leadership development
Council Elections
Four Americans for the Arts Leadership Councils—the Public Art Council, Emerging Leader Council, Arts Education Council, and United Arts Funds Council—are currently seeking nominations for new council members to serve terms from January 1, 2007, through December 30, 2009. Full information is available in the council elections section of our website.
We are committed to helping arts leaders hone their professional skills and stay on top of the latest trends and developments in the arts field. To that end, we offer programs and workshops that unite colleagues and experts from the nonprofit and for-profit sectors and provide interactive professional training and creative networking opportunities.
Professional Development Opportunities
- Annual Convention 2006—Living Cultural Democracy: Arts in Changing Communities
Americans for the Arts 2006 Annual Convention will be held June 3–5, 2006 in Milwaukee, WI. - Annual Convention 2005—Leading the Charge
The 2005 convention Leading the Charge took place June 11–13, 2005 in Austin, TX and convention proceeding are available online. - Annual Convention 2004—pARTicipate2004
The 2004 convention, pARTicipate2004, marked the second joint meeting of Americans for the Arts and the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies. Convention proceedings are available on the pARTicipate website. - Annual Convention 2003—ARTrepreneur: The New Arts Leader
The 2003 Annual Convention, ARTrepreneur took place June 7-9, 2003 in Portland. Conference proceeding are available online. - Annual Convention 2002—ART works!: Creative Solutions for Change
The 2002 Annual Convention, ARTworks! took place June 8-10, 2002 in Nashville.
Watch streaming video of our keynotes: - Country music star Kathy Mattea
- Deputy Editor and Publisher of Diario Las Americas Alejandro J. Aguirre
- Monster.com founder Jeffrey Taylor, part 2
- Acting NEA Chair Eileen Mason (or read her closing remarks)
- Arts and Economic Impact Study: part 1 part 2
- Read or listen to conversations with outstanding innovators working in and around the the arts.
- Annual Convention 2001—pARTicipate2001
The 2001 convention, pARTicipate2001, marked the first joint meeting of Americans for the Arts and the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies. Almost 1500 people attended the three preconferences and convention that took place in July in New York City. The convention report, keynote speeches, and session outcomes are all available online. - Regional Meetings
We work closely with local communities to provide training on specific topics of interest to a region and create convening issues around critical issues of our time. - Audioconferences
We enable arts organizations to learn together by offering audioconferences that allow participants to call in individually or as a group and listen to live presentations on a variety of topics, such as political and economic trends. The experience can be shared with board, staff, and local partners. - Networking Opportunities
Americans for the Arts offer members the opportunity to network with peers and share challenges and successes to help find new ways to improve communities through the arts. Peer groups and listservs offer arts professionals the chance to learn from one another and compare experiences to strengthen your work. - Interest Areas/Peer Groups
Americans for the Arts Interest Areas provide members with opportunities for peer-to-peer networking. Interest Areas are groups of members according to profession or topical interest that meet during the Americans for the Arts' annual convention and throughout the year via listservs that work to expedite timely discussions on critical issues in the field. These sections of our website provide useful information on such topics as Emerging Leaders, the Public Art Network, and Arts Education.
