Schedule
Times are in Eastern Time
Subject to change. Registered attendees will have access to more details.
ON-DEMAND RECORDED SESSIONS
These are available through the app for registered attendees from March 24-May.
Arts Writing and Publishing as Creative Infrastructure
Led by Xiao deCuncha and Nyonu Branch-Watkins
Arts writers, critics, and publishing professionals will discuss how arts writing is an essential link in the arts & culture infrastructure. Some topics to be discussed include:
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How do local arts and culture-focusing publications contribute to the development of the artistic community and connect the public with the arts?
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How do art writers and artists mutually benefit each other when it comes to professional development?
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What is the impact of the general lack of structured training for new art writers?
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What type of programs can be incorporated into public and private programming from schools, galleries, organizations, and cultural institutions to ensure a robust art criticism community, especially in the Midwest (outside of Chicago)?
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Faced with worsening funding struggles, how can independent publishers, art critics, and publications find creative ways to sustainability and lasting growth?
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How can art writing serve as leverage to propel local artists into larger markets? And vice versa, how can art writing bridge the gap and bring in new ideas into local art scenes?
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How do art writing and art/culture publications interact with activism, policymaking, and other pressing matters in civic spaces?
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Becoming a Teaching Artist
Led by Gowri Savoor and Heather Bryce, Co-directors of Teaching Artists Connect
In this fun and engaging session, participants will be introduced to the field of Teaching Artistry, and find alignments with the Artists Thrive Rubric, Planning and Capacity. We’ll explore what teaching artists do, what settings they work in, and how to generate income. We’ll define how teaching artists are different from art teachers and/or art therapists, and explore different residency settings where teaching artists can thrive. For those new to teaching artistry, we’ll introduce participants to different pathways to entering the field of teaching artistry, and offer strategies for assessment and documentation. In our final section, we’ll discuss what success looks like, and ask participants to complete a worksheet defining their unique attributes, passions, and goals, and how they can use their creativity to activate the artistry of others.
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Creating Your Own Artists’ Collective: Why, How, Where?!
Led by Alana Ladson, Freelance Artist
This presentation is about creating your own artist collective wherever you live or virtually. Alana will be speaking on her journey into creating her artist collective, The Rooted Collective, in Connecticut, and how she was able to run three cohorts of the fellowship and foster a sense of community amongst the members during that time. Here's how she did it, and here's how you can create your own!
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Creative Futures: Understanding Arts Alumni Experiences and Trajectories Through SNAAP Pulse
Led by Lee Ann Scotto Adams and Christian Folk, SNAAP
How do arts graduates build meaningful and sustainable lives in today’s creative economy? This session introduces insights from SNAAP Pulse, a new initiative of the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project that explores how arts alumni define success, sustain creative work, and adapt to challenges such as AI and financial precarity. Drawing on national survey data from thousands of graduates, presenters will highlight trends in creative careers, equity, and artistic identity after graduation. Participants will learn how institutions and arts organizations can apply SNAAP findings to strengthen alumni engagement, reimagine curriculum, and advocate for creative labor. By centering alumni voices and data-driven insights, this session invites educators, funders, and arts leaders to re-envision how we support artists across their careers and to imagine creative futures grounded in connection, evidence, and care.
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Estate Planning and Readiness for Musicians and Its Possibilities
Led by Gene Meneray & Ashlye Keaton, Co-founders of The Ella Project and Elizabeth Meneray, Founding Partner of the New Orleans law firm, Meneray Family Law, L.L.C.
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The Ella Project presents Rampart: A Legacy Planning & Readiness Guide for Musicians. This is a step by step guide for musicians and/or their heirs to protect their legacy, their intellectual property, and prepare their estate. Rampart also provides guidance to heirs whose loved ones may have died without complete estate planning.
In this Guide, you’ll learn:
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How to document your work right now to develop an estate plan.
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How to work with museums and institutions if you are interested in leaving them assets.
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How to protect your digital afterlife.
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How to protect your files from loss, theft, fire, hurricane, flood or other disaster.
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What information you need to draft a will.
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What to do if someone dies without a will.
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What documents you need (living will, power of attorney) to prepare to take care of your needs when you no longer can.
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How to open a succession for a large or small estate.
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Findings from the National Survey of Artists
Led by Gwendolyn Rugg, Senior Research Scientist at National Opinion Research Center (NORC) and Jessica Feldman, Senior Research Associate at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
The recent National Survey of Artists was commissioned by Mellon and conducted by NORC. This nationally representative survey provides a new perspective on the lives, work, and economic realities of artists across the United States. This was recording was shared by SNAAP who supported the project by administering the National Survey of Artists to arts graduates participating in the SNAAP Pulse project. The recording invites you to explore the findings report which shares key statistics on artists’ job holding, sources of income and benefits, health and well-being, and economic precarity. The technical report provides information on how NORC designed and fielded this innovative new survey.
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The Next Leader is You: Why Local Office Needs Your Voice
Led by Tom Tresser, 100K Project (www.100kproject.us)
Are YOU a leader? This presentation will help you realize that the answer is a loud “Hell, yes!” The presenter, Tom Tresser, has been mixing civics and the arts for over 30 years. He will demonstrate that the values, skills, and experiences that you use every day in your creative work are assets desperately needed in public life right now! The presentation will contain links to worksheets and other resources that will help you if your journey to lead in public life – including running for local office, helping someone run, and organizing for political power in order to serve and solve. Hey. It’s what we do!
1:00 pm ET
Registration Open
2:00 pm ET
National Welcome Session
Kick off your Summit experience with intention and excitement! Join us for this essential opening session where we'll ground ourselves in the spirit of Artists Thrive, setting a positive and collaborative tone for the days ahead.
We'll guide you through a brief exercise to help you write a meaningful goal for your time at the Summit, ensuring you focus on what matters most to your artistic journey.
Finally, we'll equip you with everything you need to navigate the Summit Whova app like a pro! Discover all the "bells and whistles" – from session locations and networking opportunities to recorded content and helpful resources. We'll ensure you have the inside scoop to make the absolute most of your week and leave feeling energized and empowered.
Don't miss this crucial first step in your Summit adventure!
3:00 pm ET
Networking Game
4:00 pm ET
National Breakout Sessions
I am For A Nation…
For this session, Mark will invite all 6 sites to create a collective manifesto for our country: "I am for a nation…." The workshop starts with a discussion about social sculpture and the ways we shape the world through our words, thoughts, and actions. This will be the foundation for our time together. Participants will then complete their "I am for a nation…" statements at their tables. They would also share with each other at their tables, then from each location. By naming the kind of city we want, participants can begin to name next steps in their own creative practices that align with the collective manifesto. After the workshop, we will compile the statements together into a document to be shared with all participants across all 6 locations. Participants would also be invited to activate the project in their own contexts, at any time, without the need for permission. This form is a tool that can be used by anyone.
Lead Presenter: Mark Menjivar, TX
The Art of the Pivot (Strategic Change Management for Arts Leaders of the Global Majority)
We are living in an era marked by uncertainty and precarity in our sector and society in ways that are unprecedented in recent decades. One that requires us to be grounded in our center and equipped to pivot the ways we steward, manage and lead change. This workshop will provide insight into a step-by-step process developed by a table of arts leaders of the global majority across US and Canada. This resource exists to support arts leaders of color to dynamically navigate pivots and steward change (both externally imposed, and internally devised).
Lead Presenter: Phoenix Sun Park, Voice of Purpose
5:30 pm ET
Lay of the Land Session
​7:00 pm ET
Group Dinner at Western Avenue Studios
8:00am ET
Transportation departs from Western Avenue Studios to go to Elevated Thought Field Trip - Creative Youth Development and Spatial Justice (capped at 30 people)
9:00 am ET
Local Breakout Sessions
Homes for Our Imagination: Designing Creative Futures Through Space & Belonging
This session is an art-centered, participatory workshop that invites artists, cultural workers, educators, and organizers to explore how creative space and a sense of belonging shape our ability to imagine and build just futures. Rooted in the belief that space is both physical and emotional, the session blends visual storytelling with spatial justice practices to help participants reflect on the places that have shaped their creativity and envision the spaces they need now and in the future. Through guided reflection, collective dialogue, and hands-on making, attendees will examine the impact of displacement, cultural erasure, and gentrification on their communities, and they will identify pathways for preserving and cultivating artist-centered spaces that foster resilience and cultural continuity. This workshop offers a grounding, imaginative experience paired with practical takeaways for local action.
Led by Ngoc-Tran Vu, Vietnamese American visual artist and cultural organizer
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Where Can The Funds Come From For My Project / The Answer Is Money, What Is The Question?
Jeremy Liu (moderator)
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10:15 am ET
Local Breakout Sessions
Spatial Justice: Reclaiming our Rights to Be, Thrive, Express and Connect
If we think of spatial justice as our rights to be, thrive, express, and connect in space, what possibilities does it open up? This interactive workshop will explore our relationships to space, power, and justice with our whole selves—body, heart, mind, memory..... Join us to dive into the many ways spatial politics shapes our work and how organizing to listen to/ reclaim and transform space is a game changer.
Session Presenters: Anulfo Baez, Design Gym Lead; Crystal Bi, Practicing Methodologies Lead, DS4SI; Lori Lobenstine, co-author, Spatial Justice framework and co-founder, DS4SI
How to Develop This Concrete Tool for Your Funding Plan
The proforma is of central importance for building your case for funding a real estate project. It tells the story about why you need funds and without it, you will not be approved for a real estate loan or major grant. In this session, participants will learn the fundamentals of creating a proforma for their real estate project, including key terminology and how to tailor it for different audiences. Participants will leave with a sample proforma that can be modified for your project.
Session Presenters: Steve Pratt Otto, Financing Consultant, Banker; Jim Grace, A&BC Creative Land Trust Initiative
Tour of Western Avenue Studios
Led by Hope Greene
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11:30 am ET
Local Breakout Sessions
The Art of Holding Space: Building Empowering Creative Environments Through Access + Belonging.
This panel examines how creative spaces—formal and informal—become engines for empowerment, identity, healing, and economic mobility. Rooted in Matthew’s decade of work building artist-centered programs, youth studios, drop-ins, workshops, and multidisciplinary hubs, the session explores how access to space transforms the trajectory of both individuals and neighborhoods. The panel will pair creative practitioners with community organizers to share practical tools, policies, and collaborative strategies
that sustain long-term spatial justice.
Led by: Matthew Wolterding, My Beautiful Mind
Session TBA
12:30 pm ET
Lunch
2:00 pm ET
National Breakout Sessions
A Rally for Cultural Placekeeping: Building Affordable, Accessible, and Creative Communities
Across the country, creative spaces are disappearing due to market pressures, displacement, and inequitable growth. As a response, artists and cultural leaders are partnering with civic and economic organizations to redefine what equitable development looks like. This panel highlights Rally Austin, a real estate nonprofit created by the City of Austin to steward public and private assets toward community benefit through initiatives like the Austin Cultural Trust and Iconic Venue Fund. This panel will explore innovative, artist-centered approaches to real estate and cultural infrastructure, strategies for growth, and replicable models of creative placekeeping. Attendees will gain practical insight into frameworks that support equitable, creative ecosystems and learn how artists and cultural workers can be active stakeholders in shaping the cities and communities where they live and work.
Panel organized by Sara Vanderbeek, TX
Money Mindfulness: Rewriting Your Financial Story with Self-Care and Vision
This workshop invites artists and creative entrepreneurs to explore the intersection of money, mindfulness, and self-worth. Through guided reflection, group dialogue, and a hands-on table activity, participants will examine personal money narratives, identify scarcity patterns, and map a values-aligned vision for financial resilience. Rooted in contemplative practices and practical tools, the session supports shifting limiting beliefs around money. By integrating mindfulness with creative financial planning, it offers a compassionate, empowering approach to building a healthier relationship with money. Participants will reflect on money stories, clarify values, and sketch a vision for financial well-being—encouraging self-care, clarity, and action to move from financial stress to intentional, values-driven decision-making.
Led by: Rhonda Schaller, NJ and Dr. Esmilda Abreu, NJ
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3:00 pm ET
Mindful Pause Activities
4:00 pm ET
National Breakout Sessions
We Will Not Go Silent: Building Communities of Care Through Creative Collaboration
How do artists sustain creativity and community in the face of challenge, distance, and change? In this interactive presentation, four members of Breaking Wave Theatre Company (BWTC) - a community-rooted, artist-led organization from Guåhan (Guam) – will invite participants to explore how care, culture, and collaboration can shape thriving creative ecosystems. BWTC ensemble members will share real-world strategies for building partnerships rooted in reciprocity, shared power, and belonging. Participants will reflect on their own creative practices and communities - asking how collaboration can become a form of care, and how care itself can become an act of artistic resistance.
Led by: CJ Ochoco, Breaking Wave Theatre Company, Guam
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Session TBA
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5:00 pm ET
National Networking
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5:30 pm ET
Dinner
9:00 am ET
Local Breakout Sessions
Artists-in-Residency – or how to unpack a bridge
In this session we'll explore artist residency model "Art in the Neighborhood" that the Ministry of Future Access has developed and implemented over the last four years with support from a local non-profit organization –the Community Libraries of Providence. Unlike other residences, which often provide lodging and studios, our approach has harnessed the possibilities of so called "third-spaces" to host artists and bridge connections between neighborhood residents and creative processes. The session will depart from our lived experience supporting local artists develop new work while providing access to collective learning opportunities for bilingual people across Rhode Island. As we unpack our different approaches, we'll zoom into the 2024 AiR that was intentionally designed to address the gentrification of the Lippitt Hill neighborhood (which displaced over 650 families that used to live in the area) and wrap up with a summary of our learnings and renewed intentions.
Led by Nan Joubá
Session TBA
10:15 am ET
Local Breakout Sessions
The Power & Place of Arts & Culture in Public Markets
A Trike Called Funk’s session will simulate then explore a few examples of entertaining & engaging events series that took place at local markets. These participatory arts experiences featured a rotating line-up of collaborating local artists specializing in different mediums from music to dance to paint.
Led by Aaron Myers co-led by Edword Galan
Advocacy /Policy - Creative Work Space
Led by Emily Ruddock, Annis Sengupta, Margo Saulnier, Ami Bennitt
11:30 am ET
Local Breakout Sessions
Who Belongs Here? The Power of Building Community
Led by Yahira Torres, Lion-ess Retreat, Western Avenue Studios, & Refuge Art School
Session TBA
12:30 pm ET
Lunch
2:00 pm ET
National Breakout Sessions
Designing Funding that Nourishes the Artist - Not Just Their Output
What if funding didn’t just fuel the next project - but actually nourished the whole artist? This session centers four community-designed funding models - the BIPOC Artist Fund, Creative West Artist Fund, Cultural Sustainability Program, and Pacific Jurisdictions Artist Fund - that are reshaping the landscape by centering artist well-being, not just productivity. Led by cultural strategist Anika Tené alongside brilliant co-designers, this session dives into what it truly looks like when wellness, pacing, and relational trust are designed into funding from the start - not treated as afterthoughts. Participants will hear how these initiatives rejected extractive grantmaking and instead embedded coaching, wellness stipends, and flexible timelines to reflect the lived realities of artists - particularly those in BIPOC, Indigenous, rural, and under-resourced communities. Participants will walk away with concrete strategies, adaptable frameworks, and inspiration to champion care-centered, equity-rooted funding practices within their own institutions and networks.
Led by: Anika Tene, VA
Changemakers in Civic Spaces – Strategic Advocacy Pathways for Creatives
Artists are catalysts for empathy, innovation, and change. How can creative voices shape civic life and public policy? Changemakers in Civic Spaces explores how artists can move from community-based action to influencing decision-making at local, state, and federal levels. Three dynamic panelists will share real-world strategies across three key pathways: Community Organizing, where creative practice mobilizes neighborhoods and builds collective voice; Advocacy for All, which maps access points for every level of engagement from small, everyday actions to sustained leadership; and Creatives in Office, guiding artists who aspire to serve in appointed or elected roles. Participants will leave with practical tools, frameworks, and inspiration to see themselves as changemakers in civic spaces. They will gain a deeper understanding of how artistic skills translate into organizing, policy influence, and governance; recognize multiple entry points for advocacy regardless of experience level; and build confidence to move from awareness to action. The session fosters connection, empowerment, and a shared vision for sustainable, artist-led advocacy that drives thriving creative communities.
Organized by: Eepi Chaad, TX
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3:30 pm ET
Sending Session
4:30 pm ET
Summit ends