The 21st century has yet to prove itself a golden age for the arts. Securing support from public and private sources is every bit the struggle it’s always been, artists are still undervalued in both the social and economic spheres, and arts education is more absent than present in the schools, despite mounting evidence of its positive effects on overall learning. So it makes sense for those deeply involved in the arts to get together every so often and share information and strategies for improving their lot. At least the Texas Commission on the Arts thinks so; the agency sponsors such get-togethers every other year, and the latest one convenes this weekend at the Omni Hotel Downtown. Texas Arts Exchange: Tools for Success draws together artists and representatives of arts organizations from across Texas to discuss and share ways to integrate the arts more fully into the lives of our communities through tools such as cultural districts and the creative economy. Keynote speakers include Lily Yeh, founder and former executive director of Philadelphia’s Village of Arts & Humanities; Bill Strickland, president and CEO of Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild and Bidwell Training Center in Pittsburgh; and Tony Chauveaux, deputy chairman for grants and awards at the National Endowment for the Arts, with sessions covering topics from improving your arts advocacy and fundraising to using economic impact studies to adapting to changing demographics. Of particular interest is “Artists Respond to the ‘Creative Economy,'” moderated by Ann Daly, where artists get to say what they get – or don’t get – out of being part of the so-called “creative class.” (Friday, Aug. 18, 1:15-3pm, Omni Austin Room). Texas Arts Exchange takes place Aug. 17-19, Thursday-Saturday, at the Omni Hotel, 700 San Jacinto. To register (full registration: $150; day rate: $75) or for more information, visit www.arts.state.tx.us/tools.
This article appears in August 18 • 2006.