Arts Midwest

Branding is all the buzz in business circles, but how do you brand a nonprofit arts organization -– and why should you bother? We’ll look at how strategic branding can revitalize your organization, make stronger connections with audiences, and help you compete for the media’s or funders’ attention. We’ll define “arts branding” and how it fits under the broader marketing umbrella, and examine the brand development process and the critical elements of a brand, including perception research, competitive advantages, positioning, taglines, graphic identity, execution, and organizational adoption.

Are you ready to leap into the world of online video, blogs, podcasts, and e-mail marketing? Creating a podcast or online video begins with writing a script about the program you wish to promote. Bring your 250-word promotional script and Thomas will select several volunteers with whom he will produce a podcast and video during this session. You’ll learn how to leverage media partnerships and build business relationships; discover the value of creating your own online podcasts, vodcasts, blogs, and e-blasts; and learn how to use online media to listen to your customers and create a buzz for your performing arts products and services.

This intensive workshop will delve into issues specific to self-represented artists, and what it takes to be successful in the performing arts market. Topics will include the market landscape, self vs. agency representation, business plans, what to expect from conferences, pitfalls and myths, and more. A growing number of self-represented artists are entering the market – but are they properly prepared for this market? Listen, take notes, and come away with knowledge that will help you succeed.

Add equal parts juggler, diplomat, driver, caterer, and janitor; throw in a dash of P.T. Barnum and a pinch of Houdini. Stir in an enquiring mind and a dollop of optimism, and top it all off with the ability to laugh in the face of adversity. What do you get? A recipe for presenting! Join Kass Prince and Betsy DuBois as they cover the basics of performing arts presenting.

Artist managers/agents play a critical role in the performing arts field – and it’s no easy task to simultaneously nurture and support touring artists while trying to write contracts. So what qualities make for a good artist manager? What practical skills are required? What philosophies and principles drive or, perhaps, ought to drive the field of artist management? Join these panelists for a thorough look at the work of artist managers.

Susan Dadian will give an overview of how presenters can apply to Chamber Music America’s (CMA) grant programs for presenting community-based residencies, as well as to a new program for presenting jazz ensembles. She will also discuss CMA’s two commissioning programs, CMA/ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming, and the organization’s national conference.

Join the Americans for the Arts team as they present tools that can help you make your case for public and private sector arts funding in your community. This discussion will feature information on advocacy as it relates to the upcoming presidential election (including the new ArtsVote 2008 initiative); opportunities for visibility during National Arts & Humanities Month this October; and new research on the arts field, arts funding, and arts education.

Jane Forde will present the new projects funded by the National Dance Project (NDP) and the American Masterpieces: Dance (AMD) projects available for touring support in 2008–2009. Jane will present video clips of NDP-funded artists’ work, as well as providing information on NDP and AMD, including grant guidelines and how to obtain support for presenting these artists. NDP is a program of the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA); AMD is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts administered by NEFA.

Mid-America Arts Alliance is currently reconsidering how it can best support performing artists and presenters. This session offers a chance to discuss needs and potentials for future cultural development in our six-state region (Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas), and for you to share your ideas about how Mid-America can be of greater help. Meet Mid-America staff, available for consultation throughout the Conference, and learn about our current programs in visual and performing arts and humanities.

Join leaders from the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP), America’s national service organization for presenters and presenting, for a rapid-fire scan of what’s new and what’s next. Included will be a preview of the APAP Conference NYC 2009, the world’s top forum and marketplace for the performing arts. Learn how demographic shifts, cross-cultural growth, and new technologies are creating a digital divide that is beginning to radically alter the presenting landscape.

Join Kathy Cain as she discuss Ohio Arts Council’s Arts Access, Sustainability, and Capacity Building programs; the Ohio Artists on Tour Directory, including how to book artists listed and how to become listed as an artist; and other general topics.

Learn about Arts Midwest’s Performing Arts Fund, which provides fee support to performing arts presenting organizations in its nine-state region (IL, IN, IA, MI, MN, ND, OH, SD, and WI) for engagements of professional performing artists/ensembles. Presenters, as well as artists and managers, are encouraged to join us as we present an overview of the program, discuss guidelines and eligibility requirements, and highlight selected engagements that have received funding. (If you can’t attend the session but are interested in the program, be sure to sign up on-site for a one-on-one consultation with Christy Dickinson.)

Join Mario Garcia Durham for an update on programs, initiatives and funding opportunities at the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). He will also give his popular “insider” tips for applying to the NEA, including best ways to communicate with staff, strategizing for maximum effectiveness, and his “Do’s & Don’ts.” This session is essential for first-time applicants and those who wish to improve their organizations’ grantwriting knowledge and capabilities.

With subjects as diverse as the solar system and the possibility for emotional intensity unlike any other art form, touring theater deserves a place on your season. It’s the way we tell our stories, create our myths, and – in a society that is increasingly fragmented – acts as a kind of glue. Expand your notions of what theater really is – it’s so much more than a recent “10 Best” list or the umpteenth bus-and-truck of an old American musical – and explore the rich variety of performance options out there.

The Glenn Miller ghost band just isn’t relevant to most audiences today – or won’t be relevant in the near future. There is an exciting renaissance going on in jazz in which artists from many countries and cultures are making significant contributions to the genre. In this session, we’ll discuss the many influences that are shaping today’s jazz music, and we’ll welcome presenters who regularly program jazz as well as those who have never done so.

Have you often thought, “I’d like to present dance, but I don’t know what to do!”? Or asked any of these questions: “What dance company is right for my audience? What’s new, exciting, and innovative in dance? What’s involved in presenting dance? How would I sell it? How do I produce it?” Join Gail Kalver and Randy Swartz as they answer these questions and help you discover all the reasons you should give dance a try.

Open meeting.

Members-only meeting; block-booking.

Open meeting.

Members-only meeting; block booking.

Members-only meeting; block booking/programming.

Open meeting.

Members-only meeting; block booking.

Open to all presenters; general meeting & cooperative booking.

Open meeting.

Learn about the benefits of mergers by focusing on the successful merge of the Muncie Center for the Arts and the Community Civic Center in Muncie, Indiana, which now operates as Cornerstone Center for the Arts. As a result of the merger, the center has earned $1.1 million in grant dollars, raised more than $700,000 in donations, and increased arts programming by 135%. Cornerstone Center for the Arts has shown how a merger impacts collaborations and gives credibility to creating successful partnerships.

Join state arts agency representatives from the Arts Midwest and Mid-America Arts Alliance regions, who will talk with each other and with you about important arts issues at state, regional, and national levels.

We’ll start this session with a discussion about meeting overhead costs, which can be a major challenge for small arts centers. Arts Place is piloting the operation of multiple centers by using centralized shared systems for fiscal management, marketing, staffing, fundraising, and programming. The project seeks to increase impact and cost efficiencies, while maintaining local leadership. Other small-presenter issues are welcome in this session as well.

Management guru Peter Drucker once said, “The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn’t being said.” This discussion will delve deeply into the issue of presenter/management/artist communication. Beginning with a review of issues important to the field and continuing with effective communication strategies, this session will offer participants a safe environment in which to find out what presenters, managers, and artists don’t usually tell each other. Enriched by these insights, participants will brainstorm new ways of approaching communication issues.

Join your colleagues in this lively discussion of topics of interest such as hot trends in outdoor curation, effective marketing strategies, working through your local decision-making and governmental agencies, enhancing an entrenched program or starting a new one, and many more. This is also a great opportunity to discuss upcoming projects or to network to facilitate tours.