THOUGHT LEADERSHIP AND REACH           
2021 Creative Vitality™ Summit Concludes

On Monday, September 20 and Tuesday, September 21, WESTAF’s inaugural Creative Vitality™ Summit brought together 40 creative economy experts, arts and culture leaders, and equity champions across the field to discuss the future of the creative sector. With nearly 500 registered participants, this year’s Summit will go down as one of the largest convenings in WESTAF’s history. To learn more about the Summit, please visit the event website and be sure to check out the pre-conference paper to learn more about some of the topics covered during the event. We will be sharing recordings of all the sessions soon on the WESTAF website.
International Economic Development Council Annual Conference Creative Economy Session
Deputy Director David Holland and fellow Creative Economy Coalition Executive Committee member Susan Soroko, director, creative economy, Arlington Economic Development, arranged a session for the International Economic Development Council Annual Conference: Creative Economy: Economic Development for a Sustainable Future. David was joined on this panel by Margaret Hunt, director, Colorado Creative Industries, and Jessica Stern, senior manager, local arts and business partnerships, Americans for the Arts, on Monday, October 4 in Nashville, Tennessee. The panel discussed the creative economy, economic recovery, community revitalization and inclusive economic development.WESTAF Leads Sessions on Rural Arts and Chambers of Commerce as Arts Advocates at CCI Summit

WESTAF team members attended and presented at the Colorado Creative Industries Summit: Frontier of Imagination September 29 – October 1. The team moderated and participated in five different panels during the conference, including a session on chambers of commerce as arts advocates in collaboration with the Western Arts Advocacy Network, a session on arts and culture in rural, remote, and frontier communities in Colorado, a creative economy data workshop, and a session on makerspaces and data.Anika Kwinana Serves as Keynote Speaker at the Nevada Museum Association’s Annual Conference

The Nevada Museum Association’s (NMA) annual conference, held October 7-8, welcomed WESTAF director of social responsibility and inclusion Anika Kwinana as the keynote speaker. The conference’s 2021 theme was “We’re Back: Connecting to our Communities.” The NMA provides support to the state’s 100+ museums by providing learning opportunities through a quarterly newsletter, annual conference, and other informational workshops held throughout the year.Artists Selected and Showcased in the First Round of Performing Arts Discovery

Ten artists, companies, and ensembles were selected in the first phase of the National Endowment for the Arts Performing Arts Discovery program being managed by WESTAF and delivered by the Western Arts Alliance in collaboration with sister regional arts organizations. Versa-Style Dance Company, Ensemble Mik Nawooj, and acoustic picker Cary Morin were selected from the West in the first round alongside artists from other regions. The ten artists and groups were showcased at the Western Arts Alliance Conference and at the Arts Midwest Conference. A selection of these artists will be featured at the National Endowment for the Arts/International Federation of Arts Councils and Cultural Agencies (IFACCA) Americas Cultural Summit 2021 this fall. A second round will also open this fall for an additional group of artists.
GRANTMAKING                                                 
Update on WESTAF’s American Rescue Plan Fund for Organizations

WESTAF’s executive committee has approved the organizations recommended by the SRI team to receive WESTAF ARP awards. Originally planned to disburse grants at an average level of $50,000 each to 30+ awardees, these levels and awardees were adjusted due to the demand from many impacted organizations. WESTAF will disburse grants at an average level of $35,000 each to 44 awardees. Look for an announcement with the full list of awardees in the coming weeks.
WESTAF WEB SERVICES                                 
ZAPP® Launches New Referral Program

As part of its continued efforts to grow a strong ZAPP community, the ZAPP team recently launched a new referral program! When current clients refer new events to ZAPP and the new event signs up, both organizations will receive a $100 gift card.CaFÉ™ October Blog: 6 Tips for Emerging Public Artists with Expert Insights

In the latest installment to the blog, the CaFÉ™ team spoke with Denver Arts & Venues public art program administrator Brendan Picker about the most beneficial steps artists can take to stand out from the crowd when applying for public art calls for entry. From advice on what panels look for to common mistakes to avoid during the application process, if you are applying for a public art call, this blog is for you!
Check it out!
Collection Launches and New Collections Added to the PAA Platform

Recently, Public Art Archive successfully launched Los Alamos County Public Art’s collection, which was featured in the Los Alamos Daily Post and the Los Alamos Reporter. PAA is also working to complete the design and launch of Metro Arts Nashville’s public art showcase page and map, which includes the program’s public art Lending Library. Rowan University’s public art collection was also recently imported to the PAA platform.Women’s Suffrage Mural Completed by Artist Adri Norris

PAA is excited to share that local artist Adri Norris has completed the WESTAF Women’s Suffrage Mural, located in Denver’s Montbello neighborhood. Norris’ work features eight prominent local, regional, and national women who made meaningful contributions to the history of women’s suffrage and voting rights throughout the U.S. These matriarchs of the women’s rights movement are accompanied by painted snapshots of minority communities fighting for the right to representation throughout the twentieth century. The work, made possible thanks to a generous grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Federal Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission, guides viewers through an illuminating story of communities that remain underrepresented in our history, highlighting a more inclusive narrative surrounding the nineteenth amendment as we acknowledge the centennial of women’s suffrage.

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