts Education as Social Reform
Saturday, June 9, 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm
Poverty affects 25 percent of our nation’s students, and teachers alone can’t address the new normal within the U.S. education system. Explore the role of arts education in broader social issues and how to think about education as one piece of the puzzle for developing healthy students and communities. Hear how to tap nontraditional funding sources and partner with other social service organizations and learn from case studies funded through ArtPlace, Promise Neighborhoods, Community Schools, and other organizations that provide other services such as healthcare, social services, and the arts, to their students.
Federal Treasure Hunt
Saturday, June 9, 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm
Join our Federal Affairs team to track down innovative funding opportunities from federal sources, including the Community Development Block Grant and Transportation Enhancements. Receive the newest resource guides on economic development and international exchange programs and hear about trends regarding federal funding today.
Backyard Diplomacy: International Cultural Engagement by Local Arts Agencies
Sunday, June 10, 9:30 am - 11:00 am
Learn how local arts agencies are having international impact and are building bridges to achieve their full potential as catalysts for mutual understanding locally and abroad. Through effective partnerships, individuals and artists, foundations, NGOs and government at all levels—both nationally and internationally—can be engaged in supporting international cultural exchange.
Creating a Dynamic Five-Star Board for the 21st Century
Sunday, June 10, 9:30 am - 11:00 am
Learn how to create a more dynamic and effective board in the local arts field. Discuss successful techniques to align the priorities of the organization with the community’s leadership and talent and how to strengthen board members’ role as an executive leader in their organization and community.