With the Emerging Arts Leaders Symposium fastly approaching, we’re excited to announce our second keynote speaker Megan Crigger, Director of Creative Services for the City of Kansas City, Missouri, Office of Culture and Creative Services. Read her full bio below.
Appointed in January 2015, Megan Crigger is the Director of Creative Services for the City of Kansas City, Missouri, Office of Culture and Creative Services, where she advises city leaders in policy and programs that support arts, culture, and creative industries. Prior to this position, Ms. Crigger was the Cultural Arts Division Manager (2010-2014), Art in Public Places Director (2003-2010) and Art in Public Places Project Manager (2000-2003) for the City of Austin, Texas, Economic Development Department. Her professional membership includes the United States Urban Arts Federation (current), the Texans for the Arts Executive Board and Executive Committee for the Any Given Child initiative from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Ms. Crigger holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art History, and a Master of Arts degree in Arts Education from the University of Texas at Austin.
Preceding Megan’s keynote speech, we will have a performance by the DC Youth Poetry Slam Team!
THE DC YOUTH SLAM TEAM uses poetry to teach and empower teens from the DC metropolitan area to speak up about issues of social justice. With annual travel to regional and national poetry slam festivals such as Brave New Voices, the team provides outstanding opportunities, training, and a platform for talented youth to develop their writing, performance, and public speaking skills with guidance from mentors and teaching artists. The team is the 2014 Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Champions. In 2015 they were Semi-Finalists. In 2016, Brave New Voices comes to Washington, DC!
Check back on our blog next week for an interview with Megan Crigger along with additional announcements about EALS 2016: + ART!
The Emerging Arts Leaders Symposium will take place on March 6 at the Katzen Arts Center. Tickets can be purchased here. If you have any questions, please forward them to auartsymposium@american.edu or visit our website.