WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts, announced today that it will hold its 2011 Annual Convention in San Diego from June 16-18, 2011. This annual convention is the largest gathering in the nation of arts leaders and their partners in creative business, education and government.

“San Diego is the perfect setting for this year’s convention,” said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. “Not only does the city boast one of the most creative and innovative climates in the country, but it also proudly touts its myriad arts organizations as fundamental drivers of the economy. In fact, San Diego’s $6.4 million investment of room tax dollars in the city’s arts and culture generated a return of $173 million spent by the organizations, including providing 7,000 jobs and $98.8 million in salaries.”

Convention sessions will cover a wide-range of topics, including local arts development, advancement and policy. In addition, Americans for the Arts is also holding a Public Art Preconference, which includes professional development, visioning sessions discussing current public art innovations, and resources and information on the state of the field.
Featured speakers at the convention include, Ben Cameron, Program Director for the Arts, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation;  Ken Davenport, Broadway Producer, Davenport Theatrical Enterprises; Ayanna Hudson, Director of Arts Education, Los Angeles County Arts Commission; Senator Stan Rosenberg, Massachusetts State Senate; and Molly Surno, Outreach Director, Kickstarter. Keynote speakers will be announced in the coming weeks.

The convention will also showcase several artists and artist groups in San Diego. Featured artists making an appearance at the convention include, Guggenheim fellow and 2010 Pulitzer Prize winner Rae Armantrout, Art of Élan, PASACAT, The San Diego Master Chorale, San Diego Dance Theater, Eveoke Dance Theatre, The Tree Ring, Los Alacranes, Mariachi Garibaldi, Agitprop and Sheryl Oring.

Convention participants will also have the opportunity to experience the powerful and diverse art that San Diego has to offer through several ARTventure tours—special off-site, educational tours of several of San Diego’s cultural neighborhoods and districts, including Balboa Park, Barrio Logan, Gaslamp Quarter, North Park, NTC Promenade, The Village at Market Creek and Waterfront.

The local host for the 2011 Americans for the Arts Annual Convention is the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture. Lead sponsorship of the convention was provided by the San Diego Fine Arts Society with generous additional support from the Legler Benbough Foundation, Bank of America, the National Endowment of the Arts, American Express, The San Diego Foundation and the Rising Arts Leaders of San Diego, the Westreich Foundation, The Parker Foundation, and the Mandell Weiss Charitable Trust.  Additional supporters include the California Arts Council; University of California, San Diego; Alexander Salazar Fine Art; WESTAF; the University of Oregon Arts Administration Program, and the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Americans for the Arts is the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. With offices in Washington, D.C. and New York City, it has a record of more than 50 years of service. 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. Additional information is available at www.AmericansForTheArts.org.