Summit Schedule

Explore a full weekend of connection, inspiration, and creativity. From hands-on workshops to dynamic panels, performances, and gatherings, each session is designed to spark ideas, build relationships, and strengthen the creative fabric of our region. Come and go as you need — this is your space to learn, share, and engage.

Early Registration

12:00 PM · Park Place Hotel

For those attending the Friday afternoon Admin Academy sessions (open to all attendees), stop by the registration table to check in with our volunteers, get your registration packet and name badge.

Holding Ground, Finding Direction: Adaptive Leadership for Museums Today

1:00 PM · Park Place Hotel

Museums are facing a pivotal moment. Across the country, culture and history institutions are navigating rising political pressure, financial uncertainty, and deepening divides over how stories are told—and who tells them. In this panel, leaders from across Michigan’s museum landscape explore how institutions can hold their core values while adapting to a rapidly changing world.

From rethinking funding models and internal structures to stewarding Indigenous collections with care and navigating polarized public expectations, panelists will share real-world strategies for staying grounded and responsive. Whether you lead a large institution or a small community site, this conversation offers tools, insight, and encouragement for charting a path forward with clarity and courage.

Panelists: Anmarie Erickson, Steven Bridges, Katrina Furman, Lisa Brisson (Moderator)

Should You Quit Event Fundraising? (Probably, Yes)

1:00 PM · Park Place Hotel

Galas, auctions, and golf outings have long been nonprofit staples — but are they still worth it? This hands-on session helps you evaluate the real return on your event fundraising. Through candid discussion and practical exercises, explore smarter, more sustainable approaches to fundraising that prioritize impact over burnout.

Facilitator: TBD

So, You Think You Want to Throw a Festival

1:00 PM · Park Place Hotel

If the thought of a million logistical details inspires you, this is the session for you. If that same thought freezes you in your tracks, this is also the session for you. Come prepared to drive into the many layers of planning a success festival or major event. We'll focus on the big picture, who gets to wash the table cloths, and why everything else in between is important.

Facilitator: Amy Gillard, Harbor Springs Festival of the Book

 

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Creative Placemaking: Three Steps to Improving Community Vitality

3:00 PM · Park Place Hotel

This session will guide you through a pathway using public art to address and improve upon community issues including economic, public, and environmental health. If you're able, bring an ember of an idea, we will feed it with oxygen as we put it through a process model, and leave with a plan to build the fire.

Facilitator: Caitlin Early, TART Trails, Traverse City Arts Commmission

AI for Admins

3:00 PM · Park Place Hotel

Curious about how artificial intelligence can save you time — without taking over your job? This session explores accessible AI tools that can support arts administrators and nonprofit leaders with everyday tasks like drafting emails, organizing content, analyzing data, and streamlining communications. Whether you're skeptical or excited, you'll leave with a clearer understanding of how to integrate AI into your workflow without losing your human touch.

Facilitator: TBD

Ashes, Embers & Sparks
What Could a Real Arts Network Look Like?

3:00 PM · Park Place Hotel

What’s sparking in our regional arts and culture network—and what’s next? Join strategic planner and facilitator Megan Motil (Parallel Solutions) for a dynamic gathering where we reflect and tend to the embers of what’s working, clarify and challenge what’s no longer fueling us, and spark and ignite bold new ideas for the future. This isn’t a presentation — it’s a catalyst. Come with your insights, bold ideas, questions, curiosity, and a spirit of possibility. The fire is lit—let’s connect and grow something powerful together.

Facilitator: Megan Motil, Parallel Solutions

Registration

5:30 PM · City Opera House

Check in at the registration table on the second floor landing. Enjoy cash bar and make some new friends. The Interlochen VIP Room will be open for Summit Sponsors and Presenters.

Welcome Session: Setting the Stage

7:00 PM · City Opera House

Kick off the Summit weekend in the beautiful, historic City Opera House with a warm welcome, inspiring performances, and reflections to ground us in the days ahead. This opening gathering is more than just a program — it’s a chance to reconnect, celebrate the creativity of our region, and share space with peers and collaborators from across Northwest Michigan. Stay after the program for casual conversation and community-building as we launch the weekend together.

Performances by: Mashup Rock & Roll Musical, Hail Your Highness

Fuel Up & Find Your People

8:00 AM · City Opera House

Enjoy complimentary coffee provided by Higher Grounds while making new connections and finding old friends from our creative community.

Morning Keynote: Nafeesah Symonette

9:00 AM · City Opera House

We begin the day together at the historic City Opera House with a keynote address from artist, storyteller, and cultural leader Nafeesah Symonette. Through story and reflection, she will call us to honor legacy, confront erasure, and reignite the creative fires that sustain community. Rooted in ancestral wisdom and resistance, this session invites us to consider our roles as artists, leaders, and firekeepers in a time that needs us most. The session will also include some performances that help us enter the day inspired and connected.

Performances by: Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra + Traverse City Philharmonic, Crooked Tree Arts Center School of Ballet, Super Nuclear, Charlie Millard

Piggery Pete: Collaborative Folk Ritual, Speculative History, and Public Art

11:00 AM · City Opera House

Artist Talk: Kevin Summers

Piggery Pete is the folk mascot of Piggery Pete’s Perchten Parade, an experiment in public art and social sculpture. The parade critically engages with local settler-colonial narratives of domination, domestication, and extraction. Summers will share how speculative history, collaboration, storytelling, and connecting with ancient folk traditions shaped this participatory artwork. The parade inspires care, community, and connection to the land while encouraging us to rewild our hearts. An accompanying exhibit features costumes, images, and artifacts from the parade.

Making Space: The Role of Artist Residencies

11:00 AM - Park Place Hotel

Artist residencies offer more than just time and space — they provide the rare chance to slow down, reflect, and rekindle the creative spark. This panel brings together artists and residency organizers to explore the many forms residencies can take, from remote retreats to community-embedded programs. We’ll discuss what makes a residency meaningful, how they support deeper creative process, and how artists and organizations alike can design experiences that breathe life into new work — and new ways of being.

Panelists: Maggie Pavao, Benjamin Cheney, Kelley Gregory

Make a Statement

11:00 AM · Park Place Hotel

Struggling to sum up your creative work in a few short sentences? You’re not alone. In this interactive session, we’ll break down what makes an effective artist statement — and then help you write one. Using real examples, writing prompts, and guided feedback, you’ll leave with a concise, authentic statement that reflects your work and voice. Whether you're starting from scratch or refining an old draft, this session is built to meet you where you are.

Facilitator: Jessica Kooiman Parker, Alluvion Arts / Lost Art Inc.

Reimagining Art Spaces: Thinking Outside the Box

11:00 AM · Park Place Hotel

This presentation explores the potential for art in non-traditional spaces across Northwest Michigan. As the boundaries of art continue to expand, unconventional venues such as living rooms, vacant buildings, and community spaces can be used to create unique, accessible art experiences. This session will highlight successful examples of alternative art spaces and offer a collaborative exercise to envision how such spaces could work in our own communities.

Facilitator: Katrina Daniels, Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology

 

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Top Ten Lessons to Do Something Big (For Less)

1:00 PM · City Opera House

Artist Talk: Joseph Beyers & Jordan Anderson

What happens when two first-time filmmakers set out to create and tour a documentary on a shoestring budget — and end up building a region-wide movement in support of historic theaters and the arts? In this candid and fast-paced artist talk, co-creators Joseph Beyer and Jordan Anderson share the story behind Marqueetown and what they learned about creative resilience, community engagement, and building an audience from the ground up. Through visuals, behind-the-scenes stories, and their signature “Top Ten Takeaways,” the duo will offer real-world lessons for any artist or organization looking to deepen connection, spark attention, and sustain their work — with honesty, humor, and hard-won insight.

How to Approach a Gallery and Perspectives on Rejection

1:00 PM · Park Place Hotel

Getting your work into a gallery can feel intimidating — and rejection is often part of the process. In this honest, informative panel, gallery professionals share their experiences from both sides of the table. Learn what galleries look for, how to make an authentic approach, and how to navigate the inevitable “no’s” without losing momentum. Whether you're just getting started or refining your professional path, this session offers insight and encouragement.

Panelists: Shanny Brooke, Sheila Ruen, Kristi Wodek

Crafting Visual Branding That Captures Your Audience

1:00 PM · Park Place Hotel

Your visuals are often the first impression your work makes — are they telling the right story? In this interactive session, creative entrepreneurs and artists will learn how to build a visual brand that truly reflects their identity and connects with their audience. From defining your aesthetic to capturing high-quality images with what you already have, this workshop offers practical strategies for building a cohesive, memorable presence across platforms. You'll leave with tools, templates, and a stronger sense of how to make your visual brand work for you — not the other way around.

Facilitator: Raquel Lauren Furman

Try It On: Your First (Not-So-Scary) Theater Audition

1:00 PM · Park Place Hotel

Ever wondered what it’s like to audition for a play — but felt too nervous to try? This playful, low-pressure workshop is your invitation to step into the spotlight (or just peek from the wings). Guided by a friendly community theater director, you’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at how auditions work, practice fun exercises in a supportive setting, and maybe even surprise yourself. No scripts, no pressure — just a chance to try it on and see where it leads.

Facilitator: Bob Brill, Little Traverse Civic Theater

Escaping Isolation, Embracing Beauty

3:00 PM · City Opera House

Visual artist Alyssa Smith invites us into her creative process, where ideas take shape through color, form, and quiet attention. In this reflective artist talk, Alyssa shares how her work celebrates the overlooked — the small, slow moments that often carry the most beauty. Framed by the realities of balancing creative life with external pressures, she speaks honestly about the ongoing effort to keep passion alive. It’s a reminder that even in the chaos, something is always glowing beneath the surface — if we slow down enough to see it.

Advocacy in Action: Crafting Your 30-Day Plan

3:00 PM · Park Place Hotel

Go beyond the usual phone calls and emails. In this interactive session, we’ll co-create a 30-day advocacy action plan tailored to your community, your work, and your voice. You'll leave with clear next steps, easy-to-use tools, and new ways to build lasting relationships with your legislators—device with internet access required.

Facilitator: Lauren Ward, Cultural Advocacy Network of Michigan

 

Closing Keynote Session: Brad Montague

6:30 PM · City Opera House

We close the Summit the way we began — gathered together in community. This final session features a keynote talk from Brad Montague, creator of Kid President, whose heartfelt storytelling reminds us to stay curious, kind, and courageous in our work. We'll also experience a powerful spoken word performance and Rachael Davis will lead us together in singing — a celebration of connection, creativity, and the sparks we’ll carry forward.

Performers: Amber Hasan, Rachael Davis

Socialize: Enjoy cash bar in the Lobby or complementary bubbly in the Interlochen VIP Lounge before the session.

Register for the Summit Today