Thursday, September 18, 2008

Put in Comments about ARTS CONVENTION

http://talkingstick.info has all the current info on ARTS CONVENTION 2008.  You will find photos, participant information, and our next steps. 

What has Arts Convention Done? The 1st annual Arts Convention of Las Cruces and Mesilla Valley is wrapping up their event on Sept 22. Faculty and students of the Business College are working with local artists and arts organization members to do work on task forces between Sept and Dec 8th. To date the Arts Convention participants formed 10 task forces, each one of them developed mission statements, and set three goals to accomplish by Dec 8. The key theme of the Convention has been how to improve the arts economy so artists in the visual, performing, and literary arts make more money. The Mayors of Mesilla and Las Cruces, as well as many arts organization leaders (such as Heather Pollard of DAAC, Greg Fant Associate Dean of Arts & Sciences, ...Cindi Fargo of Downtown Las Cruces, Lori Grumet the Director of City of Las Cruces Public Services, Wayne Crawford and Dick Thomas for the literary arts, Steve Fishmann & Leonard Rawson, and many more) have addressed the Convention. Ways artists and arts organizations can market events has been a key concern to delegates. Ed Breeding, a local filmographer premiered his new film, "Heart of the Arts." The documentary film allows people to discover the magnificent and diverse artist's works in Mesilla Valley.

Please add your comments - Thank you -- David Boje

1 comment:

David Boje said...

From Cindi Fargo's Remarks on Sep 8 2008 at Arts Convention http://talkingstick.info

The Importance of the Arts
to our Community’s
Creative, Cultural and Economic Vitality
Cindi Fargo
Presented to The Arts Convention, NMSU
Sept. 8, 2008
• The fastest growing art regions in the Unites States are the South
and the West. American Style Magazine, 09/08
• New Mexico has the greatest number of working artists in any one
state. American Style Magazine, 09/08
• Artists are three times more likely to be self employed and
managing their careers and their lives more creatively than
others. American Style Magazine, 09/08
• Creative places are attractive places to live, work and visit, and
this is true both north and south of Interstate 40 in New Mexico.
• This massive thrust of creativity calls us to action.
• Partnerships between state, federal, and local government, the
business community, the non-profit sector and our cultural and
educational institutions are essential to the success of our efforts
to develop our creative economy.
• We must involve our creative community, our policy makers, our
business community and our educational leaders in the effort to
build and implement a strategic and practical plan to advance our
creative economy.
• There are 3 major arts and culture nodes within Dona Ana
County. They are: New Mexico State University, Mesilla and
Downtown Las Cruces. In addition, we have many colonias and
villages that have great opportunity for development of their
creative economy.