You're invited to participate in a community discussion organized jointly by 
Tucson Pima Arts Council and Alliance for Audience/ShowUp.com

and underwritten by a grant by the
Community Foundation for Southern Arizona 

Arts, Culture & Democracy: A Tucson Community Discussion

Keynote Speaker:   Doug McLennan, Founder & Editor, ArtsJournal

Topic:   More than Applause:  The Pursuit of Cultural Conversation

Panelists:              Ron Barber, District Director,
                              Office of Representative Gabrielle Giffords

                              Denise Uyehara, Artist

James Garcia, Co-Founder, The Real Arizona Coalition; Producing Artistic Director, New Carpa Theatre

Facilitators:         Roberto Bedoya, Executive Director, Tucson Pima Arts Council

                            Matt Lehrman, Executive Director, Alliance for Audience & ShowUp.com                            

DESCRIPTION

Where does our country – and our community – conduct its most important discussions?  Consider ANY issue facing our country and our community (i.e. economy, war, immigration, terrorism, budgets, foreign affairs, education, health care, to name a few.).  Where do people go to expose themselves to new perspectives, gain new information or engage in meaningful dialogue? Is it via the pundits of television news?  Presidential candidate debates?  Newspaper articles and editorials?  Blogs? Is it the realm of Jon Stewart and Colbert Nation?   To some extent, it’s all of these.

But the provocative question of this morning is:  What will it take for the arts & cultural community to rise to the opportunity of serving civil society? What can/should/must we do to strengthen the arts & cultural community's presence as values leaders, among others, who animate democracy within our pluralistic society.

In a tough economy, it’s understandable that artists and arts & cultural organizations are largely oriented to the need to invite the public to engage “on our turf” – to promote the sale of works of art and to participate in experiences situated in exhibitions, concerts, performances, festivals  and other kinds of activities that we present or produce.

This morning we’ll argue that THAT’S JUST NOT ENOUGH.  Decisions about budgets, for example, are not merely analytical exercises for economists and mathematicians – they represent fundamental questions of the values and of our community – what we are and to what we aspire.  These questions deserve to be explored on the stages, in the galleries and via every means of engagement accessible by the arts & cultural community.

The goal here is not to politicize the arts.  Rather, it is to make a strong connection between the issues facing contemporary society and the appropriate, helpful, engaged, constructive and vital role that the arts & cultural community can plan in advancing the public dialogue necessary to address those issues.

Please join us for a most important community discussion!