convention wrap-up
Americans for the Arts revisited history and created pathways to the future during our 2008 annual convention American Evolution: Arts in the New Civic Life. Please join us in thanking our Philadelphia hosts and everyone else who helped make our convention such a success!
Download the attendee list
Visit the ARTSblog and read what bloggers had to say about the 2008 convention
This year, we hit record attendance with more than 1,400 arts and cultural leaders coming together to share strategies for leading creative communities. Friday's opening general session featured the Americans for the Arts Leadership Awards and the annual report from President and CEO Robert L. Lynch. Attendees also got an update on the ArtsVote2008 initiative of the Americans for the Arts Action Fund. Invitations to speak at convention were issued to the McCain and Obama campaigns. Read the greeting we received from Barack Obama.
Keynote speaker Andrew Zolli, a futurist who develops strategies to position and prepare organizations for the future, gave insights on how to respond to emerging complex changes—both globally and in our communities. We celebrated the 50th anniversary of Philadelphia’s percent-for-art ordinance and explored the new vision of civic leadership produced by a collaboration of Philadelphia’s artists, arts administrators, business innovators, and elected leaders.
The Public Art Network's Year in Review is the only national recognition process for public artwork, and this year curators Ted Landsmark and Jody Pinto selected successful, innovative, and creative public art projects. Evening events, ARTventures, and Walk & Talks allowed participants to network and explore local cultural life in Philadelphia. We also introduced a new program track called Preserving Diverse Cultures as well as an afternoon session called Career 360, which included eight breakout sessions that covered topics critical to the advancement of our field.
Get a preview of the 2009 Americans for the Arts Annual Convention in Seattle.
