National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu to Visit Denver and Loveland, Colorado, March 9–10, 2016
Washington, DC—Jane Chu, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), will visit Colorado March 9–10, 2016. During her visit, Chairman Chu will give remarks at the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts’ (CBCA) awards luncheon, take part in a public Town Hall, participate in a song-sharing workshop with local high school students, visit the Loveland Arts Campus, and meet with Phamaly Theatre Company. Follow @NEAJaneChu on Twitter for updates and photos on her trip to Colorado.
Chairman Chu’s visit to Colorado will begin on March 9 at the CBCA Annual Business for the Arts Awards Luncheon in Denver, where she will give the keynote address. These awards celebrate inspiring arts and business partnerships from across the state. Media who wish to attend this event should contact Meredith Badler, at 303-282-5135 or mbadler@cbca.org.
That evening, Chairman Chu will participate in a Town Hall, hosted by Colorado Creative Industries, CBCA, Denver Arts & Venues, and the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation. Chairman Chu will speak about the NEA’s 50th anniversary and why arts matter and take questions from the audience. This event is open to the public. Click here to RSVP. Media who wish to attend this event should contact Christy Costello at 303-892-3724 or christine.costello@state.co.us. Chairman Chu will be available for short interviews prior to the Town Hall; contact Liz Auclair at auclaire@arts.gov to request an interview.
On the morning of March 10, Chairman Chu will visit Northfield High School where Colorado Creative Industries is hosting a song-sharing workshop with students as part of its Detour program. This program is a statewide pilot that creates a model of music touring as a community-based, sustainable, and creatively rewarding practice. Members of the band the Flobots will lead students in a song-sharing workshop where the students will discuss the history of song, the meaning of song in their lives, and then share songs with one another.
Next, Chairman Chu will travel to Loveland to see the Loveland Arts Campus. Chairman Chu will first tour the Feed and Grain Building and learn about the plans to redevelop the building. Next, she will see the Artspace Loveland Lofts, an affordable artists housing program, and visit resident artists in their studios. In 2013, Artspace Projects received an Our Town grant from the NEA to support a temporary art gallery and public engagement activities related to the redevelopment of the historic Feed and Grain Building in Loveland. The Artspace Loveland Lofts inspired Colorado Creative Industries’ program Space to Create Colorado, the first state driven initiative for affordable housing for artists in the nation.
Chairman Chu will then return to Denver, where she will meet with Phamaly Theatre Company, an NEA grantee which produces professional scale plays and musicals year-round throughout the Denver Metro region, cast entirely of performers with physical, cognitive, and emotional disabilities. Chairman Chu will see a rehearsal for the upcoming production of Taking Leave, followed by a discussion with staff, actors, and community partners about their work as a leader for disability in theatre.
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 Colorado, 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 and to see a video about the arts and culture of Colorado.
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.
Wednesday, March 9, 2016—Denver
11:15am–1:30pm CBCA Business for the Arts Awards Luncheon
Location: Denver Performing Arts Complex, Sewall Grand Ballroom, 1400 Curtis Street, Denver, CO 80204
Participants:
Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts
Deborah Jordy, executive director, CBCA
3:40–3:55pm Media availability with Chairman Chu Location: The Studio Loft, Ellie Caulkins Opera House, 908 14th St. Denver, CO 80202
4:00–5:00pm Town Hall, open to the public Location: The Studio Loft, Ellie Caulkins Opera House, 908 14th St. Denver, CO 80202 Participants: Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Margaret Hunt, dir., Creative Industries Division & Space to Create, Colorado
Thursday, March 10, 2016—Denver and Loveland 9:15–10:15am Song-sharing workshop with the Flobots Location: Northfield High School, 5500 Central Park Boulevard, Denver, CO 80238 Participants: Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Margaret Hunt, director, Colorado Creative Industries Ron Castagna, principal, Northfield High School Sheila Sears, deputy director & arts education, Colorado Creative Industries Jamie Laurie and Stephan Brackett, founders, Youth on Record Northfield High School 9th Grade students
10:15–10:30am Media availability with Chairman Chu Location: Northfield High School, 5500 Central Park Boulevard, Denver, CO 80238
11:30am–12:20pm Tour of Loveland Arts Campus Location: Tour will begin at 130 West Third Street, Loveland, CO 80537 Participants: Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Shannon Joern, senior director of national advancement, Artspace Rachel Robinson, director of property development, Artspace Felicia Harmon, local consultant to Artspace Margaret Hunt, dir., Creative Industries Division & Space to Create, Colorado Tim Schultz, president & CEO, The Boettcher Foundation Artspace Loveland Lofts resident artists
12:20–12:30pm Media availability with Chairman Chu Location: Artspace Loveland Lofts, 130 West Third Street, Loveland, CO 80537
3:00–4:00pm Site visit with Phamaly Theatre Company Location: 4061 S Eliot St, Englewood, CO 80110 Participants: Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Bryce Alexander, artistic director, Phamaly Theatre Company Maureen Ediger, executive director, Phamaly Theatre Company Tamara Arredondo, development and marketing director, Phamaly Theatre Company Cast of Taking Leave Mikayla Houser, executive director, Autism Society Amelia Schafer, vice president of programs, Alzheimer’s Association, Gene Sobcek, interim communications director, Alzheimer’s Association Deborah Jordy, executive director, CBCA Margaret Hunt, dir., Creative Industries Division & Space to Create, Colorado 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.
3:40–3:55pm Media availability with Chairman Chu Location: The Studio Loft, Ellie Caulkins Opera House, 908 14th St. Denver, CO 80202
4:00–5:00pm Town Hall, open to the public Location: The Studio Loft, Ellie Caulkins Opera House, 908 14th St. Denver, CO 80202 Participants: Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Margaret Hunt, dir., Creative Industries Division & Space to Create, Colorado
Thursday, March 10, 2016—Denver and Loveland 9:15–10:15am Song-sharing workshop with the Flobots Location: Northfield High School, 5500 Central Park Boulevard, Denver, CO 80238 Participants: Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Margaret Hunt, director, Colorado Creative Industries Ron Castagna, principal, Northfield High School Sheila Sears, deputy director & arts education, Colorado Creative Industries Jamie Laurie and Stephan Brackett, founders, Youth on Record Northfield High School 9th Grade students
10:15–10:30am Media availability with Chairman Chu Location: Northfield High School, 5500 Central Park Boulevard, Denver, CO 80238
11:30am–12:20pm Tour of Loveland Arts Campus Location: Tour will begin at 130 West Third Street, Loveland, CO 80537 Participants: Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Shannon Joern, senior director of national advancement, Artspace Rachel Robinson, director of property development, Artspace Felicia Harmon, local consultant to Artspace Margaret Hunt, dir., Creative Industries Division & Space to Create, Colorado Tim Schultz, president & CEO, The Boettcher Foundation Artspace Loveland Lofts resident artists
12:20–12:30pm Media availability with Chairman Chu Location: Artspace Loveland Lofts, 130 West Third Street, Loveland, CO 80537
3:00–4:00pm Site visit with Phamaly Theatre Company Location: 4061 S Eliot St, Englewood, CO 80110 Participants: Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Bryce Alexander, artistic director, Phamaly Theatre Company Maureen Ediger, executive director, Phamaly Theatre Company Tamara Arredondo, development and marketing director, Phamaly Theatre Company Cast of Taking Leave Mikayla Houser, executive director, Autism Society Amelia Schafer, vice president of programs, Alzheimer’s Association, Gene Sobcek, interim communications director, Alzheimer’s Association Deborah Jordy, executive director, CBCA Margaret Hunt, dir., Creative Industries Division & Space to Create, Colorado 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.
Contact
Liz Auclair (NEA), auclaire@arts.gov, 202-682-5744
Christy Costello (Colorado Creative Industries), christine.costello@state.co.us, 303-892-3724
