Community leaders, arts and culture professionals, and representatives from colleges, universities and local governments from throughout the state will gather at Grand Valley State University on May 23 and 24 with one goal in mind: to make Michigan a better place for all by fostering a vibrant arts and cultural scene.
The event is the fourth annual Imagining Michigan Cultural Caucus, which brings people together from all over the state to both celebrate successes and share strategies for building cultural alliances at the local level for the good of the state. This year's conference theme "Strategic Alliances: Putting Culture to Work for Michigan" highlights the importance of a rich and diverse cultural scene to the social and economic health of Michigan communities.
It also ties in to Governor Granholm's Cool Cities Initiative, which is a focus of one of the conference sessions.
Imagining Michigan begins Sunday, May 23, with tours for participants which culminate at the Van Andel Museum Center's new exhibit, "Gratia Dei: A Journey Through the Middle Ages." A keynote address will be given by Jim Brooks, chair of the West Michigan Strategic Alliance. Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell will introduce Brooks, who will speak on "Regional Collaboration for Building Sustainable Communities" at 6:15 p.m. in the museum's Meijer Theater.
On Monday the conference will move to Grand Valley's DeVos Center (401 W. Fulton St. in Grand Rapids) for morning and afternoon sessions exploring innovative work from across the state. Sessions (some concurrent) focus on the Cool Cities Initiative (9:30-10:45 a.m.); the Jim Crow Museum at Ferris State University (9:30-10:45 a.m.); the Norton Mounds National Historic Landmark Project in Grand Rapids (1:45-2:45 p.m.); and more.
At about 1 p.m., Bill Anderson, director of the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries, will announce the winner of the first Imagining Michigan prize for outstanding campus-community partnership in the humanities, arts, or design. Applications for the award have come from across the state.
Monday's conference is open to the public for a fee. To register or for a conference schedule, visit online at www.ia.umich.edu (under state gatherings).
The Imagining Michigan Cultural Caucus is co-sponsored by the University of Michigan College of Literature, Science and Arts; the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries; the Michigan Humanities Council; the Michigan Campus Compact; Imagining America at the University of Michigan; and Grand Valley State University.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
For a conference schedule, see the Imagining Michigan website at
www.ia.umich.edu. For more information contact GVSU's Imagining
Michigan liaison, Wendy Wenner, associate vice president for academic
affairs at Grand Valley, (616) 331-2400; or Heather Dornoff,
Imagining America/Michigan administrative assistant, (734) 615-8370.
