Arts Advocacy Conferences
9/20/01
“Telling Our Stories: Advocating for the Arts in Your Community.”
Arts Advocacy Conferences to be Presented Around the State
“Telling Our Stories: Advocating for the Arts in Your Community” is hosted by MinnesotaÕs Forum of Regional Arts Councils in cooperation with Minnesota Citizens for the Arts and The Minnesota Alliance for Arts in Education. Three identical conferences will be held:
October 13, 2001 at Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato;
October 27, 2001 at Fergus Falls Community College; and
November 17, 2001 at Princeton High School in Princeton.
Each conference will begin at 8:45 am and conclude at 4:30 pm.
Who should go?
-Arts leaders and artists from your community
-Arts organization staff and board members
-Teachers, school board members, arts active parents/CAPP members
-People who believe in and advocate for the arts
-Legislators
How can you use the skills learned at the workshop?
-New tools, statistics, and strategies acquired will help you influence decision-makers in your community to support the arts more generously.
-New beneficial connections within your community and with others in your region will help you collaborate for joint projects more effectively.
-The innovative and exciting success stories of others will ignite you to try new ideas or continue to pursue your current arts agenda.
-You will become aware of strategic points of pressure in town, city and school district systems that might in-crease the arts programming in your community.
Why do we want you there?
-The understanding you have of your community - its successes and challenges - is information that others will want to learn. Your experiences are important.
-Your renewed commitment to the arts community is vital. Your continued arts leadership as well as your ability to pass on training to new leaders is needed.
Schedule
8:45-9:30 The Table of Contents: Registration
9:30-10:15 Prologue: Welcome featuring Sheila SmithÕs “The STUN Speech”
10:15-10:30 Character Development Break
10:30-11:45: Chapter One: Concurrent Sessions: -Telling Your Story, -Speaking with One Voice, -Fundamentals of Advocacy (The larger group will be divided into three smaller groups for the chapter sessions).
11:45-1:00 The Conflict: Lunch Roundtables Discussions
1:00-2:15 Chapter Two: Repeat of Chapter One Sessions
2:15-2:30 Revival Break
2:30-3:45 Chapter Three: Repeat of Chapter One Sessions
3:45-4:00 Editing Break
4:00-4:30 The Epilogue: Wrap-up
Chapter Session Leaders
Fundamentals of Advocacy: Sheila M. Smith, executive director of Minnesota Citizens for the Arts since 1996. Smith received a Master’s degree in Arts Administration from St. Mary’s University in 1998.
Telling Your Story: October 27 and November 17 sessions will be led by storyteller Loren Niemi, who has spent over thirty years as a community organizer, working with neighborhoods and non-profit groups to articulate their dreams and resolve their conflicts. The October 13 session will be led by Michael-jon Pease, the Development Director of Park Square Theatre in St. Paul. Pease serves on the boards of Minnesota Citizens for the Arts and COMPAS.
Speaking with One Voice: Kathleen Maloney, Executive Director of Minnesota Alliance for Arts in Education, has brought new focus and effectiveness to the Alliance’s grassroots advocacy mission to secure high quality arts education for every Minnesota child.
RegistrationThe registration fee for the conference is $15.00 per person, and will include lunch. Payments may be made by check (made out to RAC Forum).
Please return your registration by: October 6 for Mankato (October 13) October 20 for Fergus Falls (October 27) November 10 for Princeton (November 17)
Mail, e-mail or call your registration in to:
Geri Katz
Forum of Regional Arts Councils of Minnesota and Minnesota Citizens for the Arts
2233 University Avenue West, Suite 355
St. Paul, MN 55114
651-251-0868
mca@mtn.org
OR contact your local Regional Arts Council Director. You can find their contact information at: http://www.mtn.org/mca/grantinfo.html.