Contact:
[email protected]
202.371.2830

WHAT:   
Americans for the Arts announces that the Honorable Joseph P. Riley, Jr. will deliver the 23rd Annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy, a leading national forum for arts policy, intended to stimulate discussion of policy and social issues affecting the arts. The lecture provides an opportunity for public discourse at the highest levels on the importance of the arts and culture to our nation’s well-being.

WHO:   
Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. is widely considered one of the most visionary and highly effective governmental leaders in America. First elected mayor of Charleston, SC, in 1975, Mayor Riley is currently serving an unprecedented ninth term. A recipient this year of the prestigious National Medal of Arts by the White House, Mayor Riley has set the national standard for urban revitalization and been a model of civic support for the arts and culture. Under his leadership, Charleston has experienced a remarkable revitalization of its historic downtown business district, seen the creation and growth of Spoleto Festival USA, and experienced unprecedented growth in Charleston’s size and population.
   
Mayor Riley is a leading national expert in the field of urban design and the creation of livable cities. In 1986, he founded, along with the National Endowment for the Arts, the Mayors’ Institute on City Design. Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the Mayor’s Institute on City Design has brought together more than 800 mayors from 600 cities together with architects, urban planners, and developers to help transform their communities through design and engagement of the arts and cultural activities.

WHEN:   
Monday, April 12, 2010
6:30 p.m.

WHERE:   
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Concert Hall
2700 F Street, NW, Washington, DC

TICKETS:  
This FREE event is by invitation only. Seating is limited and the deadline for ticket requests is April 7, 2010.

Members of the media please contact Liz Bartolomeo for tickets.

Celebrating its 50th anniversary, Americans for the Arts is the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. With offices in Washington, DC, and New York City, Americans for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. Visit us online at www.AmericansForTheArts.org.