Governor's Conference on the Arts: Great Things Begin with Vision - Agenda
DAY 1 |THURSDAY, APRIL 7
1:00 to 2:00 p.m. Opening Session, NJN
"Arts Live!" Performance
Internationally acclaimed New Jersey mime artist Yass Hakoshima opened the conference.
Conference Overview
Strategic planning expert and conference facilitator Bill Keens reviewed the genesis of this statewide conference, the extensive work done to date, expectations for these two days and where this planning process is expected to take us.
NJN produced and presented videos on the conference’s five themes: Access and Participation, Artist Services, Arts Education, Economic and Community Development, and Technology and the Arts.
2:30 to 4:15 p.m. Theme Breakout Sessions
Each session was devoted to one of the five themes, and began with a summary of findings from consensus reports. A panel of nationally regarded experts described their own experiences and lessons learned related to the theme and engaged participants in a discussion of the implications for the Arts Plan, the cultural community, and others.
Access and Participation
Rory MacPherson, Senior Officer, Arts Programs, The Wallace Foundation
Neill Archer Roan, Principal and CEO, The Roan Group
Artist Services
Joseph Benincasa, Executive Director, The Actor’s Fund
Penelope Dannenberg, Director of Programs, New York Foundation for the Arts
Arts Education
David Dik, Executive Director, Metropolitan Opera Guild
Greg McCaslin, Director of Programs, Center for Arts Education
Irwin Nesoff, President, National Center for Creative Aging
Economic and Community Development
Peggy Amsterdam, President, Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance
Curtis Bashaw, Director, Casino Reinvestment Development Authority
Technology and the Arts
Jay Hoffman, Gallery Systems
Don Marinelli, Carnegie Mellon University
Martha Wilson, Franklin Furnace
4:45 to 5:15 p.m. Wrap-up Session
“Arts Live!" Performance
Internationally acclaimed Indian Tabla Duo Sejal Kakudian and Loren Oppenheimer closed the day.
5:30 to 7:00 p.m. Governor’s Reception
The "Jersey Jazz Greats" award ceremony honored nationally recognized jazz masters Slide Hampton and Paquito d'Rivera, and featured remarks from Acting Governor Richard Codey and NEA Deputy Director A. B. Spellman. Attendees were able to see the future of jazz through a performance by acclaimed Pennsauken High School Jazz Ensemble.
DAY 2 |FRIDAY, APRIL 8
"8:00 to 9:00 a.m. New Jersey Cabinet Breakfast Roundtables
Members of the Acting Governor’s cabinet joined the early risers for an informal discussion on opportunities for the arts within programs across the spectrum of state government.
9:15 to 10:00 a.m. Keynote Address and Discussion
Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001-2003, Billy Collins is perhaps America's most widely known poet. Praised by poets and beloved by audiences, he has been named a "Literary Lion" by the New York Public Library and "Poet of the Year" by Poetry magazine.
10:00 to 10:30 a.m. Book-signing
10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Across All Themes: A Plenary Session
The Facilitators of the five Day I thematic breakout sessions shared the insights and recommendations. The chair of a sixth Working Group – dedicated to infrastructure and capacity-building of the arts community itself– highlighted six critical "pieces of the puzzle" that should be put in place to strengthen and enable it to fulfill the vision set forth from the other Working Groups.
12:00 to 1:00 p.m. Cross Thematic Breakout Session:
Each facilitated session included a cross-section of the conference participants, who were presented with one of the “pieces of the puzzle” regarding infrastructure and capacity-building and asked: How can we do it?
Increasing Capitalization and Financial Sustainability
Nancy Burd, Director of Development, Nonprofit Finance Fund
Michael Zuckerman, Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts
Engaging a Larger, Broader and More Diverse Public
Eric Pryor, President, NJ Center for the Visual Arts
Jeffrey Woodward, President, Art Pride NJ
Improving Arts Education
Bob Morrison, President, Music for All Foundation
Virginia O. Steel, Executive Director, Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts
Setting Standards for Our Work
Carol Cronheim, Vice Chair, NJ Cultural Trust
Barbara Moran, Executive Director, NJ Cultural Trust
Becoming A Better Community of Learning and Practice
Rory MacPherson, Senior Officer, Arts Programs, The Wallace Foundation
Carolyn T. Ward, Executive Director, Arts Council of the Morris Area
Forging Deeper Relationships with Artists
Laura Aden, Arts Program Director, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
Joseph Benincasa, Executive Director, The Actor’s Fund
1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Lunch
Lunch with time to network.
2:30 to 4:00 p.m. Closing Session: What Have we Learned?
Conference facilitator Bill Keens conducted an open conversation among representatives from all eleven sessions to discuss findings, priorities, points of consensus and next steps in building the plan.
“Arts Live!" Performance
Internationally acclaimed New Jersey folk artist Francisco Ortiz opened the final session of the conference.
Reports and Respondents: Working Group Six
A panel drawn from the sixth Working Group on infrastructure and capacity building listened to, commented on and invited discussion of both their own findings and the reports from the prior breakout sessions.
Closing Performance
Internationally acclaimed New Jersey choreographer and dancer Candice Hundley closed the conference.
