UrbanArt Commission to Host October Workshops: ‘Art Matters 1, 2, 3’

UrbanArt Commission to Host October Workshops: ‘Art Matters 1, 2, 3’

The UrbanArt Commission is proud to announce its first series of workshops devoted to cultivating local arts advocacy and to give workshop participants the skills to most effectively shape and define their community through art design.

The first session of Art Matters is specifically for High School juniors and seniors to begin charting the course for the first Memphis chapter of the Student Advocates for the Arts. SAA is a national student run club to empower and represent student voices to influence legislation and policy affecting the arts and public arts funding. During this first workshop students, will begin to define roles and goals, and plan activities for the upcoming year.

The second session of Art Matters is a workshop for community members who are interested in learning more about issues affecting the arts locally and nationally and how citizens of Memphis can influence the public art process. This session will include an overview of the history of Art Councils in the United States since 1945, the motivation and inspiration of art in the public realm and the recent developments in contemporary art organizations worldwide.

This is an opportunity for citizens of Memphis who are passionate about the role of art to positively impact communities to gather with like-minded individuals as they learn about how they can work to create a dynamic, vibrant, nurturing community through public art and design.
The third session of Art Matters is a Professional Practice workshop for local artists. During this session, the UrbanArt Commission will describe in detail their process and procedures, show public art projects highlighted in the Americans for the Arts, Public Art Year in Review, and share Internet resources for research in public art and design practices worldwide. Lynn Basa, an instructor of Public Art Professional Practices at the Art Institute of Chicago will also led a 3 hour workshop on public art professional practice skills for developing public art proposals.

Art Matters 1 is scheduled for Saturday, October 18th, 2008 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Art Matters 2 is scheduled for Saturday, October 25th, 2008 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Art Matters 3 is scheduled for Saturday, November 1st, 2008 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Each workshop will be held at the UrbanArt Commission’s new office at 2549 Broad Ave. The seating for each workshop is limited to 25 people per session. Art Matters 1 is free to students while Art Matters 2 and 3 have an administrative fee of $25.00 per session. To register please go to our website (www.urbanartcommission.org) and click on Educational Events.