Reflections on Town Hall

A number of arts leaders and administrators attended the 98th Arizona Town Hall and participated in creating recommendations for  the arts and culture industry in Arizona.

Robert Booker, the Executive Director of the Arizona Commission on the Arts offered his thoughts on the Town Hall experience for our readers:

I was pleased to attend the 98^th Arizona Town Hall, Capitalizing on Arizona’s Arts and Culture. The experience of being with so many arts, education, business, and community leaders to discuss the current state of the Arizona arts industry, and to set a course of action for the way forward, is indeed a great opportunity. One of the most significant recommendations that came out of the convening is that we as Arizonans need to be more proactive in building a future for our state through the arts. This and many other recommendations uphold the long term vision for the Arizona arts industry in the Arts Commission’s strategic plan.  

At the Town Hall, there was an overwhelming recognition of the value of public funding for the arts. Public funding for the arts from state, county, and city resources helps ensure that all Arizonans have access to arts programming. It also enhances our industry’s ability to play a role in the growth of our economy and provides the resources needed to bring arts education opportunities to our young people. We must not forget that times of crisis can reveal opportunities. As a unified field we can capitalize on this pivotal moment to cultivate critical support for the arts. The arts industry is a key player in our state’s successful future.

I was personally pleased that the campaign created by the Arizona Commission on the Arts, The Choice is Art was recognized by so many participants as an active and compelling campaign to build awareness of the value of arts education, to increase participation, and to direct resources to the private ArtShare fund.

We are now charged to take aggressive action to rebuild public funding for the arts, and to discover new ways to work to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to participate in and experience the arts in Arizona.

Town Hall Recommendations

Congratulations to all the Town Hall attendees! Your work, as reflected by these recommendations, has given all of us something to rally around as we rebuild public support for the arts in Arizona.

Find information about the Town Hall here and the final report is available here.

You can also read Barry’s analysis of the final recommendations here at Barry’s Blog.

Arizona Town Hall – 2 days of incredible civil discourse

The 98th Arizona Town Hall has been an experience! We have worked for two solid days and tomorrow we will seek to come together and create a document based on consensus and our two days of discussion, dialogue and civil discourse.

We’re heard from experts in arts and culture, in research and data collection and more. You can read all about the past two days on Barry’s Blog.

Arizona Town Hall – We have arrived

Stakeholders from all over the state of Arizona and from many different walks of life have officially convened for the 98th Arizona Town Hall.

We have a big job ahead, but the energy is high and people seem excited to being the process. Tomorrow the panels begin – where small groups discuss important issues and questions pertaining to arts and culture and try to reach consensus and eventually create actionable policy recommendations.

Read all about this process at Barry’s Blog.