|
|
|
|
 |
   |
 |
 |
 |
|
    |
On July 20, 2004, over 200 arts advocates and IAA/F supporters attended our Annual Meeting, which was generously hosted by IAA/F director Greg Cameron at the Museum of Contemporary Art. IAA/F chair Woodie White recognized outgoing president Mike Ross' inspired leadership of the organization by presenting him with a beautiful piece of blown glass by Damon McNaught, a graduate student at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, where Mr. Ross is Director of the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. The new directors and officers - who had been approved at a board meeting prior to the Annual Meeting - were introduced, including incoming president Dan Schmidt, President of WTTW Communications, Inc. One of IAA/F's first directors, Roche Schulfer, paid tribute to legendary arts advocate Fred Fine, who passed away earlier this year. Alene Valkanas, IAA/F's Executive Director, gave a summary of our accomplishments during the past year, as well as an overview of our programs and strategies for 2005. After the official business of the meeting was complete, Ms. Valkanas introduced featured speaker Jonathan F. Fanton, president of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Founded in 1978, today the MacArthur Foundation is one of the nation's largest foundations, and makes grants in the United States and abroad totaling more than $180 million annually. In the Chicago region, the Foundation currently supports 165 arts and cultural organizations - a testimony to the Foundation's commitment to supporting and enhancing the city's cultural life. Mr. Fanton's talk explored how the arts can raise our collective awareness and command our care on issues that not only affect the arts, but also affect our freedom of expression, quality of life, and the health of our democracy. He also discussed with the audience the impetus for a new initiative of the Foundation's General Program, which focuses on intellectual property issues and how new technologies will change the way people acquire information, exchange ideas and values, and create. Following Mr. Fanton's talk, audience members participated in a stimulating question and answer session. Click here to download Jonathan Fanton's keynote address at IAA/F's 2004 Annual Meeting.
Illinois Arts Alliance/Foundation |
|
