Washington, DC -- NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman will visit Charleston, South Carolina, September 14-15, 2011. On the afternoon of September 14, he will meet with Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. to learn more about the City of Charleston's plans to transform an open space into the Gaillard Center Arts Precinct. This project is supported by an NEA Our Town grant. In addition, Chairman Landesman will attend the NEA's 51st Mayors' Institute on City Design. The Mayors' Institute on City Design (MICD), run in partnership with the American Architectural Foundation and the U.S. Conference of Mayors, helps mayors of large and mid-size cities address their most pressing urban design challenges. The 51st meeting, taking place in Charleston and hosted by Mayor Riley, will include mayors from Anchorage, Alaska; Tampa, Florida; Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky; Detroit, Michigan; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Providence, Rhode Island; and Fort Worth, Texas. MICD events are closed to the public and media but interviews may be arranged with participants following the sessions. Please contact NEA Public Affairs for more information. Wednesday, September 14

3:00—4:00 p.m.

Tour -- City of Charleston's plans for the Gaillard Center Arts Precinct. Participants:         Rocco Landesman, NEA Chairman     The Honorable Joseph P. Riley, Mayor of Charleston     Michael Maher, Director, City of Charleston Civic Design       Center Location: Civic Design Center, 85 Calhoun Street