National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu to Visit Austin, Texas, December 7–8, 2015
Washington, DC—Jane Chu, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, will visit Austin, Texas, December 7–8, 2015. Chairman Chu will be in town to participate in a conversation about the 50th anniversary of the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities, hosted by the LBJ Library. While Chairman Chu is in Austin, she will also visit Blackshear Elementary School to learn more about an NEA-supported effort by Austin Independent School District, Mindpop, and the city of Austin to increase access to arts education for students. In addition, she will visit NEA grantees Austin Film Society and ZACH Theatre. Chairman Chu is available for short one-on-one interviews where noted on the schedule below; media who wish to request an interview should email auclaire@arts.gov. Following her visit to Austin, Chairman Chu will visit San Antonio on Wednesday, December 9. More details about that trip will be released later this week. Follow @NEAJaneChu on Twitter for updates and photos on her trip to Texas.
Chairman Chu’s visit to Austin will begin with an event on Monday, December 7, hosted by the LBJ Presidential Library in honor of the 50th anniversary of the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities. LBJ Library Director Mark K. Updegrove will moderate a conversation with Chairman Chu and NEH Chairman William Adams. This event is invitation only; media who wish to attend should contact Anne Wheeler at awheeler@lbjfoundation.org or 512-721-0216. Chairman Chu will be available for short one-on-one interviews prior to this event. Media may request an interview by contacting Liz Auclair at auclaire@arts.gov. This event will also be streamed live at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/utaustin.
On the morning of December 8, Chairman Chu will visit Blackshear Elementary School to learn more about Austin’s Creative Learning Initiative, an effort to provide a quality arts-rich education for each and every child in Austin Independent School District. In FY 2015, the NEA awarded a grant to the Austin Independent School District to support this project, one of the collective impact projects the NEA is currently supporting with the goal of ensuring all students across entire schools, school districts, and/or states – in communities of all sizes – participate in the arts over time. As part of this site visit, Chairman Chu will tour three classrooms to see the three foundational elements of the Creative Learning Initiative in action: arts learning, creative teaching across the curriculum, and community arts partnerships. After visiting these classrooms she will meet with Austin leaders dedicated to increasing access and equity to the arts through collective impact.
Next, Chairman Chu will visit Austin Film Society. The visit will begin with a discussion about Austin Film Society’s exhibition (which the NEA supports), education, and artist services programs. Following this discussion, Chairman Chu will tour the Austin Studios campus. In 2012 through the Our Town program, the NEA supported the Austin Film Society’s community engagement and schematic design for the adaptive reuse of the National Guard Building as part of the Austin Studios campus. There are restrictions on photography and video during this tour. Media who wish to attend must contact Charlotte Hill at charlotte@austinfilm.org or 512.322.0145 x 3213.
Chairman Chu will then visit ZACH Theatre, another NEA grantee. Chairman Chu will tour ZACH’s Topfer Theatre and public areas, followed by a discussion with the theater’s actors, designers, staff leadership, trustees, and community partners on building community through theatre and providing educational experiences that are reflective of their entire region.
As part of the National Endowment for the Arts’ 50th anniversary, the NEA is creating a story bank of multimedia content that showcases the impact of the arts. To date, hundreds of people from across the country, including Austin, have submitted stories about how the arts and the National Endowment for the Arts have impacted their lives. Visit the NEA’s website to learn more about these stories.
The following events are closed to the public, except where noted, but open to media. Media should contact Liz Auclair at auclaire@arts.gov or 202-682-5744 if they would like to attend any of the site visits or request an interview with Chairman Chu.
Monday, December 7, 2015
5:00–5:30 Media availability with NEA Chairman Jane Chu. Media who wish to request an interview should contact Liz Auclair at auclaire@arts.gov.
Location: LBJ Presidential Library, 2313 Red River St, Austin, TX 78705
6:00–7:15pm LBJ Presidential Library Event in honor of the 50th anniversary of the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities. Media who wish to attend this event should Anne Wheeler at awheeler@lbjfoundation.org or 512-721-0216 Location: LBJ Presidential Library, 2313 Red River St, Austin, TX 78705 Participants: Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Williams Adams, chairman, National Endowment for the Humanities Mark K. Updegrove, director, LBJ Library
Tuesday, December 8, 2015 9:00–10:15am Site visit about Austin Creative Learning Initiative (classroom visits will take place between 9:15 and 9:40am. Location: Blackshear Elementary School, 1712 E 11th St, Austin, TX 78702 Participants: Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Brent Hasty, executive director, MINDPOP Gina Hinajosa, School Board President, Austin Independent School District Greg Goodman, director of Fine Arts, Austin Independent School District Laura Esparza, manager, City of Austin History, Arts and Nature Division School District Yesenia Harrington, manager, Austin Independent School District Creative Learning Initiative
10:15–10:30am Media availability. Media who wish to request a short one-on-one interview should contact Liz Auclair at auclaire@arts.gov.
1:00–2:15pm Site visit to Austin Film Society. There are restrictions on photography and video during this tour. Media who wish to attend must contact Charlotte Hill at charlotte@austinfilm.org or 512.322.0145 x 3213. Location: 1901 East 51st Street, Austin, TX 78723 Participants: Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Rebecca Campbell, executive director, Austin Film Society Richard Linklater, founder & artistic director, Austin Film Society Charles Ramirez-Berg, founding Board member, Austin Film Society Holly Herrick, associate artistic director, Austin Film Society Gary Gibbs, executive director, Texas Commission on the Arts
3:00–4:00pm Site visit to ZACH Theatre Location: ZACH’s Topfer Theatre, 202 South Lamar, Austin, TX 78704 Participants: Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Dave Steakley, producing artistic director, ZACH Theatre Elisbeth Challener, managing director, ZACH Theatre Mindy Ellmer, president, Board of Trustees Charlie Frasier, chief development officer, ZACH Theatre Nat Miller, director of education, ZACH Theatre Kimberly Theodore Sidey, associate director of development, ZACH Theatre ZACH Theatre artists, designers Jeanne Goka-Dubose, principal, The Ann Richards School Gary Gibbs, executive director, Texas Commission on the Arts 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. Go to the 50th section at arts.gov to enjoy art stories from around the nation, peruse the Facts & Figures section, and check out the anniversary timeline.
6:00–7:15pm LBJ Presidential Library Event in honor of the 50th anniversary of the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities. Media who wish to attend this event should Anne Wheeler at awheeler@lbjfoundation.org or 512-721-0216 Location: LBJ Presidential Library, 2313 Red River St, Austin, TX 78705 Participants: Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Williams Adams, chairman, National Endowment for the Humanities Mark K. Updegrove, director, LBJ Library
Tuesday, December 8, 2015 9:00–10:15am Site visit about Austin Creative Learning Initiative (classroom visits will take place between 9:15 and 9:40am. Location: Blackshear Elementary School, 1712 E 11th St, Austin, TX 78702 Participants: Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Brent Hasty, executive director, MINDPOP Gina Hinajosa, School Board President, Austin Independent School District Greg Goodman, director of Fine Arts, Austin Independent School District Laura Esparza, manager, City of Austin History, Arts and Nature Division School District Yesenia Harrington, manager, Austin Independent School District Creative Learning Initiative
10:15–10:30am Media availability. Media who wish to request a short one-on-one interview should contact Liz Auclair at auclaire@arts.gov.
1:00–2:15pm Site visit to Austin Film Society. There are restrictions on photography and video during this tour. Media who wish to attend must contact Charlotte Hill at charlotte@austinfilm.org or 512.322.0145 x 3213. Location: 1901 East 51st Street, Austin, TX 78723 Participants: Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Rebecca Campbell, executive director, Austin Film Society Richard Linklater, founder & artistic director, Austin Film Society Charles Ramirez-Berg, founding Board member, Austin Film Society Holly Herrick, associate artistic director, Austin Film Society Gary Gibbs, executive director, Texas Commission on the Arts
3:00–4:00pm Site visit to ZACH Theatre Location: ZACH’s Topfer Theatre, 202 South Lamar, Austin, TX 78704 Participants: Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Dave Steakley, producing artistic director, ZACH Theatre Elisbeth Challener, managing director, ZACH Theatre Mindy Ellmer, president, Board of Trustees Charlie Frasier, chief development officer, ZACH Theatre Nat Miller, director of education, ZACH Theatre Kimberly Theodore Sidey, associate director of development, ZACH Theatre ZACH Theatre artists, designers Jeanne Goka-Dubose, principal, The Ann Richards School Gary Gibbs, executive director, Texas Commission on the Arts 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. Go to the 50th section at arts.gov to enjoy art stories from around the nation, peruse the Facts & Figures section, and check out the anniversary timeline.
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Contact
Liz Auclair (NEA), auclaire@arts.gov, 202-682-5744
Judith Kargbo (NEA), kargboj@arts.gov, 202-682-5528
Anne Wheeler (LBJ Library), awheeler@lbjfoundation.org, 512-721-0216
