June 29, 2009
photo Jeff Goodman
On Wednesday, June 24, LACO’s development intern, Jeff Goodman, and marketing intern, Vivian Shen, attended the Los Angeles County Arts Commission intern summit. Enjoy Jeff’s vivid description of the event below.
While the rest of the LACO staff continued work as usual in the office on June 24, Vivian and I went to Angels Gate in San Pedro to participate in the Los Angeles County Arts Commission intern summit, where scores of college students and recent graduates gathered for a day of networking and seminars about arts administration.
I had never heard of Angels Gate prior to the conference, but I was pleasantly surprised by its beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean. Then I learned that the site was constructed as a military base; what used to be barracks have been transformed into studios for numerous artists. Also, a film crew set up shop on one of the residential streets near the arts complex that day, and the cameras were definitely in the right place – sunny skies, rolling hills reminiscent of San Francisco, and an uninterrupted horizon.
After registration and a continental breakfast of muffins, fruit and coffee, L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas gave an impassioned speech about the arts as an imperative element of thriving communities. Ridley-Thomas, who earned a Ph.D. from USC, gave a special shout-out to the large group of interns associated with the Trojans.
Vivian and I attended a morning breakout session regarding development and how it compares to fundraising. Led by consultant Susan Bowers, the workshop analyzed the effects of a troubled economy on contributions to arts organizations and the increasing role of online social networking sites in building relationships with patrons and donors.
During our lunch break, we met up with the interns from our regional hub – which includes the L.A. Opera and Center Theatre Group – to discuss potential events and get-togethers for later in the summer. In fact, the day before the summit at Angels Gate, our hub convened at Walt Disney Concert Hall for a fabulous behind-the-scenes tour!
After lunch, keynote speakers Renae Williams Niles and Terence McFarland discussed their respective paths to careers in arts administration. Niles, the director of dance presentations at the Music Center, and McFarland, the executive director of L.A. Stage Alliance, said their jobs offered them a welcoming arts community and enabled them to meet people from all over the country.
For our afternoon workshop, which was led by marketing specialist C. Raul Espinoza, we split into groups to brainstorm advertising ideas for an upcoming theatrical performance in Los Angeles. We learned that different target audiences are often reached in different ways.
The highlight of the day was a performance by the Demolition Crew, which traveled from the Homeland Cultural Center in Long Beach to showcase its krumping skills. KRUMP, which stands for Kingdom Radically Uplifted Mighty Praise, is an athletic and communicative dance style that is used as an alternative expressive outlet to violence and gang membership. I was very impressed with the dancers’ energy and body control.
To top it all off, each intern received free passes for summer shows at the Ford Amphitheatre and the Hollywood Bowl. Talk about a souvenir!
1 comment
Seems Like it was a awesome time. Enjoy reading such posts. Keep them coming