Washington, DC – On August 22-23, Jane Chu, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), will travel to Nashville, Tennessee, to visit organizations actively engaging, serving, and promoting the arts in Tennessee.  In addition, on August 22 Chu will take part in a Town Hall, hosted by the Tennessee Arts Commission at Nashville Children’s Theatre.  Follow @NEAJaneChu on Twitter for updates and photos on her trip to Nashville. On Monday, August 22, Chairman Chu will begin her visit in Nashville by visiting the Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission (Metro Arts) and meeting with artists taking part in the Learning Lab project, which the NEA has supported through the Our Town program. The Learning Labs are taught by experienced public artists and placemakers and introduce participants to best practices in community-based, creative placemaking techniques. Next, Chairman Chu will tour the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC), an NEA grantee.  There, Chairman Chu will have the opportunity to tour the three performance venues and the historic War Memorial Auditorium.  At 1:00 pm, Chairman Chu will participate in a Town Hall meeting hosted by Tennessee Arts Commission at the Nashville Children’s Theatre. This event is open to the public, but RSVPs are requested. At the Town Hall, Chairman Chu will speak about the NEA’s 50^th anniversary and take questions from the audience, giving her an opportunity to learn more about how the arts play an important role in the Tennessee arts community. Media who wish to attend this event should contact Suzanne Lynch with the Tennessee Arts Commission at suzanne.lynch@tn.gov. Prior to the Town Hall, Chairman Chu is available for short one-on-one media interviews. Media should send their request in advance to Judith Kargbo, kargboj@arts.gov. Following the Town Hall, Chairman Chu will tour the Nashville Children’s Theatre and meet with staff and artists working on their upcoming production of Afflicted:  Daughters of Salem, which the NEA is supporting. Next, Chairman Chu will visit the Youth Opportunities Center to meet with organizations working on arts programming for youth. There she will learn about city wide collaborations like the Nashville After Zone Alliance program, Youth Poet Laureate Program, and the development of a comprehensive youth/arts/restorative justice program in the Juvenile Court. Following this discussion, she will tour the Oasis Underground Arts Studio. Chairman Chu will then meet with Nashville Symphony staff and tour the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. An NEA grantee, the Nashville Symphony received an FY16 grant to support a performance and recording project featuring American composer John Harbison's Requiem. Lastly, Chairman Chu will tour the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Taylor Swift Education Center. The NEA supports their Words & Music songwriting outreach program, which develops students' English language arts skills by teaching them how to write original songs with a professional songwriter. On Tuesday, August 23, Chairman Chu will visit Wright Middle School, where she will learn about the Music Makes Us: Next Generation initiative. Music Makes Us is a joint effort of Metro Nashville Public Schools, the mayor's office, and music industry and community leaders, which aims to strengthen traditional school music while adding a contemporary curriculum that embraces new technologies and reflects our diverse student population. The Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools received an FY 2015 grant from the NEA to support the implementation of Music Makes Us: Next Generation, a collective impact project which will convene community stakeholders and provide professional development for school teachers. Chairman Chu will meet with partners about this program and also see it in action by visiting a classroom where students are learning Mariachi music. She will be available for short one-on-one interviews following this site visit. Media should send their request in advance to Judith Kargbo, kargboj@arts.gov. As part of the National Endowment for the Arts’ 50th anniversary celebration, the NEA created a story bank of multimedia content to showcase the impact of the arts. To date, hundreds of people from across the country, including Tennessee, have submitted stories about how the arts and the National Endowment for the Arts have impacted their lives. The following events are closed to the public, except where noted, but open to media. Media should contact Judith Kargbo at kargboj@arts.gov or Elizabeth Auclair at auclaire@arts.gov if they would like to attend any of the site visits or request an interview with Chairman Chu.                                   Monday, August 22, 2016 9:30–10:45am  Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission Arts Site Visit Location:800 2^nd Ave. South, 4^th Floor, Nashville, TN 37210 Participants: Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Anne B. Pope, executive director, Tennessee Arts Commission Jennifer Cole, executive director, Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission Metro Nashville Arts Commission staff and board members Artists participating in Learning Labs

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11:00–11:30am  Tour of Tennessee Performing Arts Center Location: James K. Polk Cultural Center, 505 Deaderick St. Nashville, TN 37219 Participants: Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Anne B. Pope, executive director, Tennessee Arts Commission Kathleen O’Brien, president & CEO, Tennessee Performing Arts Center Tennessee Performing Arts Center staff

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12:35–12:55pm  Media availability with Chairman Chu. Location: Nashville Children’s Theatre, 25 Middleton St, Nashville, TN 37210

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1:00–2:00pm  Town Hall, hosted by the Tennessee Arts Commission (open to the public) Location: Nashville Children’s Theatre, 25 Middleton St, Nashville, TN 37210 Participants: Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Anne B. Pope, executive director, Tennessee Arts Commission

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2:15–2:45pm  Site visit with Nashville Children’s Theatre Location: 25 Middleton St, Nashville, TN 37210 Participants: Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Anne B. Pope, executive director, Tennessee Arts Commission Dan Brewer, company stage manager & interim artistic director, Nashville Children’s Theatre Alicia Fuss, director of education, Nashville Children’s Theatre

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3:00–4:00pm  Youth arts site visit Location: Youth Opportunities Center 1704 Charlotte Ave, Nashville, TN 37203 Participants: Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Anne B. Pope, executive director, Tennessee Arts Commission Jennifer Cole, executive director, Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission staff and board members Tom Ward, CEO, Oasis Center Abby Whisenant, Youth Underground Arts Studio, Oasis Center Anna Harutunyan, director, Nashville After Zone Alliance (NAZA) Nashville After Zone Alliance partners Judge Shelia Calloway, presiding juvenile court judge Kathy Sinback, juvenile court administrator Ronnie Steine, special assistant to the Mayor, Youth & Children

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4:15–4:45pm  Tour of Schermerhorn Symphony Center Location: 1 Symphony Pl., Nashville, TN 37201 Participants: Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Anne B. Pope, executive director, Tennessee Arts Commission Alan Valentine, president & CEO, Nashville Symphony

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5:00–6:00pm  Site visit with Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Taylor Swift Education Center Location: 222 5^th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203 Participants: Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Anne B. Pope, executive director, Tennessee Arts Commission Kyle Young, CEO, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Lisa Purcell, vice president of development, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Carolyn Tate, senior vice president of Museum Services, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Ali Tonn, director of education and public programs, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Jim Sherraden, master printer, Hatch Show Print Celene Aubry, shop manager, Hatch Show Print

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Tuesday, August 23, 2016 9:00–10:30am  Site visit with Music Makes Us (classroom visit from 10:00–10:15am, media availability from 10:15–10:30am) Location: Wright Middle School, 180 McCall Street, Nashville, TN 37211 Participants: Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Anne B. Pope, executive director, Tennessee Arts Commission Laurie T. Schell, director, Music Makes Us Laura Moore, education liaison for Mayor Barry Justine Avila, Music City Music Council Jennifer Cole, executive director, Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission Debbie Linn, Music Makes Us Advisory Council Dr. Shawn Joseph, director of schools, MNPS Dr. Sito Narcisse, chief of schools, MNPS Dr. Monique Felder, chief academic officer, MNPS Dr. Kelly Henderson, executive director, instruction, MNPS Tiffany Kerns, CMA Foundation Sarah Trahern, CEO, CMA Dr. Nola Jones, Visual and Performing Arts, MNPS Dr. Erin Anderson, executive principal, Wright Middle School Gabriella Fuentes, Mariachi teacher, MNPS About the National Endowment for the Arts Established by Congress in 1965, the NEA is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the NEA supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the National Endowment for the Arts and the agency is celebrating this milestone with events and activities through September 2016.

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United States of Arts: Tennessee Arts Commission Strengthening Our Creative Capacity and America's Future: A motion graphic about the NEA