2021 NW MI Arts & Culture Summit

Celebrating Resiliency – Fueling Recovery

Building Back for a Stronger Creative Sector

Tuesday, 5/4/21  – 9:30am-3:00pm – Online

See Schedule     See Speakers      See Resources

Download Schedule

Artists & creatives of all disciplines, arts & cultural organizations, creative businesses, community builders, planners and 78 regional stakeholders participated – virtually – in the 2021 Northwest Michigan Arts & Culture Summit on May 4, 2021.
See online schedule below for links to recordings and transcripts.

Recovery, resiliency and reshaping were the key themes in 2021 with discussions, demos and hands-on tools and strategies. Panel discussions explored: “The Pandemic Pivot,” “Diversity & Inclusion,” and “Powering Art in the Public Square.” Breakout sessions included: “Evaluation 101,” “Diversity Deep Dive,” “Work of Art,” “Advocacy & Action,” “Tech Tips, Tools & Strategies,” and “Creative Collaboration.” Speakers included more than 30 regional artists, arts and cultural leaders, community project directors, and creative sector advocates, in addition to state leaders of Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs, Michigan Museums Association, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Artrain and Michigan’s Creative Coast.

The regional summit is a professional development day held annually to learn, strengthen relationships, share resources and continue collaborating to build the ten-county network.

Summit registration is a benefit of Network Membership. Non-members welcome. Scholarships are available. Contact arts@nwmiarts.net.

Presentations, tools, research, links, publication and other resources used during the day are available to review or download in 2021 Summit Resources (see button, right). This page continues to be updated. See online schedule for links to transcripts & recordings. 

 

Program & Presentations

The 2021 Northwest Michigan Arts & Culture Summit will be presented online via Zoom.

Scroll Below for Schedule & Speakers Bios

 

Join us for

Interactive presentations, panel discussions & breakout sessions

Networking, resource sharing, deep dives & best practices

Hands-on tools & post-pandemic strategies to rebuild, reshape & recover for a stronger creative sector

Morning Panels

 

Welcome – 9:30am

Celebrating Resiliency, Building Recovery: Arts, Culture & Creative Communites

Mercedes Michalowski
Executive Director, Elizabeth Lane Oliver Center for the Arts
President, Northwest Michigan Arts & Culture Network
Gary Gatzke
Associate Director of Continuing & Community Education, Interlochen Center for the Arts

State of Arts & Culture

Alison Watson, Director
Michigan Council for Arts & Culture Affairs

Link to Recording Here               Link to Transcript Here

Panel 1 – 9:45am

The Pandemic Pivot

“Resiliency is the ability to pivot – over and over again.”
Since the pandemic hit the United States, the creative sector has been dramatically impacted on all levels. Looking back and forward forward, we will discuss the the many pivots taken, lasting impact, silver linings, opportunities and continued challenges as we begin to reshape and re-open as we emerge through final phases of the pandemic. Join this interactive discussion.

 

Alison Watson, Director
Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs
Lisa Craig Brisson, Executive Director
Michigan Museums Association

Katherine Luellen, Executive Dean
Interlochen Center for the Arts

Jennifer McQuiston Lott, Dancer/Choreographer;  Co-Artistic Director
Traverse City Dance Project
Facilitator
Mary Bevans Gillett, Convener
Northwest Michigan Arts & Culture Network

Link to Recording Here               Link to Transcript Here

Panel 2 – 10:40AM

Building Diversity & Inclusion

Arts, culture and the creative sector can offer a voice and a connector to further diversity and inclusion in our workplaces, our communities and in the work we share. How can we take steps forward to do so?
Holly T. Bird
Title Track
Craig Hadley
Dennos Museum Center
Xavier Verna
Ramsdell Regional Center for the Arts
Vester Waters
Interlochen Center for the Arts
Facilitator
Sarah Bearup-Neal
Glen Arbor Arts

View Recording Here

Panel 3 – 11:30am

Powering Art in Public

Arts and culture can power recovery as our communities mend. Can the arts be the catalyst to rebuild the public square? How do we best use the creative sector to connect, challenge, and engage with each other, new audiences, and important community conversations.
Ted Alan
Musician
Caitlin Early
Traverse Area Recreation & Transportation Trails
Nancy McRay
Textile Artist & Art Rapids
Rick Schmitt
Stormcloud Brewing Company
Facilitator
Peter Payette, Executive Director
Interlochen Public Radio
Interlochen Center for the Arts

Link to Recording

Interlochen Insights – 12:15PM

Trey Devey, President
Interlochen Center for the Arts

Link to Recording               Link to Transcript

Lunch Break – 12:30PM

Optional Network Breakout Rooms
MCACA Staff – Drop-in Grant Info/Q&A
Emerging Leaders
General Networking
Interested in a special topic, please share!

Reconvene & Re-engage – 1:15PM

Afternoon Breakout Sessions

Breakouts A, B, C – 1:20pm
– Short Break –
Breakouts D, E, F – 2:15pm

Breakout A

Evaluation & Planning: Informing Our Decisions

Presenter
Lisa Craig Brisson
Michigan Museums Association

Breakout B

Diversity Deep Dive

Presenters
Kim Kelderhouse
Leelanau Historical Society & Museum
Amanda Kik
Crosshatch Center for Arts & Ecology
Bill & Sue Klco
Good Hart Artist Residency

Link to Recording

Breakout C

Work of Art
Presenters
Kristi Wodek
Crooked Tree Art Center-
Traverse City
Stephanie Coate
Creative Coast

Jeff “Jabo” Bihlman
Bihlman Brothers & Q100

Breakout D

Advocacy & Engagement

Presenters 
Deb Polich
Creative Washtenaw & Artrain
Michigan Arts Advocacy Captain, Americans for the Arts
Jill O’Neill
Great Lakes Center for the Arts; Cultural Advocacy Network & Michigan Independent Venue & Promoters Association

Breakout E

Technology

Tips, Tricks & Strategy

Presenters
Lisa Marie Tobin
Gaylord Arts Council
Stephanie Coate
Creative Coast

Link to Recording

Breakout F

Partnerships & Creative Collaborations

Presenters
Liz Erlewine
Crooked Tree Arts Center-Petoskey
Eric Hemenway
Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians

 

Joe Beyer
Parallel 45

Camille Hoisington
Traverse Connect &
Creative Coast

Next Steps & Send-Off – 3:00pm

Join us for a Virtual Happy Hour & Networking immediately following

Speakers

Ted Alan

Ted Alan

Ted Alan is a professional guitarist and vocalist, specializing in jazz and blues and working with a variety of great musicians including Sherman Mitchell, Rob Smith, Herb Ellis, Mose Allison, and Pete Magadini. For 30 years, Ted has performed and organized events centering on Live Music in Public Places. He is the former director of the Music Performance Trust Fund for the state of Arizona, former Artist in Residence for the Arizona Commission on the Arts and has worked with private, ...
Sarah Bearup-Neal

Sarah Bearup-Neal

Sarah Bearup-Neal is the Gallery Manager of the Glen Arbor Arts Center. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Michigan State University and and practiced fiber art since 1999 with an early focus on creating one-of-a kind women's, mixed media garments. In 2003, Bearup-Neal transitioned her professional focus to the art of quilting. And in 2017, she began to transition away from quilts to collage. She describes her collage as the same interest in design, texture, abstraction, and color that ...
Joseph Beyer

Joseph Beyer

Joe is the Executive Director of Parallel 45 Theatre. Before joining P45 in 2021, Beyer served as Executive Director of Michigan Legacy Art Park, a thirty-acre outdoor sculpture experience and nonprofit cultural organization located at Crystal Mountain Resort. He relocated to his native Michigan from Los Angeles in 2018, and briefly worked as Executive Director to the Traverse City Film Festival, and then later as Director of Audience Engagement and Brand Strategy to My North Media. ...
Jeff “Jabo” Bihlman

Jeff “Jabo” Bihlman

Jabo (Jay-bo) Bihlman is an Emmy award winning guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer. His music has appeared on FOX, CBS, ABC, NBC, CMT and more on shows like "The Good Guys", "All my Children", "Burn Notice" and "Sons of Anarchy" on TNT. As an artist he is the lead singer/guitarist for the popular rock band The Bihlman Bros. He is also the lead guitarist for the MegaForce/Sony artist Grinder Blues, with his brother Scot and legendary King's X frontman Dug Pinnick. Their first ...
John W. Bogley

John W. Bogley

John Bogley joined Interlochen Center for the Arts as Vice President of Philanthropy in May 2019 after serving Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington in roles leading admission, financial aid, communications, alumni relations, and development. Bogley served as Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations at Whitman for 16 years. During that time, Bogley led the institution’s largest comprehensive campaign in school history—raising $165.7 million and exceeding their ...

Sponsors

Thank you to the sponsors whose support makes the Summit possible.

                               

Resources from Past Summits

 

The Northwest Michigan Arts and Culture Summit is held annually at Interlochen Center for the Arts. This convening brings together artists of all disciplines, arts & cultural organizations, creative entrepreneurs, community builders, planners and stakeholders together with state arts leaders to explore best practices, timely topics, network tools, sector challenges, funding strategies and partnering opportunities as we continue shaping the network’s future. Hallmarks are the rich range of local, regional and state speakers and the high level of interactivity, connectivity and strengthened relationships among attendees. The regional arts and culture summit is an annual springboard to new relationships, opportunities, mentors and ideas. Resources from past summits are available below.

May 2020 would have marked the 5th annual summit but was deferred due to COVID-19. We look forward to sharing more resources from our 2021 Virtual Summit on May 4, 2021.

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