For immediate release

Contact: Monica Haskell, Florida Keys Council of the Arts, 295-4369

 
 

ARTS LEADERS CATCH ENTREPENEURIAL SPIRIT

 Florida Keys Council of The Arts attends Americans for the Arts’ ARTtrepeneur Convention

 

(Portland, Oregon) – June 10, 2003 – The 2003 Annual Convention of Americans for the Arts, the largest gathering of local and state arts leaders in the nation, focused on ways in which arts organizations can be more entrepreneurial to achieve strategic goals in challenging economic times.  Aptly called ARTrepeneur:  The New Arts Leader, the convention took place in Portland, Oregon from June 7-9.

Keynote speakers at the conference included:  Russell Simmons, founder of Def Jam Records, entrepreneur, and the master visionary who shaped hip-hop, America’s most compelling cultural explosion of the latter 20th century;  Richard Florida, author of The Rise of the Creative Class, a book which demonstrates how the most profound changes in our workplace, culture, and everyday lives come from the rise of creativity as an economic force;  and Dana Gioia, newly appointed Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Monica Haskell of The Florida Keys Council of The Arts attended the conference and remarked “Portland was the site of a remarkable convergence of talented individuals and ideas that will help me to further the cause of the Arts in the Florida Keys.  Richard Florida’s Keynote address on creativity as an economic force was particularly enlightening.”

The convention also included the annual Innovator Series, featuring one-on-one interviews with pioneers working in and around the arts;  tours of Portland’s dynamic cultural sites;  appearances by local artists, and events throughout Portland.

 Americans for the Arts is the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America.  With offices in Washington, DC, and New York City, it has a 40-year record of service.  Americans for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate and appreciate all forms of the arts.  Additional information is available at www.AmericansForTheArts.org.

 

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For more information, call Andrea Comstock  at 305-852-1469 ext. 4369, 305-743-0079 ext. 4369, or 295-4369; e-mail info@keysarts.com; or visit www.keysarts.com.