Winston-Salem to Host National “Artists Thrive” Summit for Next Three Years
Free introductory workshops next week for artists, organizations, and educators
WINSTON-SALEM, NC (November 7, 2019) – Winston-Salem will host the Artists Thrive Summit, an annual four-day gathering of some 200 artists, art leaders, educators and funders from around the country for three years starting in 2020. The Kimpton Cardinal Hotel in downtown Winston-Salem will be home base and local hosts include the Kenan Institute of the Arts at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, The Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County, and Visit Winston-Salem. The Summit will draw a national audience of artists, leaders and innovators.
The growing Artists Thrive initiative, supported by the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, aims to raise the value of artists in communities through activities, programs and resources that demonstrate what it means to place artists at the center of a thriving arts sector. In preparation, next Wednesday and Thursday, November 13 - 14, the Artists Thrive leadership team will host interactive workshops to introduce Winston-Salem artists, organizations, and educators to the tools and build connections in advance of the Summit.
Wednesday, November 13
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. will focus on arts organizations
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. will focus on individual artists
Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts, 251 N. Spruce Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101
Thursday, November 14
8:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. will focus on educators (higher education)
UNSCA’s Library and Learning Commons, 1533 S. Main St., Winston-Salem, NC 27127
Attendance is free. To register on-line visit: https://www.cognitoforms.com/ArtistsThrive1/RSVPArtistsThriveWinstonSalemWorkshop
“The Artists Thrive conference series will be a catalyst for our arts community,” said Randy Eaddy, President and CEO of The Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County. “Each year’s conference will bring together individual artists and arts organizations to learn from and explore with each other strategic ways to develop and promote their artistic creations or programs as successful, thriving businesses, as well as enriching experiences for audiences. I also expect the core conference activities will ignite ongoing relationships among attendees, which will foster future collaborations we can’t even begin to imagine.”
Winston-Salem, known as a City of Arts and Innovation, and Forsyth County have a robust arts community that enriches the lives of area residents every day and accounts in large part for the recognition they continue to receive as a great place to live, learn, work and play. Forsyth County’s nonprofit arts industry supports 5,559 full time equivalent jobs; accounts for more than $129 million in resident household income, and generates more than $14.8 million in local and state tax revenues.
About Artists Thrive
Artists Thrive aims to identify the things that help artists pursue their vision and to enable communities to benefit from the arts in all aspects of life. Resources and tools within Artists Thrive help artists, arts organizations, and other groups that work with artists collaborate and craft meaningful stories about why art-making matters. The initiative began in 2016 when a group of arts professionals and artists produced the first draft of this field-wide assessment rubric. After multiple rounds of feedback, Artists Thrive was publicly launched in 2017. Artists Thrive is driven by a leadership team of artists and diverse collaborators from different sectors and communities across the country and is supported by the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation.
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