One-Day Professional Skills Development Event For Community Arts Organizations and Artists

On August 8, 2013, the College of Liberal Arts at Auburn University, in partnership with the Alabama State Council on the Arts, invites the public to attend a one-day arts conference titled, “Exploring FuturePrograms & Partnerships for Community Arts Development” from 8:00 a.m. through 4:00 p.m. at Biggin Hall, on Auburn University’s main campus. This conference will be of interest to community arts organizations, artists, students, art volunteers, art educators and anyone who is working, or plans to work in the arts.

The organizing partners recognize that there is a broad range of needs for Alabama artists and community arts organizations. This pilot program aims to build connections and initiate a series of education opportunities in the future that will offer professional skills development for artists and community arts organizations.

“We are thrilled to offer this one-day pilot project initiated by our College, in collaboration with the Alabama State Council on the Arts, to determine the needs of arts organizations and independent artists in the state and to hopefully fulfill them through future programming and partnerships, that can also benefit our  Auburn University nascent artists” said Associate Dean for Educational Affairs in the College of Liberal Arts, Dr. Giovanna Summerfield “We are looking forward to the outcomes of this exciting event.”

 “Exploring Future Programs & Partnerships for Community Arts Development” includes: a showcase of three community arts projects; tips to improve grant writing skills; social media and marketing for arts organizations and individual artists; and, how art-based internships can benefit organizations or individual artists. The Alabama State Council on the Arts will present a session that we hope will demystify the grant process as well as enable participants to meet and ask questions of our program managers about grants.

The showcased organizations will include presentations by Shirley Spears, director of B. B. Comer Memorial Library in Sylacauga, Alabama, with Dr. Ted Spears, chair of Sylacauga’s ‘Magic’ of Marble Festival; Phillip Preston, director, East Alabama Arts Association, and Martha Lockett representing ArtsRevive, Selma, Alabama. The presenters will tell the story of the development of their community arts organizations and their growing success.

Sara Hand Custer, City of Auburn Parks and Recreation cultural arts director, and Michelle Hopf, an intern and region coordinator for Poetry Out Loud, will discuss the benefits of arts internships. Robert French, who teaches public relations at Auburn University, will offer tips on social media and the arts, and Tony Ventimiglia, associate director education communication in the  Office of the Vice President of Research at Auburn University, will offer grant writing tips. Program managers representing the various arts programs at the Alabama State Council on the Arts (ASCA) will provide an overview of ASCA grants and deadlines, and will answer attendees’ specific questions.

All events will occur at Biggin Hall, which is located at 112 S. College Street in Auburn, Alabama. Registration for “Exploring Future Programs & Partnerships for Community Arts Development” is $15 for the entire day, including lunch, or from 1:15 through 4:00 p.m. only for no admission. Registration is required in both cases.  For a full schedule and to register, visit the event website at: http://www.auburn.edu/communityarts or call 334-844-4903.

The “Exploring Future Programs & Partnerships for Community Arts Development” partnership includes the College of Liberal Arts, the CLA Community and Civic Engagement Initiative, the Department of Art, Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities, and Alabama State Council on the Arts.