EXPLORING THE COMPLEXITIES OF DIVERSITY:

WELCOME TO NEW YORK CITY!

July 18 - July 21, 2007

Full conference registration fee $250, $200 with valid student ID.

Welcomes you to the 9^th Annual Conference:

EXPLORING THE COMPLEXITIES OF DIVERSITY:

WELCOME TO NEW YORK CITY!

July 18 - July 21, 2007

Cultural institutions, whether museums, galleries, auction houses or art spaces collectively serve as a dynamic place for the exploration of ideas and experiences. The vital role of our cultural institutions to the communities that we serve are continuously growing as the power of cultural spaces are fast being realized as places for social, economic and aesthetic change. Our local communities are just starting to make themselves at home in our world class architectural wonders and the global community is equally beginning to travel off of the beaten path to discover cultural diamonds in the rough. It is a dynamic time in the era of technology that brings us all so much closer and breaks down the architectural walls that kept so many out of such cultural spaces.

As arts professionals, we recognize that when we talk about diversity in the global age, we're not just talking about ethnicity anymore. Our audiences are more diverse than ever before and as cultural leaders we must meet the changing demands of our ever-changing audiences. We must also stop and ask ourselves that hard question, "Where did we go wrong and why have we not effectively reached large segments of our targeted audience"?

Individual cultural spaces tell compelling stories about how they serve their diverse communities. This conference will address how we can strategically work together on a local, national and global scale to make culture in all places relevant in the lives of the audiences that we currently serve and those audiences that we want to serve. Stories are great, but there also is an increasing demand for more formal measurement of these results. What are the best ways to measure the impact that diversity has on issues ranging from board development and staffing, to exhibitions, audience development and support groups? How might we report on the outcomes of our work in order to make an effective case for support from the community, the media, policy-makers and funders?

Most importantly, for the 9^th Annual National Alliance of African and African-American Art Support Groups Conference, we want to address the topic of institutional and cultural diversity with arts professionals working in all aspects of the cultural world. We hope that each member that attends will be able to bring their challenges and triumphs in the world of institutional, cultural diversity to the table for discusssion. For this to succeed, we need your ideas, your knowledge, your support and your assistance. Together, we can help people better understand how to obtain the type of diversity our institutions need and how to achieve that level of inclusiveness that we all strive for. Together, we can make a greater difference in people's lives!

ITINERARY

Wednesday Night, July 18^th, 2007

3:00pm Arrival and Check-Inn at the elegant Doubletree Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. Yes, you will be staying in luxury within the heart of New York City! Please don't get too comfortable in your newly renovated art deco style rooms as we have an exciting VIP evening planned for you.

6:00pm - 7:00pm Join us for an Asian and Latin fusion Buffet at New York City's hottest supper-club, The Latin Quarters of New York.

7:30pm - 9:00pm Join Thelma Golden, Executive Director of The Studio Museum in Harlem, for three extraordinary Opening Receptions that will leave the international art world screaming for more. There is no better way to kick off your New York experience than at an exclusive Studio Museum in Harlem Opening, where cultural diversity will be in all of its beautiful splendor. Join us for the Opening of:

David Adjaye: Making Public Buildings. The Studio Museum in Harlem is proud to present David Adjaye: Making Public Buildings. One of Britain's leading contemporary architects, Adjaye is known for his innovative buildings and their equal emphasis on the experience and function of architecture.

Artists-in-ResidenceTaking one step backward to leap forward, inhaling deeply in order to exhale completely or realizing a work of art by leaving it alone overnight. It is all part of the process for the Studio Museum's Artists-in-Residence in the sixth month of their year-long residency. Busy in their studios on the third floor of the Museum, Titus Kaphar, Wardell Milan and Demetrius Oliver approach this mid-point with vigor and vitality.

Expanding the Walls: Making Connections Between History, Photography and Community 2007 Every year, The Studio Museum in Harlem seeks out New York City high school students to participate in Expanding the Walls: Making Connections Between Photography, History and Community. This year, 13 students were selected to be part of this intergenerational program that uses the work of renowned Harlem photographer James VanDerZee as a catalyst for discussions about community, identity, history and culture.

7:30pm - 9:00pm A visit to Harlem would not be complete without a visit to the Essie Green Galleries. Beginning with its opening in Park Slope, Brooklyn in 1979, the Essie Green Galleries have celebrated continued growth since moving to the Sugar Hill area in Harlem and have become a centerpiece of the new renaissance in Black culture not only in New York but throughout the whole of America. The gallery concentrates on the sale of works by Black masters such as Romare Bearden, Charles Alston, Edward M. Banister, William C. Carter, Sam Gilliam, John W. Hardrick, Lois Mailou Jones, Norman Lewis, Geraldine McCullough.

Conference participants will be divided into two groups attending both the reception at the Studio Museum and the visit to the Essie Green Galleries.

10:00pm If you were brave enough to bring your dancing shoes and you still have some energy left, we have reserved a VIP Lounge at the Latin Quarters for their infamous Salsa Night that brings in the most talented international dancers and Mambo Kings like Johnny Pacheco and Eddie Palmiori. Well, at the very least have a drink with us!

Thursday, July 19^th, 2007

8am Sharp! Board the Bus

9am - 9:30am Continental Breakfast at The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

9:30am - 10:00am Tour of the current exhibition: Stereotypes vs. Humantypes: Images of Blacks in the 19th and 20th Centuries This exhibition uses vintage photographs of black people, as well as representational paintings, sculptures and other artworks to challenge these mythological images and present accurate, humanistic depictions of these maligned black folk.

10:00am - 10:30am Key Note Speaker, Dr. Howard Dodson in the LANGSTON HUGHES AUDITORIUM

Topic: Exploring the Complexities of Diversity: Welcome to New York City!

10:30am - 12 Noon Panel Discussion: How can institutions in transitioning communities sustain their core audiences and welcome their new neighbors simultaneously? As neighborhoods change within the blink of an eye, institutions have had to become more aggressive in responding to the needs of their new audiences while staying true to their original mission. Find out how these institutions have successfully survived within their rapidly changing environment.

Moderated by: Laurie A. Cumbo, MoCADA

Susan Delvalle, El Museo del Barrio

Michael Cogswell, Louis Armstrong House and Archives

Sherman Edmiston, Essie Green Gallery

Adrianne Edwards, The Apollo Theatre

12 noon - 1pm Boxed Lunch

1pm - 2pm The Metropolitan Museum of Art with

Donna Williams Sutton, Senior Audience Development Officer

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has been able to meet the needs of both its local and global communities. Ms. Sutton will discuss how the museum has become a place where the diversity of its visitors reflects the diversity of its collections.

2:30pm - 4pm Tour of The Met's New Greek and Roman Galleries

5pm - 7pm Swann Auction Galleries with Nigel Freeman,

On February 06, 2007, Swann conducted the first sale by a major auction house devoted entirely to African-American Fine Art, which included over 200 prints, drawings, collages, paintings and sculptures by well-known African-American artists. With an unprecedented level of participation from museums, galleries, collectors, and first-time buyers, record prices were achieved for works by many artists. This evening, Nigel Freeman, director of Swann's African-American Fine Art department, will present highlights of the second sale, to be held on October 4: the important Collection of the Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Company of Los Angeles. Included are seminal works by John Biggers, Elizabeth Catlett, Jacob Lawrence, Hughie Lee-Smith, Henry Ossawa Tanner and Charles White. Freeman will also discuss "Everything you ever wanted to know about buying at auction but were afraid to ask." While viewing the works of art, enjoy champagne and hors d'oeuvres.

7pm The night is yours. Dance, sight see, or just relax in your luxurious hotel.

Friday, July 20th

8am Board the Bus

9am - 10:15am Continental Breakfast at MoCADA and a viewing of their current exhibition:The French Evolution: Images that Inspired the 2005 French Riots by artist, Alexis Peskine. You will have an opportunity to meet the twenty-seven-year-old Peskine, a Howard University and Maryland Institute College of Art alum and Fulbright scholar. Peskine is an emerging artist who has gained considerable recognition with his provocative interpretations on social inequality.

10:45 - 11:00am Arrive at Brooklyn Museum.

11:00 - 11:30pm Welcome/Keynote Address: Arnold Lehman, Director of the Brooklyn Museum of Art: How has the architecture of the Museum created a more welcoming environment for Brooklynites and the World.

11:30 - 12:30pm The Brooklyn Museum will discuss the evolution and the success behind their internationally acclaimed "First Saturday" Program. The BMA has managed to unite the very diverse Borough of Brooklyn, New York under one roof to enjoy art, music, film and food. Find out how they successfully managed to create one of the most talked about programs in the country.

12:45 - 1:30pm Join the BMA for a guided tour of the Brooklyn Museum's impressive collection of works of art by notable African American Artists

2:15pm - 3:15pm Late lunch at the African Burial Ground National Monument. Presentation and short discussion about the African Burial Ground. The 17th and 18th century African burial ground was re-discovered in 1991 during pre-construction work for a federal building in New York City. The finding deeply impacted their descendants as well as the broader community and helped to renew awareness towards cultural significance and historic preservation.

3:30pm - 5:30pm Tour of the African Burial Ground National Monument in collaboration with artist, Lorenzo Pace

The discovery of our ancestors and their stories is an inspiring and powerful experience that everyone should witness.

6:00 - 8:00pm DINNER at your leisure.

8:30pm - 10pm The G.R. N'Namdi Gallery and RUSH Art Gallery A trip to New York City would certainly not be complete without a visit to the racy Chelsea Art District. Don't miss this opportunity to meet George N'Namdi of the G.R. N'Namdi Gallery as we celebrate their 25^th Anniversary with a magical evening of art, jazz, and dessert. Join us for a reception at RUSH, the center for contemporary art and a book signing with artist, novelist, poet and creator of HBO's groundbreaking Def Poetry, Danny Simmons, celebrating the recent release of his new book, I Dreamed My People Were Calling But I Couldn't Find My Way Home.

Saturday, July 21st

9am Wrap-Up and Farewell Breakfast in the elegant penthouse

DoubleTree conference room.