Chairman Rocco Landesman Releases the Schedule for His Visits to North Carolina, Mississippi, and Georgia, May 6-9, 2012

Washington, DC -- NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman will visit Greensboro, North Carolina; Jackson and Port Gibson, Mississippi; and Macon and Atlanta, Georgia, May 6–9, 2012, as part of his Art Works tour. In each city, Landesman will meet with arts organizations and arts and civic leaders to learn about their efforts to use the arts to create vibrant, livable communities. In Greensboro, Landesman will give remarks at the opening of the Downtown Greenway Morehead Linear Park Opening and Dedication on Sunday, May 6 at 2:00 p.m. An NEA Mayors' Institute on City Design 25th Anniversary Initiative grant supported public art installations that will help transform a formerly abandoned railroad underpass into a dynamic thoroughfare, linking an economically disadvantaged neighborhood to the city center. Prior to this event, Landesman will tour Elsewhere, a living museum in downtown Greensboro. On Monday, May 7, Chairman Landesman will visit Mississippi. He will begin the day in Jackson, where he will meet with the leaders of Mississippi Museum of Arts' Our Town project, which supports educational programming, performances, and related activities for the Art Garden. Following this meeting, Landesman will join members of the community for a panel discussion about this project and creative placemaking in Jackson. Also in Jackson, Landesman will visit the Mississippi Children's Museum. Chairman Landesman will spend the afternoon in Port Gibson where he will meet with Mississippi Cultural Crossroads staff and supporters to learn more about their NEA-funded projects, including a quilting apprenticeship program and an oral history magazine, and to discuss the state's creative economy project and the creative placemaking work that is taking place in Port Gibson. Chairman Landesman will travel to Macon, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 8, to present the keynote address at the Georgia Arts Network Annual Conference. He will be introduced by Dennis Scholl of the Knight Foundation. Following the address, there will be a short press availability. Landesman will also visit two Macon arts organizations: Tubman African American Museum and Macon Symphony Orchestra. Chairman Landesman will spend his second day in Georgia in Atlanta. He will begin the day at Charles R. Drew Charter School, which recently received $1 million in Race to the Top money to create one of the state's first STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) schools. Landesman will then participate in a community conversation about the role of artists in creative placemaking, hosted by Georgia Council for the Arts and Alternate ROOTS. Following this event, Landesman will meet with the heads of Alternate ROOTS and the National Black Arts Festival. Lastly, he will tour the Woodruff Arts Center and meet with the directors of the arts organizations which make up the complex, as well as with Georgia First Lady Sandra Deal. Please see the full schedule for more information. Public events are marked as such below.

Sunday, May 6 - Greensboro, NC
1:00–1:15 pm	Tour of Elsewhere, a living museum       Location: 606 South Elm Street, Greensboro, NC 27406 Participants:  NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman George Scheer, Collaborative Director, Elsewhere Stephanie Sherman, Creative Director, Elsewhere
2:00–3:30 pm	Downtown Greenway Morehead Linear Park Opening and Dedication  NOTE: Chairman Landesman will speak at the unveiling of "Over.Under.Pass" at 2:30 p.m. at the railroad underpass.       Location: Between Lee Street and Spring Garden Street at Freeman Mill Road. * This event is free and open to the public. Click here for more information.
Monday, May 7 - Jackson & Port Gibson, MS
9:00–9:45 am	Meeting about Mississippi Museum of Arts' Our Town project and tour of museum       Location: Mississippi Museum of Art, 380 South Lamar Street, Jackson, MS 39201 Participants:             NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman Malcolm White, Executive Director, Mississippi Arts Commission Betsy Bradley, Director, Mississippi Museum of Art Michael Raff, Director of Human and Cultural Services, City of  Jackson
10:00–11:00 am	Panel discussion about Mississippi Museum of Arts' Our Townproject. Malcolm White of the Mississippi Arts Commission will provide opening remarks. Betsy Bradley of the Mississippi Museum of Arts will moderate the discussion.       Location: Mississippi Museum of Art, 380 South Lamar Street, Jackson, MS 39201 * This event is free and open to the public. Panelists:      NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman  Mayor Harvey Johnson Michael Beattie, President and CEO, Mississippi Symphony  Orchestra  William Goodman, artist Kelvin Moore, General Manager, Jackson Convention Complex Beth West, teacher, Davis Elementary School Elizabeth Williams, Chief of Engagement and Learning & Our Town project director, Mississippi Museum of Art

11:30–12:00 pm	Meeting and tour of Mississippi Children's Museum       Location: 2145 Highland Drive, Jackson, MS 39202          Participants:              NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman Malcolm White, Executive Director, Mississippi Arts Commission Susan E. Garrard, Executive Director, Mississippi Children's  Museum  Alicen Blanchard, Director of Education, Mississippi Children's Museum
2:00–2:30 pm	Meeting with Mississippi Cultural Crossroads       Location: 507 Market Street, Port Gibson, MS 39150                                      Participants:             NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman Malcolm White, Director, Mississippi Arts Commission Tara Wren, Executive Director, Mississippi Cultural Crossroads
2:30–3:30 pm	Discussion about creative placemaking in Port Gibson and Mississippi's Cultural Economy project.        Location: 507 Market Street, Port Gibson, MS 39150 Participants (TBD):   NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman  Malcolm White, Director, Mississippi Arts Commission          Tara Wren, Ex. Dir., Mississippi Cultural Crossroads Milton Chambliss, Economic Developer Members of the Port Gibson civic and business community
Tuesday, May 8 - Macon, GA
12:45–1:30 pm	Keynote speech at Georgia Arts Network Conference: "How Art Works at the NEA"       Location: Grand Opera House, 651 Mulberry Street, Macon, Georgia 31201 * This event is free and open to the public. Click here for more information. Participants:              NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman Wayne Jones, President of the Georgia Arts Network  Dennis Scholl, Vice President for Arts, Knight Foundation  Beverly Blake, Program Director, Knight Foundation
1:30–1:50 pm	Press availability       Location: Grand Opera House reception room, 651 Mulberry Street, Macon, Georgia 31201
2:00–2:45 pm	Meeting with Tubman African American Museum       Location: 340 Walnut Street  Macon, GA 31201 Participants:  NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman Dr. Andy Ambrose, Executive Director, Tubman African American Museum Beverly Blake, Program Director, John S. and James L. Knight  Foundation Jim Coleman, Executive Director, Macon Arts Alliance
2:45–3:30 pm	Meeting with Macon Symphony Orchestra                Location: 400 Poplar Street, Macon, Georgia 31201 Participants:  NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman Sheryl Towers, CEO, Macon Symphony Orchestra  Beverly Blake, Program Director, John S. and James L. Knight  Foundation Jim Coleman, Executive Director, Macon Arts Alliance

Wednesday, May 9 - Atlanta, GA
8:45–9:15 am	Meeting with Principal Don Doran of Charles R. Drew Charter School       Location: 301 East Lake Boulevard, Atlanta, GA 30317 Participants:              NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman Karen Paty, Director, Georgia Council for the Arts Principal Don Doran
10:00–11:00 am	Community conversation about role of individual artists in creative placemaking.       Location: Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30308 * This event is free and open to the public but RSVPs are required. Click here for more information
11:00–11:15 am	Meeting with National Black Arts Festival       Participants:             NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman Karen Paty, Director, Georgia Council for the Arts  Michael Simanga, PhD, Executive Director, National Black Arts Festival
11:15–11:30 am	Meeting with Alternate ROOTS       Participants:  NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman Karen Paty, Director, Georgia Council for the Arts  Carlton Turner, Executive Director, Alternate ROOTS
1:45–3:00 pm	Tour of the Woodruff Arts Center       Location: Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St. NE Atlanta, GA 30309 Participants:              NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman Karen Paty, Director, Georgia Council for the Arts Joe Bankoff, CEO of the Woodruff Arts Center Susan V. Booth, Jennings Hertz Artistic Dir., Alliance Theatre Stanley E. Romanstein, President, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Michael E. Shapiro, Nancy and Holcombe T. Green, Jr. Director,   High Museum of Art Charisse M. Williams, President, Young Audiences