Lanesboro Arts Center’s John Davis (left) speaks in a discussion panel at the National Innovation Summit for Arts & Culture.

Updates
In addition to planning our upcoming construction and public art projects, a constant mission of the Lanesboro Arts Campus is to spread the word about our work and develop a model for rural arts and economic development. This past month, Lanesboro Arts Center had the privilege of attending the National Innovation Summit for Arts & Culture, where representatives from innovative arts organizations around the country gathered to talk all things innovation. Meaningful conversations about diversity, sustainability, and funding left all participants with an invigorated perspective on the work they do and the work that still needs to be done in the field of arts and culture.

John Davis, Executive Director of Lanesboro Arts Center, was invited to give a talk on the Lanesboro Arts Campus vision in a session titled “Citizenship and the Arts.” Sharing the successes and failures of our unique vision spurred discussion on the relationship between urban and rural, which is becoming increasingly important in the Lanesboro Arts Campus model. John’s talk, as well as many other fantastic presentations from the Summit, can be seen here: http://vimeo.com/78833519

Recent Wins
Networking at an event like the National Innovation Summit for Arts and Culture connected Lanesboro Arts Center and the Lanesboro Arts Campus vision with many incredible organizations from throughout the country. This opportunity provided access to several potential partnerships for the next phases of the project, such as the creation of an online network of support for rural arts communities. The potential mined at the Summit and the momentum we gained by sharing our project was definitely a win for our organization this past month.

Insight/Provocation
Arts and culture organizations do incredible and impossible things every day. Our field is also unique in that we are so committed to building relationships, collaborating, and learning from other organizations. Gathering with like-minded artists, arts administrators, and arts advocates allows us to uplift and motivate each other to keep doing the important work we’re doing—and that is the experience had at events like the National Innovation Summit for Arts and Culture. We need to keep the dialogue flowing and the doors open to the resources, knowledge, and support of our fellow arts-lovers, and use that momentum to create a sustainable future for arts and culture.