Richard Nash is a former publisher who is starting a new publishing service called Cursor. He and Coy Barefoot recently discussed the future of books and the publishing industry. Nash says there is a tremendous opportunity to reach new readers through new platforms such as the iPad.
Our recording begins with Maggie Guggenheimer, PCA’s executive director. After a brief round of introductions, she describes an effort in Chattanooga called CreateHere.
On October 26, 2009, the Piedmont Council of the Arts held the latest in a series of Creative Conversations. The project is a chance to bring representatives from different arts organizations together in order to share ideas. This time around, the topic centered around the idea of developing partnerships across many different non-profit groups.
After a round of introductions, Greg Kelly of the Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative and Pete O’Shea of SiteWorks began discussing how they were able to forge the StoryLine project in collaboration with the Piedmont Council of the Arts, the Charlottesville Parks and Recreation Department, and the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Freedom of Expression. Afterwards, the panel and participants had a conversation about what worked, what didn’t, and what lessons can be learned to inspire similar collaborations in the future.
The Piedmont Council of the Arts (PCA) continued its Creative Conversation Series on April 21, 2009 with a discussion between artists, art professionals and local officials about how expand the reach of the arts across all of Charlottesville’s many populations. The goal of the program is to bring artists, organizations, educators, and business and community leaders together to develop strategies for strengthening arts and cultural life in the Charlottesville area.
Is Charlottesville doing enough to market itself as a regional destination for patrons of the arts? What else can be done to ensure that the visual, performing and literary arts not only survive, but thrive? Those are just a couple of the questions explored during the second Creative Conversation organized by the Piedmont Council of the Arts.
Representatives of various groups were invited to Charlottesville’s CitySpace meeting room on the Downtown Mall to discuss the topic “Marketing Charlottesville as a Creative Community.” The event was held on January 13, 2009 in the City Space Meeting Room at the Charlottesville Community Design Center. We’ve condensed the two hour discussion into a 45 minute podcast.
On September 30, 2008, the Piedmont Council of the Arts held the first in a series of Creative Conversations. The CitySpace meeting room on the Downtown Mall was packed with participants eager to discuss the future of arts education. Some of the topics discussed include:
How do people learn about and experience arts and culture today?
How does our community provide citizens with learning opportunities in the arts?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of our community in terms of arts education? Are there untapped opportunities or important concerns?
How, if at all, do arts education opportunities differ for young people and adults in our community? How do they differ according to economic ability? Geographic location? Racial or cultural background?
How collaborative is our community in educating through the arts? Are there ways to streamline efforts and work more closely together?
On the August 3rd edition of the Sunday Morning Wake-Up Call on WNRN, Rick Moore discusses the artistic life with Beryl Solla, Chair of the Piedmont Virginia Community College Art Dept. and Gallery Curator; Laura Parsons, Arts Editor for The Hook, and Maggie Guggenheimer, Executive Director of the Piedmont Council of the Arts. In a wide-ranging conversation, these leaders in the local art scene explain how our lives and community are enriched by the arts, and why it is important to support local arts organizations.