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(Portland, Oregon)
June 10, 2003 The 2003 Annual Convention of Americans for the
Arts, the largest gathering of local and state arts leaders in the
nation, focused on ways in which arts organizations can be more
entrepreneurial to achieve strategic goals in challenging economic
times. Aptly called
ARTrepeneur: The New Arts
Leader, the convention took place in Portland, Oregon from June 7-9.
Keynote speakers at the conference included:
Russell Simmons, founder of Def Jam Records,
entrepreneur, and the master visionary who shaped hip-hop, Americas
most compelling cultural explosion of the latter 20th
century; Richard
Florida, author of The Rise of the Creative Class, a book which
demonstrates how the most profound changes in our workplace, culture,
and everyday lives come from the rise of creativity as an economic
force; and Dana Gioia,
newly appointed Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.
Monica Haskell of The Florida Keys Council of The
Arts attended the conference and remarked Portland was the site of
a remarkable convergence of talented individuals and ideas that will
help me to further the cause of the Arts in the Florida Keys.
Richard Floridas Keynote address on creativity as an
economic force was particularly enlightening.
The convention also included the annual Innovator
Series, featuring one-on-one interviews with pioneers working in and
around the arts; tours of
Portlands dynamic cultural sites;
appearances by local artists, and events throughout Portland.
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
40-year record of service. Americans
for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local
communities and creating opportunities for every American to
participate and appreciate all forms of the arts.
Additional information is available at www.AmericansForTheArts.org.
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