he statewide arts conference moves to Northern Kentucky for 2000. Building Communities Through the Arts offers a pre-conference seminar on Cultural Heritage Tourism and a pre-conference workshop on Technology Basics for Thursday, October 19, 2000. On Friday and Saturday, October 20-21, 2000, the conference will explore four themes that are critical to artists, arts organizations, arts leaders, educators and non-traditional stakeholders in creating a cultural infrastructure for our communities in the new millennium.

The Toolbox Approach
A line-up of luminaries from across the nation will keynote our broad topics of Partnerships & Collaborations, Change, Education, and Advocacy. In response, attendees will have the opportunity to self-select in break-out groups according to more specific topic issues. These facilitated, dialog boxes will respond to the plenary sessions as well as define the issues and begin thinking out-of-the box about the specific topics.

Best Practices
Why reinvent the wheel? People, organizations, and schools that have grappled with these very issues will present successful models of what works in the arts. These presentations will primarily draw from Kentucky communities, as concrete inspiration for what can be achieved complete with how-to guidance. Modeling best practices will also build a better awareness for stakeholders in assessing the "state of the arts" in the commonwealth.

• Partnerships & Collaborations
(William Strickland)
• Change
(Dudley Cocke)
• Education
(Mimi Flaherty)
• Advocacy
(Tom Birch)

Arts Infusion
During the course of the conference, you will have the opportunity to create, perform and respond to the arts. Performing arts groups from across Kentucky will entertain at receptions and luncheons and Kentucky visual arts will be on display. Throughout the conference, a special studio with artist assistants will be available in the hotel for all attendees to create percussion instruments. The culminating event will be an artist facilitated drum-in for this 21st Century community to make a joyful noise for the arts.

Use our conference web site to pre-register, use your Visa or MasterCard for a secure online transaction, find a locator map, details about the conference, and to virtually explore the historic, beautiful Northern Kentucky landscape.

Cultural Heritage Tourism
Not just the buzzword in Kentucky, urban and rural communities across the country are realizing that there is a niche tourism market that is evolving which goes beyond filling hotel rooms for conferences and building mega-attractions a-la-Disney. Cultural Heritage Tourism is traveling to experience the places, artifacts and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and present. It includes cultural historic and natural resources.

Technology Basics for Artists and Craftspeople
Acquiring foundational skills will go a long way in building the bridge over the digital divide. The culture of technology demands that everyone, including artists and craftspeople, become proficient in the basics to be functionally literate in society. Getting beyond the fear of technology and demystifying the daunting tasks that seem to loom from the future are the practical living skills required for thriving in the 21st Century.

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