Hi Everyone!

It’s hard to believe it, but it’s time to submit your ideas for the 2019 Annual Convention! Starting August 15, 2018 we’ve opened our two-month submission period for ideas, speakers, and session proposals for the 2019 Americans for the Arts Annual Convention and Preconferences. The 2019 Convention and Preconferences, which will take place in the Twin Cities, MN, on June 13-16, 2019, promise to be exciting, and we hope you’ll take the time to propose some of the topics and speakers you would like to see showcased there!

As with every year, our ideas/speakers submission process is designed to be quick and easy. Anyone can submit (you don’t have to be a member of Americans for the Arts!), and while you’re welcome to submit a fully-formed session proposal, we’ve set things up so that you’re equally welcome to submit much less—a sentence detailing something you’re interested in, a great example or speaker you think needs to be on our radar, or a general topic area you think is crucial to discuss. We gather 300-400 proposals of this type every year, and we’ll be working hard over the winter to craft them into 30-40 breakout sessions that cover as many of the ideas you submit as possible.

The theme of the 2019 Annual Convention is Genuine Community, and I hope you’ll take a look at http://convention.artsusa.org/ideas to read more about what we’re looking to explore. We’ve adjusted and expanded our topic areas this year, with new specific focuses on Creative Youth Development, Civic Design, Operations and Internal Capacity, Social Impact, and Revenue Generation joining the topic areas (Research, Advocacy, Leadership, Grantmaking, Partnership, etc)  that you know and love.

And, as with previous years, we’re looking to get your thinking going with some specific focus areas that we’re hoping you’ll think about. These are:

• Culture and Community
• Equitable Engagement
• Equitable Investment (Including and Beyond Grantmaking)
• Cross-Sector and Community Partnership
• Communicating Our Value
• Arts in Municipal Settings
• Creative Economy
• Intercultural Leadership

Please consider submitting an idea or speaker proposal. Thank you for taking the time!

Deadline: October 15, 2018

Link: http://convention.artsusa.org/ideas

Questions: Email Clay Lord at clord@artsusa.org

Thanks!

Jessica Stern
Private Sector Initiatives Programs Manager
Americans for the Arts
1 E 53^rd Street 2^nd Floor
New York, NY 10022
212.223.2787 x1113
www.AmericansForTheArts.org
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