Savannah, GA — January 24 2016 | Student Arts Managers (SAM), a student club of the Savannah College of Art and Design and comprised of Business Design and Arts Leadership Graduate Students, is returning to Washington, D.C. to attend the Emerging Arts Leadership Symposium and Arts Advocacy Day March 6-8, 2016. This will be the fifth consecutive year they have attended.
A total of 18 graduate students from SAM and eSAM, the eLearning equivalent of the student club, will participate along with SCAD faculty.
Since its inception in 2011, SAM members have attended the D.C. trip every year.
Arts Advocacy Day, sponsored by Americans for the Arts, gives students from across the country the opportunity to meet, share their experiences, and learn from seasoned arts advocates the place and importance of art and culture in our world today. Perhaps the most vital element of this experience is the chance students have to learn how to best advocate for the arts and lobby their congressional representatives, voice their concerns, and elicit awareness and support for the arts in Georgia and the nation.
Rhiannon Estwick, former President of SAM said the following about her experience in D.C., “When I went to Arts Advocacy Day 2015, I had been wondering whether working in the arts was really something I wanted to do. That changed after going to DC. Everyone there was passionate about the arts. I listened to amazing speakers, participated in discussions, and met lots of young professionals just like me. By the time I left, I remembered why I went into Arts Administration: Art matters. Art matters, and I have to fight for it, in thousands of tiny ways.”
Devin Dominquez, President of eSAM, and attending Arts Advocacy Day for her second year talked about her experience saying, “I cannot say enough about how positive my experience was at Arts Advocacy Day in 2015. I was able to meet and be inspired by prominent arts leaders including Chairwoman of the NEA, Dr. Jane Chu; CEO of the Americans for the Arts, Bob Lynch, and CEO of the New World Symphony, Howard Herring; in addition to networking with countless other colleagues in the field from across the country. It ignited my passion for cultural policy and advocacy work, and I plan to focus my MA final project on cultural policy this Summer. Most importantly, I was able to connect with my SCAD peers. As an eLearning student,it can be challenging to feel part of the SCAD community, but the trip to Washington, DC cemented my connection to SCAD.”
Attending the events will be concurrent to present coursework, and is funded in part through fundraising initiatives that include student club scholastic grants and allocations, donut sales, and a crowdfunding campaign through GoFundMe. Funds are needed for registration at the two events, lodging, and travel to DC.
About Emerging Arts Leadership Symposium
The Emerging Arts Leadership Symposium, sponsored by American University, brings students from all over the country together to talk about the various issues, both small and universal, that affect arts organizations. These young professionals also get to listen to dynamic lectures and have meaningful conversations with experienced art leaders. Past speakers include Jane Chu Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, Howard Herring the President and Chief Executive Officer at the New World Symphony, Francesca Zambello, Director of the Washington National Opera and Bob Lynch, the president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. This year’s Keynote Speaker is Deborah F. Rutter, President of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. For more information please visit www.american.edu.
About Arts Advocacy Day
Arts Advocacy Day is hosted by Americans for the Arts and brings individuals and organizations from all over the country together to highlight the “importance of developing strong public policies and appropriating increased public funding for the arts.” After undergoing daylong advocacy training, participants meet with congressional representatives the following day to discuss what impact the arts could have in their respective state and districts. For more information please visit www.americansforthearts.org.
About Student Arts Managers (SAM)
SAM is a student club that exists to prepare aspiring arts administrators for their careers through professional development opportunities, interaction with student and professional artists, and application of classroom knowledge in the business and nonprofit spheres.
Contact Name: Brooks Hambry
Crowdfunding Link: www.gofundme.com
Email: sam@scad.edu
Phone: (803)-760-0429
Blog: blog.scad.edu
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/student.art.managers
