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Cultivating the Arts in Tennessee Montgomery Bell State Park Inn 1000 Hotel Ave, Burns, TN 37029 • (615) 797-3101 October 28-30, 2014 The Tennessee Arts Commission welcomes you to the 2014 statewide conference, Cultivating the Arts in Tennessee. Our goals are for everyone come together to recharge and enhance our knowledge about building stronger communities through the arts. We hope over the next few days, we will discover new ideas, strategies and a host of best practices to implement together. This year’s conference marks the launch of our new brand and a new 5-year strategic plan. Over the past two years, we have spent time researching, interviewing and listening. With the feedback we received, we have a clear vision for the future—one that you will see in the Tennessee Arts Commission’s new strategic plan, new brand, here at this conference and in the work we will do together going forward. You will notice that the sessions have a number assigned to them. These numbers correlate with our new strategic plan goals. The sessions are opportunities to explore how your work is essential to the plan’s goals, as well as offering you new and practical information and ideas. We welcome your feedback on the sessions and the conference in general—please send an email or call to give us your thoughts. As we all continue to cultivate the arts in Tennessee, we look forward to working with you to move our Tennessee communities forward through the arts.
2015-2019 Strategic Plan Goals Thriving Tennessee Arts and Culture Arts as Engines of Growth and Vitality Arts Essential to Learning A Champion for the Arts Effective and Accountable Agency
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CONFERENCE SCHEDULE AT-A-GLANCE
All times are CST
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28
5:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
Registration
6:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. Welcome Dinner & Celebration Rooms B and C • A Presentation of the Tennessee Arts Commission’s New Brand • Entertainment by the Dickson Chamber Choir and Mawre & Company.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29
7:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m.
Registration Breakfast networking roundtables or self-guided sunrise hikes
8:00 a.m.-9:15 a.m. Rooms B and C
Keynote Address Weaving a New Fabric of Community Through the Arts with Becky Anderson
9:30 a.m.-11:00 a.m. Workshop Sessions Room A • Fundamentals Of Capitalization: Financial Health for Arts Nonprofits Room B • An Artful Approach To Creating Content and Connecting with Your Audience Room C • Potential to Plan: Leveraging Artistic Assets and Capabilities for Public Impact
11:15 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Rooms B and C
11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m. Rooms B and C
Lunch Plenary Session What Works in the Arts: Three Foundations’ Perspectives
1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. Room A Room B Room C
Workshop Sessions • Arts & Inclusion: Strategies for Building Audiences • Mind Your Own Creative Business • Looking Back on 30 Years of The Tennessee Arts Commission Folklife Program
2:45 p.m.-3:45 p.m. Rooms B and C
Plenary Session Championing the Arts in Tennessee Special Guest: Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris
4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Rooms B and C
Plenary Session Tennessee Arts Commission Town Hall
5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m.
Sunset Hikes with Ranger Tim Wheatley
7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
Cookout and Bluegrass Jam Session featuring Roby Cogswell and friends, hosted by TFTA
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30
7:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m.
Breakfast networking roundtables or self-guided sunrise hikes
8:00 a.m.-9:30 a.m. Rooms B and C
Plenary Session People, Places and Prospects: Reinvention Through the Arts with Becky Anderson and Bill Strickland
Workshop Sessions • Advice Session With Becky & Bill • Embracing Creativity In Local Folk Arts • Breaking Barriers Through Arts Learning
9:45 a.m.-11:15 a.m. Room A Room B Room C
11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Rooms B and C 2
Cultivating the Arts in Tennessee: A Five Year Plan of Action
CULTIVATING THE ARTS IN TENNESSEE
Lunch-time Endnote Address Engaging the Village with Gary Glazner
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28 5:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
Registration 6:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
Welcome Dinner and Celebration Join your colleagues and friends for an informal buffet dinner. The evening begins with entertainment by the Dickson Community Chamber Choir, followed by a presentation of the Tennessee Arts Commission’s new brand. Topping off the evening will be an exciting performance by Mawre and Company. Rooms B and C
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29 7:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m.
Registration, breakfast networking roundtables or self-guided sunrise hikes Network with your peer group or enjoy a self-guided hike along one of the many beautiful state-park trails. Breakfast will be offered in the Inn’s restaurant. 8:00 a.m.-9:15 a.m.
Keynote Address Weaving a New Fabric of Community Through the Arts Presented by Becky Anderson, Becky Anderson Consulting We all know the importance of the arts in our communities—they truly are intricately woven into our histories and futures. While the arts are a powerful avenue of civic change, many benefits of the arts are overlooked, especially in the fields of science and industry. Join Becky Anderson as she discusses how to convey to business and community leaders that investment in the arts encourages market innovation, supports robust economies and helps communities thrive. Rooms B and C 9:30 a.m.-11:00 a.m.
Workshop sessions Fundamentals of Capitalization: Financial Health for Arts Nonprofits Presented by Susan Nelson, TDC Technical Development Corp (TDC), a Boston-based nonprofit management consulting and research organization, defines capitalization as “the accumulation and application of resources in support of the achievement of an organization’s mission and goals over time.” This workshop will review the concept and practice of capitalization, share financial health data on the arts sector, discuss the barriers to effective capitalization and provide a brief overview of how to create an appropriate capitalization strategy. Room A
An Artful Approach to Creating Content and Connecting with Your Audience Presented by Pamela Coyle, Content Connects and Liz Fulghum, No Sleep For Sheep Are you telling the right story about your organization? Are you in step with changes in how your audience wants information? Stop talking at your audience and start talking with them. This session will offer concrete ways to generate relevant content and integrate it across all your digital channels, from websites to social media profiles. Presented by two industry experts, Pamela Coyle and Liz Fulghum, you will leave this session with a how-to list that you can begin using on Friday. Room B
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Potential to Plan: Leveraging Artistic Assets and Capabilities for Public Impact Moderated by Shannon Ford, Tennessee Arts Commission Panelists include Deborah Frazier, Blues City Cultural Center; Patty Mitchell, visual artist; Kiran Sirah, International Storytelling Center; and Liza Zenni, Arts & Culture Alliance All arts organizations exist to provide programs that enhance participants’ lives. Knowing how to describe your program impact in terms that are relevant to potential partners, funders, and authorizers is essential to expanding your organization’s reach in your community. Listen to representatives from three different organizations explain their methods for cultivating program support by authentically representing how people are affected by their work. Room C 11:15 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Cultivating The Arts In Tennessee: A Five-Year Plan Of Action Presented by Anne B. Pope, Tennessee Arts Commission A short presentation on how the five goals outlined in the Tennessee Arts Commission’s newly established strategic plan will move our communities forward in Tennessee. Rooms B and C 11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
Lunch and Plenary Discussion What Works in the Arts: Three Foundations’ Perspectives Moderated by Anne B. Pope, Tennessee Arts Commission Panelists include Ellen E. Lehman, Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee; Gretchen Wollert McLennon, Hyde Family Foundation; and Michael McClamroch, East Tennessee Foundation Many private funders invest in their local communities through the arts. Hear representatives from three Tennessee foundations discuss challenges and opportunities they have observed in their regional arts communities. They will also share how resources, partnerships, initiatives and innovations developed by arts and cultural organizations have advanced community-wide goals and/ or resulted in greater arts access and participation. Rooms B and C 1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
Workshop sessions Arts & Inclusion: Strategies for Building Audiences Presented by Ned Solomon, Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities, and William Coleman, Tennessee Arts Commission Participate in a culminating conversation which details the results of a statewide initiative aimed at identifying barriers to participation in the arts for persons with disabilities and creating sustainable strategies for eliminating these barriers. Participants will identify marketing, communications, awareness and sensitivity best practices that will help our arts events to be more welcoming of patrons with disabilities. A best practices handout will be provided for comments and feedback. Room A
Mind Your Own Creative Business Presented by Stephanie Pruitt, Mind Your Creative Business Consulting Kick the starving artist syndrome to the curb. Join a growing number of working artists who are minding their creative business by embracing manageable marketing principals that will keep you from feeling like you’ve sold your creative soul. This business workshop for artists will place you on the path to craft a life and a LIVING through your art. Room B
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Looking Back On 30 Years Of The TN Arts Commission Folklife Program Moderated by Dr. Robert Cogswell Panelists include Brent Cantrell, Jubilee Community Arts; Bob Fulcher, Cumberland Trail State Park; and Bill Kornrich, Rose Center & Council For The Arts (Retired) As the program completes its 30th year, three veteran advocates will discuss how the field has changed since 1984. Topics for comparison include: relative states of artistic and cultural resources; fieldwork and documentation; recognition and opportunities for artists; quality and vitality of public programming; nonprofit infrastructure and available funding; and public education and awareness of folklife. Perspectives from the panelists will offer insight into the Tennessee Arts Commission’s long-term involvement with folk arts and folklife, as well as challenges the program faces in its future work. Room C 2:45 p.m.-3:45 p.m.
Plenary Session Championing The Arts In Tennessee Moderated by Bonnie McDonald, Tennesseans for The Arts A panel discussion on how artists and arts organizations can become champions for the arts in their communities, on the Hill and across the state. Rooms B and C Special Guest: Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris 4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
Plenary Session Tennessee Arts Commission Town Hall The Tennessee Arts Commission staff will be available to answer questions regarding the new strategic plan. Rooms B and C 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Sunset Hikes Enjoy our natural setting with a self-guided hike or join Ranger Tim Wheatley on the WildCat Trail. Be ready to go in the lobby by 5:30 p.m. 7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
Cookout and Jam Session hosted by Tennesseans for The Arts Join us in the Swim Pavilion, located in the swimming and recreation area, for a casual evening with hot dogs, hamburgers and all the fixings. Enjoy an acoustic set (or two) of bluegrass with special guests Roby Cogswell and friends. Bring your instruments to join in the music.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30 7:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m.
Breakfast networking roundtables or self-guided sunrise hikes Network with your peer group or enjoy a self-guided hike along one of the many beautiful state-park trails. Breakfast will be offered from 7:00-8:00 a.m in the Inn’s restaurant.
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8:00 a.m.-9:30 a.m.
Plenary Session People, Places and Prospects: Reinvention Through the Arts Moderated by Anne B. Pope, Tennessee Arts Commission Panelists include Becky Anderson, Becky Anderson Consulting and Bill Strickland, Manchester Bidwell Corp. The arts transform lives and communities. History shows that investments in arts and cultural enterprises can have long-term positive effects on economies of all sizes. Bill Strickland and Becky Anderson will explore how prioritizing creativity in education, workforce and economic development enriches and inspires communities. Rooms B and C 9:45 a.m.-11:15 a.m.
Workshop sessions Advice Session Presented by Becky Anderson, Becky Anderson Consulting and Bill Strickland, Manchester Bidwell Corp. Becky and Bill will be available to take questions about your organization’s or community’s most pressing issues. Don’t miss this opportunity to get answers from two leading experts in the field. Room A
Embracing Creativity in Local Folk Arts Moderated by Dr. Dana Everts-Boehm, Tennessee Arts Commission Panelists include Liza Blair, Glass House Collective; Maura Yu Morales, Casa De La Cultura Latinoamericana; and Shawn Pitts, Arts In McNairy Folk arts thrive in close-knit ethnic, regional and social groups that may be marginal or invisible in relation to conventional arts circles. However, they are very important to the creative identity and history of particular places. Identifying and engaging folk arts resources requires openness to diversity, thorough cultural assessment and on-going effort. Tennesseans with experience in this effort will discuss how they have successfully sought out folk artists and art forms and showcased them in public programs, linking creativity to sense of place. Room B
Breaking Barriers Through Arts Learning Moderated by Ann Brown, Tennessee Arts Commission Panelists include Jan Mckeel, South Central Tennessee Workforce Alliance; Sarah Unrath, Arts In Corrections Specialist and Social Activist; and Gary Glazner, Alzheimer’s Poetry Project In this informative panel discussion, presenters share strategies to break down barriers by providing arts education to underserved populations. Program highlights include: Developmental Arts through the Workforce, Arts in Corrections, and Poetry for Life. As panelist and corrections specialist, Sarah Unrath, suggests, “Discover the potential of the arts to cut across the razor wire and act as the catalyst to transcend the divide between the outside and inside.” Learn ways to identify the razor wires in your community and provide greater access to arts learning. Room C 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Lunch and Endnote Address Engaging The Village Presented by Gary Glazner, Alzheimer’s Poetry Project Join Gary Glazner as he discusses his groundbreaking Alzheimer’s Poetry Project and shares ideas on expanding accessibility for people living with memory loss to the arts through the performance and creation of poetry. He will give examples of ways to strengthen civic engagement and community vitality through the arts, and techniques to combine poetry with dance, music and visual arts. To culminate the session, Glazner will assist participants to collectively create an original poem and then perform the piece together. Rooms B and C
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PLENARY PRESENTERS Becky Anderson Becky Anderson of Becky Anderson Consulting, Inc. serves as a consultant for cultural and economic development projects related to The Creative Economy. Most recently she served as Founding Director of HandMade in America, a community development organization located in Western North Carolina. HandMade in America works to implement environmentally sustainable economic solutions that emphasize the craft industry, enhance opportunities in the marketplace and develop entrepreneurial strategies for the region’s artisans. HandMade was the recipient of The Economic Development Planning Award of The American Planning Association; The Award of Merit for Sustainable Development from Renew America, Inc.; The Best Community Outreach Award from Niche Magazine; and in 2003 Worth Magazine ranked HandMade as one of the top 24 arts nonprofits in the United States. Prior to HandMade Becky served as Director of Economic Development for The Asheville Chamber of Commerce, Director of Community Development for Land of Sky Regional Council and Director of Economic Development for the City of Asheville. In 2000, U.S. News and World Report named Anderson as one of The United States top 20 visionaries for her work in community and civic development. In 2012, she was given the Order of the Long Leaf Pine by Governor Beverly Perdue for her economic and community development initiatives on behalf of the citizens of North Carolina.
Gary Glazner Gary Glazner has dedicated his career to using the arts to serve those afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. He founded the Institute for Dementia Education and Arts (IDEA) and is both founder and Executive Director of the Alzheimer’s Poetry Project (APP). Under his leadership, the APP received the 2012 MetLife Foundation Creativity and Aging in America Leadership Award for Community Engagement and the 2013 Rosalinde Gilbert Innovations in Alzheimer’s Disease Caregiving Legacy Award. Also an author, Gary has been published by Harper Collins, W.W. Norton, Salon.com and, most recently, was featured by Health Professional Press. PBS’s “News Hour,” NBC’s “Today Show” and NPR’s “All Things Considered” have all featured segments on his work. In addition to his own endeavors, Glazner co-produces with New York Memory Center to host Memory Arts Cafe, monthly free arts events for people living with Alzheimer’s disease, their caregivers and the general public.
Ellen E. Lehman Ellen Lehman is the founding President of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. A graduate of Hillwood High School in Nashville and Harvard University, she earned Master’s Degrees from both the London School of Economics and the Harvard Business School before returning to Nashville in 1987. The Community Foundation oversees nearly 1,000 charitable funds, providing customized philanthropic solutions with flexibility for donors, nonprofit organizations and the community. In the past 23 years, The Community Foundation has made grants totaling more than $684 million and now bears responsibility for nearly $400 million in charitable assets for funds addressing community needs.
Gretchen Wollert McLennon Gretchen Wollert McLennon joined the Hyde Family Foundation as a program officer in 2007. Her work focuses on managing the arts & culture, civic engagement and neighborhood revitalization portfolios for the Foundations. Hyde Family Foundations’ senior staff works closely with grantees and provides guidance around such areas as: strategic and long-range planning, capacity building, project management and development and fundraising activities. Prior to her work with the Hyde family, Gretchen was a major gifts officer for Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (MIFA) and a donor relations officer for the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta. CULTIVATING THE ARTS IN TENNESSEE
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Michael McClamroch A Knoxville native, Michael is a graduate of Webb School of Knoxville, Furman University and Cumberland School of Law. He is President & CEO of East Tennessee Foundation, a community foundation with over $225 million in assets serving 25 East Tennessee counties. His emphasis during his 13 year tenure has been on excellent stewardship of the resources entrusted to the Foundation and on top-notch constituent services, which has led to the dramatic growth in the asset size and grantmaking of ETF. Prior to leading the Foundation, Michael practiced law with the firm of Egerton, McAfee, Armistead & Davis and was an active volunteer with a variety of charitable organizations in the Knoxville area. He currently serves on the Board of Knoxville Botanical Gardens and the Board of Trustees at Webb School of Knoxville.
Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris Mark Norris was first elected to the Tennessee Senate in 2000 and has served as the Senate Majority Leader since 2007. In that role, he is the prime sponsor of the Haslam Administration’s legislation, including the annual budget. Norris is a graduate of the University Of Denver College Of Law. He has practiced law, including business litigation, in Tennessee for 34 years and is Special Counsel to the law firm of Adams and Reese LLP with offices in Memphis, Nashville, and 13 other southern cities. Norris also serves as Chairman of the national Council of State Governments representing all 3 branches of state government in all 50 states, the Canadian Provinces, Mexico and Puerto Rico. This year, he’s been named Legislator of the Year 3 times: by the Tennessee PTA for his focus on education, children and families; the AMVETS awarded him their coveted Silver Bayonet Award for his focus on veterans needs from college degrees and jobs to a new State home in Shelby County, and the Tennessee Association for Justice recognized him this summer for reforming the state’s medical liability and workers’ comp laws while preserving access to justice and protecting the rights of individuals. Norris is a founding member of the General Assembly’s “Arts Caucus” and is the prime sponsor of the gift certificate bill for specialty license plates. Senator Norris and his wife, Chris, live on a working farm outside of Collierville where they enjoy gardening, horseback riding and introducing their grandchildren to the wonders of outside adventure.
Bill Strickland Nationally renowned innovator Bill Strickland began his mission of empowering educational environments when he founded Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild to bring arts education and mentorship to inner city youth—he himself still a college student. From there, his powerful fusion of mentorship, education, beauty and hope have created safe and productive places of learning for students of all ages. From the Bidwell Training Center, to Harbor Gardens Park, to the National Center for Arts & Technology, Bill has effected positive change in the lives of countless people. Author of Make the Impossible Possible and possessor of 15 honorary doctorates, Strickland has also been honored with numerous prestigious awards over the course of his career. Some of his most recent honors include: being appointed to President Obama’s White House Council for Community Solutions in 2010; Chicago Ideas Week’s 2011 Hero Award; the Goi Peace Award, presented by the Goi Peace Foundation in Tokyo, Japan in 2011; and being honored on the floor of the U.S. Senate as part of Black History Month in 2013.
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PRESENTERS Liza Blair Liza Blair is a folklorist in Chattanooga who has worked on numerous cultural assessments and grass roots folklife projects over the past eight years. Collaborating with Allied Arts of Chattanooga and St. Andrews Center, she spearheaded a three-year project to document, identify and find programming opportunities for Chattanooga’s diverse Latino community. The project, entitled “Latino Arts Survey of Chattanooga,” resulted in the inclusion of two artists, a Mexican embroiderer and a Salvadoran traditional cook, in the Tennessee Arts Commission Folklife Program’s book and touring project, Tradition: Tennessee Lives and Legacies. Recently, she conceived a project to document Chattanooga’s African American and Southern gospel traditions and served as the project director for “Gospel on Glass” that culminated in an outdoor concert featuring Chattanooga’s finest community gospel choirs.
Brent Cantrell A native of Warren County, Brent Cantrell served in the Peace Corps in Togo, West Africa, before pursuing graduate studies in Folklore at Indiana University. He returned to Togo on a Fulbright Fellowship for fieldwork related to his Ph.D. completed in 1992. From 1989-1994 he served as folklorist and festival coordinator for the Historical Museum of South Florida, where he worked with Miami’s African and Afro-Caribbean communities. He joined the staff of the Tennessee Overhill Heritage Association in Etowah in 1994, then in 1997 became Director of Jubilee Community Arts in Knoxville, where he manages a facility and busy concert schedule, hosts a weekly radio program, and also edits the Tennessee Folklore Society Bulletin.
William Coleman William Coleman currently serves as the Director of Arts Access for the Tennessee Arts Commission. The Arts Access program is designed to support underserved constituents and organizations across the state and identify barriers to the Tennessee Arts Commission programs and funding for these groups. William is also the accessibility coordinator for the agency. He helps ensure that the arts are accessible to people with disabilities. William has over 15 years of teaching, performing, arts administration, and directing experience. He holds degrees and post graduate studies from Purdue University, University of Oklahoma, Middle Tennessee State University and the University of Tennessee Knoxville.
Pamela Coyle Pamela Coyle runs Content Connects, a boutique content strategy and creation company in Nashville. As a speaker, Pam has presented at BarCamp, PodCamp and WordCamp in Nashville, and is active in WordPress, social media, marketing and entrepreneurial-related groups and MeetUps. She is a Nashville Symphony subscriber and attends Saturday Art Crawls as well as Nashville Improv and local theatre performances. She worked as a reporter and editor at major newspapers for nearly 25 years and shared in Pulitzer Prizes for public service and deadline reporting for her role on the Hurricane Katrina coverage team at The Times-Picayune in New Orleans. As acting city editor, she stayed in the newsroom and worked there until the news team was evacuated more than 30 hours after Katrina hit. Pam also holds a Loeb Award in business investigative reporting and a Masters in the Study of Law from Yale Law School.
Deborah Frazier Pennsylvania State University and University of Memphis graduate Deborah Frazier is co-founder and Project Director of Blues City Cultural Center (BCCC), a 35 year old arts organization which has as its mission: Arts for A Better Way of Life. In 2012 she received the Gyneka Award from the international Women’s Theater Festival. She and her husband Levi Frazier, Jr. also received the Governor’s Award for the arts for BCCC’s outstanding work in the performing arts. Her play, Knight Songs, about internationally acclaimed poet, Etheridge Knight, toured several prisons as part of a Tennessee
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Commission for the Humanities grant BCCC received in the 1980’s. Deborah has been instrumental in developing programs for BCCC that address social issues using the arts. These programs include: Peace in the House — a violence prevention program for youth; Seek to Serve-a servant leadership program for persons living in affordable housing; Hope Day Zone-a self esteem program for homeless women; and the most recent program addition, Sew Much Love, an entrepreneurial program for homeless women.
Bob Fulcher From his first years as a park naturalist, Bob Fulcher has achieved a series of significant accomplishments for Tennessee traditional music and culture. His work in the 1970s with littleknown masters including the Hicks Family, Virgil Anderson and Clyde Davenport introduced the rest of America to the musical treasures of the Cumberland Plateau. From 1979 to 1985, his NEAfunded Tennessee State Parks Folklife Project conducted extensive fieldwork and programming across the state, effectively adding folklife to the parks’ interpretive mission and cultivating many of the outstanding participants who represented Tennessee well at the 1986 Smithsonian Festival of American Folklife. Since 2001 his leadership in developing Cumberland Trail State Park has incorporated sensitive commitment to the culture of the trail’s neighbors in 11 counties, including sharing of their musical legacy through an award-winning weekly radio program on Knoxville’s WDVX and ambitious CD releases on the independent Sandrock Recording label.
Liz Fulghum Liz Fulghum is a seasoned digital strategist and leader with over 15 years experience in design, development and digital marketing. She is passionate about connecting people through technology and encouraging brands and individuals to interact in more meaningful ways on the web. Following five years working in the marketing side of the music business at Sony Music Nashville and BubbleUp, Liz launched digital marketing agency NoSleepForSheep to help better serve clients. Today, Liz and the entire team at NSFS continues to work with businesses, non-profits, and startups to solve real business problems through better design and communication.
Bill Kornrich An original member of the Rounder Records Co-op, Bill Kornrich helped manage the National Folk Festival and served as Assistant Director of the National Council for the Traditional Arts in the 1970s. He moved to Tennessee to join the staff of the Folklife Program at the 1982 Knoxville World’s Fair, then served for 20 years as Executive Director of Rose Center and Council for the Arts in Morristown. There he integrated folk content with community arts programming in many ways, including the annual Mountain Makin’s festival which he founded. He also served as chair of the National Endowment for the Arts Folk and Traditional Arts Panel. Kornrich has been a consultant to many nonprofit organizations on behalf of the East Tennessee Foundation, the Tennessee Arts Commission and Humanities Tennessee. In recent years he has worked in several capacities with The Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail.
Jan McKeel Jan McKeel has served as the Executive Director of the South Central TN Workforce Alliance since 1997 and as an employee of the Workforce since 1991. The vision of the Workforce Alliance is to successfully serve the people of Giles, Hickman, Lawrence, Lewis, Marshall, Maury, Perry, and Wayne counties by acting as a catalyst for collaboration among job seekers, employers and workforce development partners. Ms. McKeel provides excellent leadership in all these areas. She is an active participant in community organizations -- Maury Vision 20-20, previous Chairman of the Maury county Chapter of the American Red Cross Board of Directors, Kiwanis, Maury County Animal Shelter Board of Directors and National Association of Workforce Boards.
Patty Mitchell Patty Mitchell is a working artist and social entrepreneur specializing in collaborations between artists with and without developmental disabilities. Her art works are often site specific public art works that encourage conversation, awareness and inclusion of people with perceived disabilities and add beauty
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to the larger community. The second phase of the process, when requested, is to create product lines through the artwork with the intention of developing employment opportunities and funding streams back to support continued art programming for the individuals being served. Mitchell has a Masters in Fine Arts from Ohio University 1991, has been an Artist in Residence with the Ohio Arts Council since 1994 and founded Passion Works Studio in 1998. Patty now works as a consultant, encouraging and supporting organizations in developing programming internationally with Norwich Consulting Services. Patty has received a Distinguished Alumna Award from Ohio University’s College of Fine Art, Ohioana Citation for Art and Education, Individual Artist Award from the Ohio Arts Council, Citizen of the Year from Athens Civitan and The Keystone Award from Ohio University for outstanding community service.
Mayra Yu Morales Mayra Yu Morales, formerly of Plaza Comunitaria (under Catholic Charities of Nashville) and currently the director of Casa de la Cultura Latinoamericana (a new 501c3 operating in Antioch) has been working with the Latino community of greater Nashville in various capacities for the past ten years. She has assisted in programming artists for numerous local festivals and events, including the first annual “Fiestas Patrias” in 2010 and “Colores de America Latina” in 2013. In addition to presenting such local Latino folk artists as a Guatemalan Mayan marimba band, Mexican norteño singers, Mexican embroiderers and toy makers at various events, Morales collaborates with the Mexican Consulate in Atlanta and arts-oriented entities of the Mexican government to bring musicians and dancers from Mexico to perform in Tennessee, thus reinvigorating traditional arts brought here by the immigrant population.
Susan Nelson Current Principal, Susan has been with Technical Development Corporation (TDC), a nonprofit consulting and research group, since 1987. In her many years with the firm, she has led a wide range of projects that include mergers, strategic business plans, financial restructuring, and facilities planning. Susan’s practice focuses on the complex challenge of aligning an organization’s strategy, implementation plan and financial sustainability. Her deep financial analysis skills and hands-on operational experience have given her a special expertise on how to scale an organization to an appropriate size while creating a sustainable financial capitalization plan. She has worked with clients of all sizes across the country in areas such as arts and culture, community development, education and social services. Prior to joining TDC, Susan held financial management positions at a variety of nonprofits and public agencies, including the Boston Housing Authority and the Opera Company of Boston. She holds a BA in history from the College of Saint Rose.
Shawn Pitts Shawn Pitts’ leadership was instrumental in the founding of Arts in McNairy (AiM) in Selmer and his vision has insured that West Tennessee traditional arts are integral to the group’s programming and success. As an organizer, he helped revitalize the local Broomcorn Festival and as a researcher, he thoroughly documented the county’s historic broommaking tradition. His advocacy for McNairy County’s musical history inspired AiM’s creation of public murals, making Selmer a high point of the Rockabilly Highway heritage tourism trail. Shawn’s discovery of a trove of historic local home recordings has led to audio restoration and CD reissue of materials in the Stanton Littlejohn collection. With support from the American Folklife Center’s Henry Reed fellowship, Shawn has also extensively interviewed surviving musical veterans and produced a video documentary about the long history of community country music activity in the Latta building now restored as AiM’s new local arts center.
Stephanie Pruitt Stephanie Pruitt is a poet, artist advocate and business strategist. A native Nashvillian, she has an undergraduate degree in Marketing from MTSU and an MFA in creative writing from Vanderbilt. She is the recipient of an Academy of American Poets Prize, Sedberry Prize and Essence Magazine named her one of their “Favorite 40 Poets.” Stephanie has taught arts education and creative writing at Vanderbilt University, Sewanee Young Writers’ Conference and has been a visiting artist in over one hundred k-12 and community settings. The ARTrepreneur is founder of Poems & Pancakes and currently curates a collection of poetry vending machines and literary public art projects. Stephanie has advanced the local creative community through work with the Nashville Arts Coalition, Ryman Lofts Selection Committee, CULTIVATING THE ARTS IN TENNESSEE 11
Nashville Next, Poetry in Motion and numerous grant review panels. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville. The 2014 Nashville Emerging Leader Award Finalist operates Mind Your Creative Business Consulting where she equips businesses with arts-rich strategies & artists with business-rich strategies in order to ward off starving artist syndrome.
Kiran Singh Sirah Kiran Singh Sirah is Executive Director of the International Storytelling Center, based in Jonesborough, Tennessee. Kiran is an artist, curator, slam poet storyteller who has led awardwinning arts, cultural and human rights programs in the UK. After 9/11 he developed folk and faith-based programs at National Museums Scotland, and created a number of peace and conflict resolution initiatives exploring issues of religious, ethnic and sectarian conflicts in Scotland and Northern Ireland. As an artist and community curator of St. Mungo Museum of Religion in Scotland, Kiran developed one of the largest arts based anti-sectarian projects. He went on to lead the Helen Keller International Arts award, establishing disability arts part of Glasgow’s Creative UNESCO City of Music. More recently as a Rotary World Peace Fellow, Kiran focused on the folklore of homeless persons through a shelter community and, through arts and culture, bringing together the international development community. In 2012, Kiran was invited to give a key note address at the United Nations headquarters, entitled “Telling Stories That Matter.”
Ned Andrew Solomon Since December of 2000, Ned Andrew Solomon has been the director of the Partners in Policymaking Leadership Institute for the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities where he facilitates leadership trainings for adults with disabilities, family members, and high school students with disabilities. Ned Andrew is also a writer and editor, and currently the editor-in-chief of Breaking Ground magazine. Previously he was a research analyst at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center. Ned Andrew is the father of three children with disabilities.
Sarah Unrath Sarah Unrath is a community art educator and social activist, specializing in the cutting edge field of arts in corrections. She received her B.F.A. from the University of Michigan’s School of Art and Design. She went on to earn her M.A. in Art Education from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Afterwards, Unrath returned to Michigan to work with the Prison Creative Arts Project and the Michigan Prison Arts Initiative to facilitate creative arts workshops across the state of Michigan in male, female, and juvenile facilities. She has since been a committee member of the 18th Annual Exhibition of Art by Michigan Prisoners and completed the Instructors Training Institute for Temple University’s Inside Out Prison Exchange Program. She most recently collaborated with the Tennessee Art Commission and the Tennessee Department of Corrections to facilitate the Art Integration Teacher Trainings, specifically developed for correctional educators.
Liza Zenni Liza Zenni’s career in arts administration has spanned nearly twenty years. Since 2002 she has served as Executive Director of the Arts & Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville, a membershipdriven organization of artists, arts and culture organizations, historic homes, and arts aficionados in the eleven counties of East Tennessee. Under her leadership, Alliance membership has grown from fewer than 40 individual artists and 15 company members to 350 individuals and more than 100 organizations. An experienced consensus builder among diverse communities, Liza routinely leads roundtables, committee meetings, symposia and panel discussions. Liza has performed as an effective advocate on behalf of East Tennessee’s arts and culture community earning appointments as president of the statewide Tennesseans for the Arts Board, the Executive Women’s Association Executive Committee, president of the City of Knoxville’s Public Art Committee and as a panelist/consultant to numerous funding entities, arts organizations, and redevelopment projects.
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ENTERTAINMENT Dickson Community Chamber Choir Currently conducted by Chris Greene and accompanied by Marianna Wakeman, the Dickson Community choirs are nationally acclaimed and have performed internationally. The program includes four choirs comprised of over 100 members and has been based out of the Renaissance Center since the facility opened in 1999. Having performed throughout the US as well as in England, Germany, Austria, France, Ireland and Scotland, the choir looks forward to bringing its voice to sea in 2016 when it will be the featured performer on a Royal Caribbean Cruise.
Mawre & Co. Kofi and Rebekah Mawuko established Mawre & Co. in 2000 in response to the growing need for awareness of and appreciation for the world’s cultures, along with the desire to bring about a peaceful society through the arts. Both are long-time performing artists who present the traditions of Ghana in an invigorating and refreshing production that is appropriate for all ages and cultures. Certified performing and teaching artists with the Tennessee Arts Commission and Southern Federation of Artists, the Mawukos have appeared numerous times on television, in local newspapers and magazines throughout the Southeast, and were also the subject of a PBS nationwide broadcast, “EGG, the Arts Show” Paint by Numbers, which aired in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Performing with them are Andriya Mawuko, Kojo Amenyah, Madia Cooper, Aaron Ellison, Monica G. Ellison, Jack David Gaillard, Sarah Seeber and Eric Tsatsu.
Roby & Friends includes: Roby Cogswell Director of the Tennessee Arts Commission Folklife Program since 1984, Roby has played guitar for over 50 years. He began singing bluegrass at Bobby Green’s Dusty Road Tavern in Nashville while enrolled at Vanderbilt in the late 1960s. Nowadays he also dabbles in old-time and swing styles and regularly enjoys casual sessions with lots of musical friends.
John Hedecoth Bringing to you the banjo and mandolin, John is the dean emeritus of Nashville’s instrument repairmen. A versatile and widely experienced player in old-time and bluegrass styles, he was also a member of the Nashville Mandolin Ensemble.
Mark Wingate A fiddle player, Mark came to Nashville after years of musical activity in North Carolina. A retired computer programmer, he’s the father of prominent singer-songwriter Sarah Siskind. Mark’s also a student of folk hymnody, which influenced his recent work in the duet group Kindling Stone.
John Fabke A bass musician, John came to Nashville a few years ago from Wisconsin, where he was an active bluegrass player and broadcaster. He now holds a degree in audio archiving and has recently worked on an array of preservation and cataloging projects for MTSU’s Center for Popular Music.
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Tennessee Arts Commission Members Patsy White Camp, Jackson – Chair Stephanie Barger Conner, Nashville – Vice Chair Ann C. Smith, Johnson City – Secretary Lisa Bobango, Germantown Ritche Bowden, Memphis Donna Chase, Knoxville Ed Gerace, Johnson City Chancellor Carol L. McCoy, Nashville Dr. Leo McGee, Cookeville Waymon L. Hickman Sr., Columbia Jan Ramsey, Chattanooga Connie S. Weathers, Chattanooga Lee D. Yeiser, Savannah
Tennessee Arts Commission Staff Anne B. Pope, Executive Director Carol White, Associate Director of Operations Hal Partlow, Associate Director of Grants Suzanne Lynch, Director of Marketing and Development Lee Baird, Grants Analyst and Literary Arts Director Ann Brown, Director of Arts Education Mike Chambers, Information Technology Director Dr. Robert Cogswell, Director of Folklife William Coleman, Director of Arts Access Dr. Dana Everts-Boehm, Folklife Program Assistant Shannon Ford, Director of Community Arts Development Michelle McEwen, Accounting Technician Vickie McPherson, Administrative Services Assistant Jared Morrison, Director of Performing Arts James Wells, Arts Education Special Projects Coordinator Diane Williams, Director of Grants Management
Special Thanks Gracie Robinson, communications and marketing intern, for her assistance in planning and producing the conference. Photography by State of Tennessee Photo Services Videography by Phil Mandley, Nashville Web Video Hospitality provided by the Montgomery Bell State Park Inn
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ACCESSIBILITY The Tennessee Arts Commission provides assistance through its accessibility programs to artists with disabilities and statewide arts organizations. “Imagine a Tennessee where everyone can participate in and experience the arts.� This goal of the Tennessee Arts Commission can become a reality through the cooperation of the artists, arts organizations, arts educators, volunteers, and supporters who compromise the Tennessee arts industry. The goal of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) is to insure that people with disabilities have the same opportunity to participate in everyday activities and programs. The Tennessee Arts Commission accessibility statement is: No person on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age, religion, or sex shall be excluded from participation in, or be denied benefits of, or otherwise be subject to discrimination of services, programs, and employment provided by the Tennessee Arts Commission and its contracting agencies.
For ADA inquiries, please contact William Coleman at 615-532-9797 or Tennessee Relay Center 1-800-848-0298 (TTY) or 1-800-848-0299 (voice) Published in 2014 by Tennessee Arts Commission. Publication Number: 316654
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