To jump start our work growing our local creative economy the Athens Municipal Arts Commission (AMAC) is proud to present our first AIR Institute Art Builds Business Builds Art (ABBBA) workshop on Tuesday, March 29, 2022 either over Zoom or in person at the Athens Community Center from 5:00 – 7:00 PM. The Executive Director of the AIR Institute, Beth Flowers is the keynote presenter for this workshop. Flowers said “I’m so excited to visit such a vibrant community to connect with the inspiring people who make Athens unique and special.” Flowers continued by saying,” Athens is poised to be a regional and national leader in growing creative economies.”
The AIR Institute is a national creativity-focused economic development nonprofit that provides rural and under-resourced communities with programming that inspires new connections and ignites the creative economy. Creative people expand business skills, businesspeople get more creative; they learn to collaborate, adapt, and thrive together.
The ABBBA Workshop on Tuesday, March 29, 2022 will bring together our arts and businesspeople for a two-hour interactive workshop. The Workshop will include new and current statistics about the value of the creative economy, introductions to design thinking, the AIR Programs, and hands on exercises that will help Athens explore how to leverage and grow our local creative economy. The Workshop uses the AIR Institute’s Creative Economy Growth Process that inspires community resilience, new leaders, local investment, diverse economy, and hope.
Thousands of people have attended ABBBA Workshops across the country, spurring the growth of creative economies wherever they occur. People who should attend include creative types: artists, musicians, sculptors, writers, dancers, museum administrators, librarians, parks and trails volunteers, craft food and beverage makers, local restaurant owners. Also, all innovators: creative accountants, landscape designers, marketing firms, product designers, game developers, videographers, and graphic designers.
AMAC is leading AIR work in Athens and is presenting the ABBBA Workshop. Other partners include the City of Athens Arts, Parks, and Recreation Department. We highly encourage the participation of local High School students and those in the global majority. Let’s build our creative economy, together!
The mission of AMAC is to make recommendations to the Mayor, City Council, and the community in that enhances the existing cultural resources of the area; encourages new opportunities for the creation, performance, and exhibition of all the arts; and promotes policies and activities that preserve the beauty, history, and culture of the region.
Beth Flowers has decades of executive level experience with non-profits, governmental agencies, broadcast media, and the arts. She is a visionary thinker and a talented communicator. Beth has created messaging and strategies that inspired citizen participation in government, managed public planning efforts, repositioned struggling organizations, and developed innovative programming that connects people. Beth is a national leader in the fields of arts professional development, community and economic development, and entrepreneurship. As the creator and Executive Director of the AIR Institute, she is at the forefront of connecting artists and creatives to their communities in new ways that truly raise the value of art and creativity.
For more information and to register, please visit https://forms.gle/FKFskWP4MKYfQhmV9
For more information on the Athens Municipal Arts Commission, please visit http://ci.athens.oh.us/313/Athens-Municipal-Arts-Commission
For more information on the City of Athens Arts, Parks and Recreation Department, please visit athensapr.com