National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu to Visit Tulsa, Oklahoma, October 20-21, 2015

Washington, DC—Jane Chu, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, will visit Tulsa, Oklahoma, October 20-21, 2015. Chairman Chu will be in town to participate in a moderated discussion about the 50^th anniversary of the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities. While Chairman Chu is in Tulsa, she will visit two NEA grantees—the Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa and Oklahoma A+ Schools. Chairman Chu is available for short one-on-one interviews at the end of these site visits and prior to the Oklahoma Arts Conference discussion; media who wish to request an interview should email auclaire@arts.gov with your request. Follow @NEAJaneChu on Twitter for updates and photos on her trip to Oklahoma. Chairman Chu’s visit to Tulsa will begin with a visit to Hardesty Arts Center on the afternoon of October 20 to learn more about the Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa. Chairman Chu will tour the arts center, meet with artists in their studios, and learn more about the arts council’s programs. On the morning of October 21, Chairman Chu will visit Remington Elementary School with Oklahoma A+ Schools. Chairman Chu will learn more about Oklahoma A+ Schools’ whole school model and also visit classrooms to see both arts classes and arts integrated classes in action. Remington Elementary is in their third year of implementing the Oklahoma A+ Schools program.  Next, Chairman Chu will be joined by NEH Chairman William Adams at the Oklahoma Arts Conference for a moderated discussion about the agencies’ 50th anniversaries. The conversation will explore ways in which NEA and NEH initiatives intersect and complement the missions of state and local arts and humanities entities, and it will detail the original visions behind the creation of the agencies, exploring their past achievements and examining their goals for the next 50 years. Media who wish to attend this discussion should contact Joel Gavin at joel.gavin@arts.ok.gov or 405-521-2037. Members of the public who wish to attend this event should visit the Oklahoma Arts Council’s website for more information. As part of the National Endowment for the Arts’ 50^th 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 Oklahoma, 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, including a video from Congressman Tom Cole. 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. Tuesday, October 20, 2015 3:00–4:15pm Site visit to Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa’s Hardesty Arts Center. Media interviews with Chairman Chu from 4:00–4:15pm. Location: 101 East Archer Street, Tulsa, OK 74103 Participants:       Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Holly Becker, executive director, Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa Jean Ann Fausser, local artist /board member, Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa staff John Hammer, local artist John Bryant, local artist Mark Wittig, local artist 

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Wednesday, October 21, 2015 8:30–10:15am Site visit with A+ Schools. Classroom visits will take place between 8:45–9:30am. Media interviews with Chairman Chu from 10:00–10:15am. Location: Remington Elementary, 2524 W 53rd St, Tulsa, OK 74107 Participants:       Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Sandra Kent, executive director, Oklahoma A+ Schools Jean Hendrickson, director emeritus, Oklahoma A+ Schools Cassandra Funderburk, principal, Remington Elementary Genie Reiman, regional coordinator, Oklahoma A+ Schools Randy Birr, teacher & Oklahoma A+ Schools fellow, Remington Elementary Remington Elementary School students

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10:45am–11:00pm Media interviews with NEA Chairman Jane Chu Location: Hyatt Regency Tulsa, 100 East 2nd Street, Tulsa, OK 74103

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11:00am–1:00pm Moderated discussion with NEA Chairman Jane Chu and NEH Chairman William Adams at the Oklahoma Arts Conference. Media who wish to attend this discussion should contact Joel Gavin at joel.gavin@arts.ok.gov or 405-521-2037. Members of the public who wish to attend this event should visit the Oklahoma Arts Council’s website for more information. Location: Hyatt Regency Tulsa, 100 East 2nd Street, Tulsa, OK 74103 Participants:       Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts William Adams, chairman, National Endowment for the Humanities Amber Sharples, executive director, Oklahoma Arts Council Ann Thompson, executive director, Oklahoma Humanities Council 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.

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