Monthly Archives: May 2017

Artists, organizations, businesses, and others in the creative sector are invited to participate in the Northwest Michigan Arts & Culture Summit May 23 at the Interlochen Center for the Arts. This is the second annual regional summit to strengthen relationships, support cultural economic development & continue building the ten county arts and culture network. Sessions will focus on cultural tourism & community engagement, hands-on tools & strategies, & creating a ‘next steps’ road map with priorities, goals & champions to take us forward. The event will run from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Interlochen’s Mallory-Towsley Center for Arts Leadership.

The Summit will include:

•        Presentations & interactive discussions with community builders, tourism professionals, arts leaders and participants on cultural tourism, community engagement, best practices and strategies to build the creative sector – locally and regionally;

•        Strategies, tools and opportunities to help ‘tell our story’ – individually and collectively;

•        Artist presentations and panel addressing issues and opportunities for professional artists;

•        Hands-on planning to map specific network goals, initiatives and action steps.

Partial speaker list includes, among others:

•        Trevor Tkach, CEO/President, Traverse Tourism

•        Brian Lawson,  Director of Public Relations, Crystal Mountain

•        Bill Palladino, Taste the Local Difference & Food & Farming Network

•        Susan Wenzlick, Writer, Consultant & Placemaking Specialist, OrdinaryVirtues.

•        Amanda Kik, Co-Director, Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology

•        Seth Bernard, Musical Artist, Earthwork Music

•        Shanney Brooke, Higher Art Gallery

•        Richard Kooyman, Richard Kooyman Studio

Cost to attend the Summit is $15 (including continental breakfast and lunch). Registration is available online at: nwm.org/artsummit. For more information, contact Mary Gillett at mgillett03@gmail.com or 231-883-8388.

The 2nd annual Northwest Michigan Arts & Culture Summit is supported in part from a Rotary Charities seed grant.

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