Washington, DC -- NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman will visit Dubuque, Iowa; Reedsburg and Madison, Wisconsin; and Pine Ridge and Rapid City, South Dakota, November 14–17, 2011. In each state, Chairman Landesman will learn about the efforts to use the arts to create vibrant, livable communities by visiting the recipients of Our Town and ArtPlace grants and through panel discussions with local arts and civic leaders. In July 2011, the NEA announced the inaugural round of Our Town grants to 51 communities in 34 states that have created public-private partnerships to strengthen the arts while shaping the social, physical, and economic characters of their neighborhoods, towns, cities, and regions. Among the recipients were the City of Dubuque, Iowa, and the Wormfarm Institute in Reedsburg, Wisconsin. In September 2011, 11 of the nation’s top foundations joined with the NEA and seven federal agencies to establish ArtPlace, a nationwide initiative to drive revitalization in cities and towns with a new investment model that puts the arts at the center of economic development. Among the recipients of the first round of ArtPlace grants were the Wormfarm Institute and the Red Cloud Indian School in Pine Ridge, South Dakota.

Monday, November 14
Dubuque, Iowa
2:15–3:00 pm	Overview of Historic Millwork District Master Plan. This project is supported by an NEA Our Town grant.            Participants: NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman, Dubuque Mayor Roy C. Buol, and civic and project leaders. Location: Second Floor Construction Headquarters, 275 E. 10th Street, Dubuque, Iowa
3–3:30 pm	Tour Alamo Building/Art Campus.            Participants: NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman, Jeff Morton -- architect of site, John and Mary Gronen, president and vice president of Gronen Properties -- site developers Location: Alamo/Caradco Building, 900 Jackson, Dubuque, Iowa
3:45–4:30 pm	Roundtable with Our Town grant partner organizations.            Participants: NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman and participants from Dubuque Art Center, Voices from the Warehouse, Fly by Night Productions, Julien International Film Festival, and Dubuque Main Street. Location: Voices Building, 275 East 10th Street, Dubuque, Iowa
4:30–5:30 pm	Welcoming event and press availability.            *This event is free and open to the public. Participants: NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman, Dubuque Mayor Roy C. Buol Location: Wilmac Building, 120 East 9th Street, Dubuque, Iowa
Tuesday, November 15
Reedsburg and Madison, Wisconsin
2:30–3:30 pm	Discussion about creative placemaking and the Wormfarm Institute’s efforts to explore and promote the relationship between art and agriculture through its Our Town and ArtPlace projects.            *This event is free and open to the public but space is limited and RSVPs are required to wormfarm@jvlnet.com by November 10. Participants: NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman, Executive Director of the Wormfarm Institute Donna Neuwirth, Our Town project partners Location: Woolen Mill Gallery, 26 East Main Street, Reedsburg, Wisconsin
3:30–5:30 pm	Panel discussion: Creative Placemaking in the Madison Region: Assets Galore, Opportunities Ahead. Presented by Arts Wisconsin.            * This event is free and open to the public but space is limited and RSVPs are required to artswisc@gmail.com by November 14, 2011. Panel members: NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman; Lorena Barbosa Mireles, social work senior at University of Wisconsin-Madison; Joe Parisi, Dane County Executive; Bob Sorge, Vice Presidentof Strategic Partnerships, Madison Community Foundation; and Chris Walker, assistant professor, Department of Dance, University of Wisconsin-Madison and Artistic Director for UW-Madison’s First Wave Spoken Word and Urban Arts Learning Community. The panel session will be moderated by Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce President Jennifer Alexander. Location: Goodman Community Center, 149 Waubesa Street, Madison, Wisconsin. Parking is limited at the Goodman Center; additional parking is available on the street or in the lower lot at St. Bernard’s Church, 2438 Atwood Avenue (one block from the Goodman Center).
Wednesday, November 16
Pine Ridge, South Dakota
3:30–5:30 pm	Tour of Heritage Center at the Red Cloud Indian School. The Heritage Center is the recipient of an ArtPlace grant.            Participants: NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman; Fr. George Winzenburg, SJ, President, Red Cloud Indian School; Peter Strong, Director of The Heritage Center; local artists; and Red Cloud Indian School and Heritage Center staff. Location: 100 Mission Drive, Pine Ridge, South Dakota
Thursday, November 17
Rapid City, South Dakota
10–11:30 am	Panel Discussion: Creative Placemaking in the Black Hills Regio            *This event is free and open to the public. Panelists: NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman; Linda Anderson, Black Hills Playhouse; Gerald Cournoyer, Oglala Lakota College Art Department; Kristen Donnan Standard Black Hills Bronze, Art of the Hills Magazine, Hill City Arts Council; Pepper Massey, Dahl Arts Center. The panel will be moderated byPeter Strong, The Heritage Center at Red Cloud Indian School. Location: Dahl Arts Center, 713 7th Street, Rapid City, South Dakota