press releases

For Immediate Release

New York, NY – August 25, 2008 – Arts & Business Council of New York will host two forums on cultural leadership as part of the MetLife Foundation National Arts Forum Series for arts and business leaders.  The 2008 series— New Frameworks for The Changing Face of America—examines models that provide a new way to look at diversity in the United States and how it is reshaping our culture. 

The first event features keynote speaker, author and cultural analyst Patricia Martin along with Paul Melton, a strategist with LaPlaca Cohen and Jan Ohye, Vice President and Director of Wunderman Impact.  The first forum will take place on Tuesday, September 16.  This event will be moderated by Advertising Age Editor Jonah Bloom.  The second forum, a follow-up discussion featuring panelists Chris Elam, Artistic Director and Resident Choreographer, Misnomer Dance Theater and Fritz Desir, Principal/Digital Strategist, Fluency, Inc., will be held on Thursday, October 2. The two forums will be held at Microsoft’s midtown offices, located at 1290 Avenue of the Americas, 6th floor, New York.  

The 2008 MetLife Foundation National Arts Forum Series looks at how both arts and business are addressing the issue of increasing diversity in this country as it relates to workforce development, leadership and management, and product offerings through a new theory being advanced by Martin.

Martin's theory says that the “RenGen,” short for renaissance generation, is a cultural movement created by the confluence of art, education, entertainment, and business that has as its center a powerful new player: the cultural consumer. It defines a growing stratum of Americans who thrive on information and ideas to fuel their creativity and shows how it will drive the next wave of innovation. Most importantly, the RenGen is a way of seeing how the issue of diversity has evolved from statistics and quotas to a new reality reflected in this new trend that crosses race, class, age and ethnicity.

“In New York City’s current stressed economy, every arts organization—like other companies delivering a product or service—wants to better understand how to provide an immediate connection with consumers .  I look forward to the dialogue Pat Martin will stimulate at the forum and the innovative thinking she brings,” said Will Maitland Weiss, executive director of Arts & Business Council of New York.

“These forums will help arts and business participants better understand the increasingly diverse nature of our population and how to strengthen the arts, business, and community.” said Sibyl Jacobson, president and CEO of MetLife Foundation.

Admission for the New York sessions of the 2008 MetLife Foundation National Arts Forum Series is $20 for members of Arts & Business Council of New York, $30 for non-members. Those that register for the first forum on September 16 can receive admission to the October 2 forum for only $10.

To register online or for more information on New York’s MetLife Foundation National Arts Forum Series, visit www.artsandbusiness-ny.org.

About Patricia Martin
Author, consultant, and recognized expert in cultural marketing, Patricia Martin is President of Chicago-based LitLamp Communications Group, the firm she founded in 1995. The firm serves a variety of clients who need to forge and manage innovative communications through marketing alliances. Clients include: Discovery Channel, Art Institute of Chicago, Brooklyn Public Library, Georgetown University, National PTA, New York Philharmonic, Unisys, and Sun Microsystems. To date, her efforts have helped clients yield over $200 million in new revenues through sponsorship, marketing alliances, and cross-promotions.

Martin has been featured for her innovative work in the Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, Advertising Age, and Brand Week Magazine. She also contributes regular commentary for Crain’s Chicago Business.  A popular speaker, Martin lectures at the University of Chicago and the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management.

Over the course of the last five years, the forums have established a clear record of achievement in communities across the United States, galvanizing conversations among and collaborations between arts and business leaders. The dialogues that take place at the forum revolve, by design, around relevant cultural and economic issues. Past forum topics have included private sector support of the arts; the impact of 9/11 on arts marketing and philanthropy; and arts-based training programs for business, among others. The 2006-2007 series will address the issue of the “Arts and Workforce Development” and will involve approximately 4,000 arts, business, and civic leaders around the country.

About the Series
Forums are presented as part of the The 2008 MetLife Foundation National Arts Forum Series. In the coming year, forums will take place in 11 cities nationwide and will investigate new frameworks for cultural leadership. Excerpts from each forum will be posted on the Americans for the Arts website, www.AmericansForTheArts.org, and a forum will take place in June at the Americans for the Arts 2008 Annual Convention in Philadelphia.  Forums are produced by program partners of Arts & Business Council of Americans for the Arts, which is focused on developing private-sector support for the arts within the organization’s broader mission of advancing the arts in America.
 
MetLife Foundation was established by MetLife to carry on its long-standing tradition of corporate contributions and community involvement. Grants are made to support health, educational, civic, and cultural organizations and programs. Recognizing the vital role the arts play in building communities and educating young people, MetLife Foundation provides grants to cultural organizations throughout the country. Support is emphasized for opportunities to bring cultural experiences to wider audiences and for projects with large and diverse audiences that help promote greater understanding among different cultures and bring communities together. For more information about the foundation, please visit its website at www.metlife.org.

Arts & Business Council of New York is committed to joining the resources of arts and business.  It serves both the arts and business communities of New York through programs in volunteer development, professional development, leadership development, and economic development. Americans for the Arts is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America.  With 48 years of service, it is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. For more information, visit www.artsandbusiness-ny.org.