Americans for the Arts today announced its annual National Arts Marketing Project Conference, held virtually December 7–8, 2021. As the nation continues to react and respond to the changing landscape created by the pandemic, uncertainty is the only constant. The conference will prepare the arts and culture field with tools, tactics, strategies, and inspiration to go forth into 2022 and beyond. The National Arts Marketing Project Conference is the largest gathering of arts marketers in the country.

Keynotes and Featured Speakers

• “Beyond the Non-Disabled Gaze,” December 7, 1:00 p.m. EST. Playwright and performer Ryan J. Haddad and fellow actor and longtime friend Anthony Michael Lopez will discuss the power of language and the dangers of trying to tell (and sell) a disabled narrative from a non-disabled point of view. They will talk with candor about community, friendship, and what it means to connect, both with audiences and with strangers.

• “Whom Will We Gather?” December 7, 2:30 p.m. EST. In a session led by Dr. Zannie Giraud Voss of SMU DataArts and Emika Abe of the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, audience members will examine implications of new research from SMU DataArts as arts marketers, funders, and arts patrons navigate the challenges that lie ahead in post-pandemic reality, and with a social justice lens. Attendees will learn how funder priorities and strategic marketing choices enhance or inhibit opportunities for cultural exchange and understanding among the full spectrum of a community’s diverse populations.

• “Tracking the Progress of Racial Equity and Systemic Change in the Arts: Learnings Black Opera Alliance and TRG Arts,” December 7, 4:00 p.m. EST. The Black Opera Alliance is committed to providing industry-wide accountability and shining a spotlight on where the sector is, and is not, making gains toward equity, inclusion, and racial justice. Black Opera Alliance has partnered with TRG Arts to create a framework to collect and share the data that provides this accountability. Leadership Council members of the Black Opera Alliance, Pamela Jones and Garrett McQueen, and TRG Arts Client Engagement Officer Eric Nelson, will discuss how the framework is structured, the latest insights, and progress.

• “Out with Old and Creating the New: Marketing Concepts Reboot for a Sustainable Future,” December 8, 11:00 a.m. EST. For sustainable development to succeed, the lexicon of business, marketing, and financial theories need to change. Gilbert Guaring of Urban Art Projects, Stephanie Bakkum of Ogilvy New York, Kellie Honeycutt of Public Art Fund, and Benoit Weisser of Ogilvy Asia will come together to discuss the need for a reboot to succeed in the 21st century; review relevant examples of archaic concepts and why these glorified concepts of the past are no longer relevant today; and co-create new concepts and develop a call to action to academic institutions regarding the need for change and encouraging businesses to have a sustainability and systems thinking mindset.

• “Why Creative Placemaking and Marketing are a Perfect Pair,” December 8, 4:00 p.m. EST. Throughout the United States, 13 states have created cultural district programs. The goals for the program, as identified by Texas Commission on the Arts, are attracting artists and cultural enterprises to a local community and creating a hub of economic activity that makes an area an appealing place to live and visit. Marci Dallas of Art District Houston, Theresa Escobedo of Houston Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs, Dorianne Kaboya of Medley, Inc., and Sara Kellner of Kellner Consulting will come together to discuss techniques that can be used to support cultural neighborhoods; the value of working with local artists to tell the story of a cultural area; and how to plan a marketing strategy focused on centering artist and neighborhoods stories.

For a detailed schedule of the conference sessions, artist performance, and interactive breaks, visit the conference website. Use #NAMPC on social media channels to get a flavor for the conference and connect with attendees.

Press interested in covering the conference should contact Inga Vitols at 202-371-2830, or email [email protected].

Americans for the Arts is the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education in America. With offices in Washington, D.C. and New York City, it has a record of more than 60 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.

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