Washington, DC—NEA Chairman Jane Chu will visit Idaho August 4-5, 2015 at the invitation of Congressman Mike Simpson. This will be her first visit to Idaho as Chairman and will include site visits in Boise and Twin Falls. Follow @NEAJaneChu on Twitter for updates and photos on her trip to Idaho. Chairman Chu will begin her visit in Boise at the Esther Simplot Performing Arts Academy on August 4 where she and Congressman Mike Simpson will attend a reception with arts leaders from across the state, hosted by the Idaho Commission on the Arts. Following this event, Chairman Chu will be available for short one-on-one media interviews. Media who wish to interview Chairman Chu should contact Liz Auclair at auclaire@arts.gov. Next, she will tour the Academy with representatives from Boise Philharmonic, Ballet Idaho, and Opera Idaho. That afternoon, Chairman Chu will tour The Cabin: A Center for Readers & Writers and meet with students taking part in its Summer Writing Camps. Chairman Chu will also meet with The Cabin’s Teaching-Writers who will address the work of The Cabin in the community, including the Readings & Conversation series which the NEA supports. Chairman Chu will then visit the refugee services organization Artisans for Hope, which has received support from the Idaho Commission on the Arts. Chairman Chu will meet with the artists and the organization’s leaders about Voices in Transition, the exhibition of story quilts created by refugees who resettled in Boise, Idaho. On August 5, Chairman Chu and Congressman Mike Simpson will visit Twin Falls to tour the Twin Falls Center for the Arts – which is supported by the Idaho Arts Commission – and learn more about the arts in Magic Valley. That afternoon, Chairman Chu will visit Boise State University to learn more about its NEA-supported study of the relationships between universities and creative clusters in the Intermountain West region.  As part of this project, researchers will interview university administrators in Colorado, Nevada, and Idaho to understand their perceptions of local cultural assets and strategies for investing in the arts. Researchers will also develop a research-based impact assessment tool that universities can use to determine the ways in which they support artist-driven economic development and the ways to consider improving their roles as arts economic development anchors. The following events are closed to the public but open to media. Media must contact Liz Auclair at auclaire@arts.gov or 202-682-5744 if they would like to attend or request an interview with Chairman Chu. Tuesday, August 4, 2015 10:00–11:00am  Reception with arts leaders. This event is closed to the public but open to media. Location: Esther Simplot Performing Arts Academy, 516 S 9^th St, Boise, ID 83702 Participants:       Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Congressman Mike Simpson Michael Faison, executive director, Idaho Commission on the Arts

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11:00–11:30am Media availability. Media who wish to request a short one-on-one interview with Chairman Chu should contact Liz Auclair at auclaire@arts.gov or 202-682-5744. Location: Esther Simplot Performing Arts Academy, 516 S 9^th St, Boise, ID 83702

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11:30am–12:15pm Tour of Esther Simplot Performing Arts Academy Location: 516 S 9^th St, Boise, ID 83702 Participants:       Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Michael Faison, executive director, Idaho Commission on the Arts

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1:30–2:30pm  Site visit with The Cabin Location: 801 S. Capitol Blvd., Boise, ID 83702 Participants:       Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Michael Faison, executive director, Idaho Commission on the Arts Britt Udesen, executive director, The Cabin Katie Fuller, program assistant, The Cabin Teaching-Writers, The Cabin Students participating in Summer Writing Camps

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3:00–4:30pm Site visit with Artisans for Hope Location: 723 N. 15th Street, Boise, ID 83702 Participants:       Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Michael Faison, executive director, Idaho Commission on the Arts Hildy Ayer, AFH founder and board president, Artisans for Hope Elaine Garris, executive director, Artisans for Hope Story Quilt Artisans

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Wednesday, August 5, 2015 11:00–11:30am Tour of Twin Falls Center for the Arts Location: 195 River Vista Place, Suite 101, Twin Falls, ID 83301 Participants:       Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Congressman Mike Simpson Carolyn White, executive director, Magic Valley Arts Council Melissa Crane, marketing director, Magic Valley Arts Mary Lou Panatopoulos, president of the Board of Directors, Magic Valley Arts Council Don Hall, Mayor of Twin Falls                                      Michael Faison, executive director, Idaho Commission on the Arts

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3:30–4:30pm Presentation and discussion about Boise State University research Location: Hatch C Ballroom, Boise State Student Union Building, 1700 University Drive, Boise, ID 83725 Participants:       Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Michael Faison, executive director, Idaho Commission on the Arts Amanda Ashley, assistant professor, Community and Regional Planning, Boise State University Leslie Durham, associate dean and professor of theatre arts, Boise State University