Washington, DC—The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) will host the public session of the 212th National Council on the Arts meeting on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. ET at the NEA Headquarters at Constitution Center, 400 7th Street SW, in Washington, DC. This meeting is open to the public to attend (advance registration required for in-person attendance) and will be streamed live at arts.gov.  

The National Council on the Arts advises the chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson, who also chairs the Council, on agency policies and programs, and reviews and makes recommendations to the chair on applications for grants, funding guidelines, and leadership initiatives.

Following opening remarks from Chair Jackson, the meeting will feature two panel discussions on the state of the nonprofit performing arts sector titled “Meeting the Moment: Building a Healthy Performing Arts Ecosystem.”

Building on the agency’s recent convening, “Healing, Bridging, Thriving: A Summit on Arts and Culture in our Communities,” these conversations are part of the agency’s work to build and sustain efforts to strengthen arts and culture ecosystems across the country, including the theater, dance, music, and opera fields.

NEA Theater and Musical Theater Director Greg Reiner will moderate the first panel, “How Did We Get Here?” Panelists will explore the challenges companies, cultural venues, and performing arts organizations face, some of which pre-date the pandemic, as well as examples of strategies that have emerged to help organizations navigate the current environment and better connect with their communities. Panelists include: 

• Annie Burridge, General Director and CEO, Austin Opera
• Kelvin Dinkins, Jr., Executive Director, American Repertory Theater
• Kerry Lee, Co-Artistic Director, Atlanta Chinese Dance Company
• Laura Penn, Executive Director of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, labor activist, and member of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities

NEA Dance Director Sara Nash will moderate the second panel, “Where Do We Go from Here?” Panelists will share their ideas around the future of live performance in America, how to strengthen the ecosystem for the performing arts, and how they can contribute to our lives and communities in many different ways. Panelists include: 

• Christy Bolingbroke, Executive/Artistic Director, National Center for Choreography – Akron
• Leslie Ishii, Artistic Director, Perseverance Theatre
• Blake-Anthony Johnson, President and CEO, Chicago Sinfonietta

In addition, theater director and playwright Annalisa Dias will provide a reading between panels.

The NEA, along with the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, is also exploring ways to continue conversations about long term recovery and sustainability of the nonprofit theater and performing arts sectors in the U.S. More information will be available in the coming months.

WHAT:  212th meeting of the National Council on the Arts

WHEN:  Wednesday, March 27, 2024, 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. ET

WHERE:  Constitution Center, 400 7th Street SW, Washington, DC, 20506. Live webcast at arts.gov. (Advance registration required for in-person attendees. A government-issued ID is required to attend the meeting in person.)

WHO:        

• Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD, Chair, NEA
• National Council on the Arts Members
• Staff from the National Endowment for the Arts
• Representatives from performing arts organizations

MEDIA RSVP:  Media who wish to attend this event should contact the NEA’s Public Affairs Office at publicaffairs@arts.gov.

About the National Council on the Arts

The National Council on the Arts advises the Chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, who also chairs the Council, on agency policies and programs. It reviews and makes recommendations to the Chair on applications for grants, funding guidelines, and leadership initiatives. More information, including the list of current council members, is available at arts.gov.