Contact:
Catherine Brandt
202-712-2054
[email protected]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts, today announced the recipients of six full scholarships to the 2011 Americans for the Arts Annual Convention in San Diego from June 16-18. These scholarships, which are awarded on a competitive basis and include travel and lodging, provide an opportunity for emerging leaders and those working in underserved communities to network with peers, gain professional development at workshops and bring new ideas and skills back to the communities they serve. This year’s full convention scholarship winners are:

Emerging Leaders Scholarships

• Gregory Burbidge, Research and Operations Manager, Metro Atlanta Arts and Culture Coalition, Atlanta, GA
• Stephanie Fortunato, Special Projects Manager, City of Providence, Providence, RI
• Paul Rucker, Community Arts Liaison, Seattle Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, Seattle, WA

Underserved Communities Scholarships

• Elli Gauthier, Manager, Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival, Vail, CO
• Shelby Morrison, Communications Manager, Raw Art Works, Lynn, MA
• Penny Senften, Executive Director, Manhattan Arts Center, Manhattan, KS

Several partial scholarships were also offered for the 2011 convention, including the Arthur Greenberg Memorial Scholarship awarded to Helena Fruscio, director for Berkshire Creative Economy Council. In addition, the San Diego Foundation and the Rising Arts Leaders of San Diego sponsored 25 partial scholarships for San Diego’s emerging arts leaders. The San Diego Foundation also collaborated with US Bank to extend convention registrations to 10 local arts professionals in the San Diego area. A program designed to support the attendance of public artists was also implemented this year, resulting in 37 partial scholarships to artists to attend the convention’s annual Public Art Preconfernece held at University of California, San Diego.

Americans for the Arts’ annual convention is the largest gathering in the nation of arts leaders and their partners in creative business, education and government. Convention sessions will cover a wide-range of topics, including local arts development, advancement and policy. In addition, the Public Art Preconference will include professional development and visioning sessions discussing current public art innovations and resources and information on the state of the field.

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, US Bank, 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, DC 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.