Baltimore, MD -€” June 30, 2010 -€” More than 1,000 arts professionals, elected officials, community leaders, artists, educators, students, and corporate and foundation leaders gathered from June 25-27 in Baltimore, Maryland for the Americans for the Arts Half-Century Summit, the organization'€™s 50th Anniversary Annual Convention. The Summit featured a number of high-level speakers and presenters including Robert Redford, award-winning actor and arts advocate; Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editor of the Huffington Post; Rocco Landesman, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts; and John Waters, noted filmmaker and best-selling author.

The conference afforded a broad spectrum of leaders the necessary tools to make a positive impact on their communities back home as well as an opportunity to plan for the dynamic future of the arts in America. The Half-Century Summit included an array of professional development sessions, visionary panels and small group discussions and was preceded by arts education and public art preconferences. Participants took advantage of a number of special events including a 50-year retrospective of public art, a one-man show by John Waters, a reception at the American Visionary Art Museum, a performance by the New York Neofuturists, and arts and cultural tours of Baltimore and the region.