Americans for the Arts

Blogger Hoong Yee's sketch of Stephanie Madden.

Does this happen to you at a convention?

I find myself feeling being swept under by the torrent of talk, ideas, cool people to follow up with, session after session of topics I am intrigued by and of course, the beautiful San Diego weather, and views of the bay are a constant distraction as well.

The fear pounding in my heart is, “What difference can I make now, right now?”

Where to start, who to talk to, what part of the world first?

I hate when this happens. So bad for the skin.

So I was delighted to hear a poetic piece of advice cut through a cavernous ballroom, something that Stephanie A. Madden, the Arts and Cultural Manager of Bank of America, shared with us in answer to this very sentiment at a conference session at the Americans for the Arts 2011 Annual Convention in San Diego.

Anne Katz

The Half-Century Summit is the 18th NALAA/AFTA conference I’ve attended.  My first time was DC in 1988, when I really didn’t know anything about local arts development.  In the years since, I’ve been to the conferences in Columbus, San Jose, St. Louise, Minneapolis, Denver, LA, New York, Atlanta, Portland, Nashville, Austin, Milwaukee, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Seattle and now Baltimore (and DC at least once more), and I’ve learned so much from these gatherings and my connections to the local arts field.   I’m a little hazy on the specific years that we were in Atlanta, Denver and Portland, but I have great memories from each conference.  Most of these great memories are about laughs and deep conversation with the people in the field, statewide organization and local arts leaders who are passionate about their work.  These are my peeps, the colleagues who are doing creative advocacy, service and development work statewide and locally.    I have come to rely on them for support, analysis, camaraderie and good humor – important qualities that these friends provide in very meaningful ways.  As advertised, I come to the conference to reconnect, recharge, refresh and learn new ideas and methods (I am a big believer in stealing great ideas from others, and love it when people steal my ideas as well!), to adapt and use for Wisconsin.

A production of "Macbeth" at The Old Globe in San Diego.

Not only does San Diego provide a laid back attitude, beaches, and fantastic weather, but according to Mayor Jerry Sanders, its investment in the arts is paying off.

Last week, Mayor Sanders announced that the city's $6.4 million investment of room tax dollars in the arts and culture of the city generated a return of $173 million spent by the organizations, including providing 7,000 jobs and $98.8 million in salaries. He also vowed to keep that funding dedicated to the arts in his next budget.

But, if a mayor that supports the arts isn't reason enough (although it should be) to come to our 2011 Annual Convention in San Diego, here are some reasons provided to us by locals in the know:

• Great Theater - The Old Globe's outdoor festival stage ranks as one of NTC Foundation Executive Director Alan Ziter's favorite arts experiences, while San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture Public Relations and Communications Consultant Toni Robin loves to see shows before they reach Broadway, often during trials there and at the excellent La Jolla Playhouse.
• Fantastic Food - Las Cuatros Milpas is real San Diego. In Barrio Logan, very close to the convention hotel, you can stand in line to buy the most authentic Mexican food in the city, and then eat at the nearby picnic tables.  
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Tim Mikulski

I have now successfully attended four Americans for the Arts Annual Conventions (Philadelphia, Seattle, Baltimore, and San Diego) as a member of the staff.

In my previous two roles, I worked with the dedicated members of the State Arts Action Network while in the Government and Public Affairs Department and I managed the Arts Education Network under the Local Arts Advancement Department.

While in those positions, I was happy to attend conventions as a way to get to the know our members beyond email addresses and phone numbers, but it was through Twitter that I was able to network with my new arts education colleagues from across the country before I even met them.

It's amazing what kind of relationships you can build 140 characters at a time.

Rich Mintz

I’m in San Diego this week for the Americans for the Arts Convention, which kicked off at noon today with a welcome by president Bob Lynch and a keynote address by California social-activist legend Bobby Shriver.

This is my fourth Americans for the Arts event in two years. Heading for my first (the 2009 National Arts Marketing Project conference in Providence), I was afraid I’d feel out of place. If you know me, you know I’m not exactly shy, but I’ve always been a little scared of arts people. They tend to be so sure of themselves, and bubbling over with ideas, and I’m just, you know, a businessman—on the creative end of the spectrum for a businessman, to be sure, but nevertheless…But I had no reason to worry.

One thing about arts people is that they love talking about ideas. And the ideas that might help them get more people to experience and enjoy art, or advocate for arts funding and education, or donate to support the arts in their own communities—well, those are the ideas they love talking about most of all. And it just so happens that those are the kinds of ideas we at Blue State Digital trade in, so everything worked out fine.