Arts & Arts Education Conference Features Over 30 Sessions
From Ann Brown, Suzanne Lynch and Nieya Murray, Conference Co-chairs –
TN Arts wants to ensure that this year’s arts and arts education conference has plenty of options for everyone. Hosted by the Center in Excellence for the Creative Arts on the campus of Austin Peay State University, this higher education environment is the perfect opportunity for you to spend some time honing your craft, learning new skills and networking.
Taking place June19-21, 2018, the conference is just two full days, with pre-conference options. Registration is only $150 (commuter)/$200 (non-commuter), and there are Special Opportunity grants available for up to $500 for individuals and $750 for organizations.
There are over 30 different sessions that will be presented, but here are a few you might want to make a note of:
How to Build Creative Placemaking Momentum, Excitement, and Engagement by Using Small-Scale Experiments to Test Ideas
Presenters: Tamara Gatchell and Tabitha Kapic
This session will showcase how Design Thinking methods can empower communities to broaden their perspective about what is possible and then rapidly test ideas to build momentum, excitement and engagement.
Partnering for Invested $uccess!
Presenters: Bridgett Massengill and Kathleen Nolte
Learn about a collaborative approach between a regionally sized nonprofit and a philanthropic foundation that partnered together around common goals to fund the beginnings of an arts and culture movement in eight small-sized cities and towns across a 16-county region. Learn how seed funding was used to catalyze additional funders to step forward in rural towns.
Urban Folk
Presenters: Benjamin Smith and Langston Wilkins, PhD
Urban Folk will offer an in-depth examination of folklife in urban settings, with suggestions on how organizations can feature such traditions in their programmatic activities. This session will include commentary from Ben Smith, founder and director of Southern Word, a Nashville-based organization dedicated to preserving and promoting Spoken Word poetry.
Linear vs. Non-Linear Thinking or How to Tell your Story so that People Notice
Presenter: Leslie Haines
You may have an amazing product but if you can’t connect with your audience in a memorable way, your message can easily get passed over. Learn how to improve your conceptual thinking skills, overcome creative road blocks, and hone in on messaging that matters. Through the use of visual examples and engaging exercises this session will teach you how to make the most of the creative process. You’ll leave inspired with helpful techniques that you can apply to your next marketing challenge.
Improv for Everyone
Presenter: Talon Beeson
This workshop is designed to remind attendees that we all use basic improv skills in our everyday lives. Using techniques from Viola Spolin and Keith Johnstone, participants will play in the world of “following the follower” to become more nimble in conversation, business dealings and personal interaction. This is an “on your feet” workshop, allowing the attendees to work and play in the moment, without restraint.
Traditional Tennessee Square Dance
Presenters: Louis Frazor and Daniel Rothwell
Join Louis Frazor and Daniel Rothwell for a traditional Middle Tennessee-style square dance. Frazor, a square dance caller for over forty-two years, has recently taken Rothwell on as an apprentice as part of the Tennessee Arts Commission’s Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program. The two will lead participants through several basic square dance sets, with the lively accompaniment of old-time string-band music.
