uilding Communities Through the Arts is Kentucky's fifth statewide arts conference, but the first in the 21st Century and the first in many other ways. It is the first to be located in Northern Kentucky and the first to be produced with partnering organizations. The Arts Council extends a special thanks to its partners, the Kentucky Citizens for the Arts, Arts Kentucky and the Kentucky Alliance for Arts Education in sharing the vision to produce this Toolbox of Best Practices for the 21st Century.

The two-day conference will be structured to include hands-on best practices from the field and insightful general sessions from national leaders in the arts. These sessions will focus on four major areas -
 

Featuring William Strickland. (see agenda)
What was once considered a unique approach to achieving arts programming goals, partnerships and collaborations have become an everyday practice for arts organizations. The distinction between partnerships and collaborations becomes increasingly important as we come to the table to build communities through the arts. Collaboration happens when two or more groups or individuals plan and implement a single project. Collaborators may or may not be like-minded, only that each has something to contribute to the planned activity. A true partnership, on the other hand, evolves and matures over time through a series of collaborations. It is a sustained relationship with multiple, long term goals and objectives. Register Online

William Strickland
Bill Strickland has served as a consultant, grant evaluator, and mentor in the field of arts, arts education community development and vocational training. Presently, he is the President/CEO of Manchester Craftsmen's Guild and Bidwell Training Center, Inc., both founded in 1968. He has developed and implemented major fund raising plans of action, working with the Board of Directors of both agencies and an Industrial Advisory Board, bringing in participation of corporate executive officials from multinational Pittsburgh corporations. Mr. Strickland has also brought oversight and implementation to a strategic plan which facilitated an $8 million capital campaign for a 62,000 sq. ft. facility for the two agencies. He has excelled in building collaborative partnerships in Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Baltimore, and Kansas City as well as cultivating successful relationships with prominent national foundations.

Education continued...

The arts identify, respond to and serve the needs of special populations, including those that are in danger of falling through the cracks of our educational system. Arts in education act as a catalyst for comprehensive school-wide improvement and genuine community involvement. Register Online

Mimi Flaherty
Mimi Flaherty has been involved in arts-in-education program development and management since 1973, and Education Director of the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts since 1990. She holds an M.A. in Educational Theater from New York University, where she worked as the Associate Executive Director of the Creative Arts Team, an internationally acclaimed professional theater-in-education company. While with CAT, she supervised the development of plays and workshop residencies for children and adolescents. Upon returning to Washington, DC, she served as Associate Director of National Programs for VSA Arts. Ms. Flaherty served on the national advisory committee for Save the Children and currently co-chairs the national Task Force on Children's Learning and the Arts for the Arts Education Partnership.

Featuring Mimi Flaherty
(see agenda)
The arts pave a broader education road than the k-12 community in Kentucky. Early childhood education in the arts fosters family unity and personal growth for parents. We know that the arts are important as an independent subject matter and also that the arts enhance the study of other areas of curriculum. The arts are relevant to vocational skills as we retrain for new global markets.
 

Featuring Tom Birch (see agenda)
The art of politics come to play in building better communities. Ensuring a government is committed to support for the arts means electing officials who believe the arts are an important public responsibility. It also means educating already elected officials (local, state and federal) about the return on public investment in the arts. The value of the arts can be priceless in giving hope to struggling youth, mending broken families, providing respite for the ill, and easing social tensions in increasingly diverse communities. At the same time, the arts have measurable impact on communities in improving test scores for children in all subjects, building a better work force, attracting tourism dollars, and improving economic development. The bottom line is that public arts dollars are an extremely important investment for the public good and political leadership will only recognize that fact when local voices begin to speak to them in an informed manner. Register Online

Each of these plenaries will be followed by breakout discussion groups to hear other's stories, share information, and respond to topics. Best Practices will follow to provide model solutions to issues raised from individuals and organizations.

Tom Birch
Since 1981, Tom Birch has served as legislative counsel in Washington, D.C. to a variety of non-profit organizations, including the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, advising clients on federal legislative and administrative actions affecting public policy issues. He works closely with the boards and members of client organizations designing advocacy programs, directing advocacy efforts that will influence Congressional action, and training state and local groups in advocacy and lobbying strategies. Mr. Birch represents the interests of artists, arts organizations, and audiences in promoting access to the arts for all Americans and has authored numerous in national journals on the topics of legislative advocacy and public policy, particularly in the areas of child welfare, human services, and cultural affairs.