THE FUTURE OF THE
CREATIVE ECONOMY

Aspen Institute Arts Program at Chelsea Factory

The Future of the Creative Economy

Wednesday, May 11, 2022
6:00-7:00PM Panel
7:00-7:30PM Refreshments & Mingle

The doors have reopened, and there is joy and relief, but artists and cultural institutions are facing an uncertain economy. What are the next steps towards recovery for the creative industry, and how can we help ensure its stability?

Join moderator Anna Deavere Smith for a conversation with Emil J. Kang, program director for Arts and Culture at The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Linda Shelton, Executive Director of The Joyce Theater Foundation; Maria Torres-Springer, NYC Deputy Mayor for Economic and Workforce Development; and Dr. Zannie Voss, Director of SMU DataArts.

This event is generously supported by First Republic.

About the Aspen Institute Arts Program:
The Aspen Institute Arts Program champions the role of artists and cultural leaders as critical thought leaders, futurists and changemakers. Through our programs, the Institute’s well-known convening power and its vast network, we bring artists and cultural influencers to our audiences to celebrate and learn from their work and connect them with leaders across all fields to enlighten and to inspire us to face some of our greatest challenges. In furtherance of the Institute’s commitment to drive change through dialogue, leadership and action, the Arts Program was established to ensure the inclusion of artists in addressing some of society’s most complex problems. The Arts Program is based in New York City, and convenes events there, in Washington, D.C., Aspen, CO and beyond. Our Programs include: the Michelle Smith Arts & Culture Series, the Arts Track at the Aspen Ideas Festival, the Eisner/Lauder New Views Documentaries and Dialogue Series, and the year-long Harman/Eisner Artist in Residence Program. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org/artsprogram.

About the Panelists:
Anna Deavere Smith (moderator) is credited with developing a new form of theater. After conducting hundreds of interviews on topics of contemporary concern, she creates plays structured with verbatim excerpts from what she has gathered. Plays include Fires in the Mirror, Twilight Los Angeles, Let Me Down Easy, Notes From the Field. Television and film: “The West Wing,” “Black-ish,” “Rachel Getting Married,” “Nurse Jackie,” “Inventing Anna.” Awards include: National Endowment for the Humanities Medal (from President Obama), MacArthur Fellowship, several Obie awards, Dean’s Medal from Stanford University Medical school, two Tony nominations. She is a professor at New York University, Tisch School of the Arts.

Emil J. Kang is program director for Arts and Culture at The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation where he leads the grantmaking program nurturing exceptional creative accomplishment, scholarship, and conservation practices while advancing a diverse and sustainable ecosystem for the arts. Previously, Mr. Kang served as founding Executive and Artistic Director of Carolina Performing Arts, a major multi-disciplinary performing arts program at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he also served as professor of the practice of music and special assistant to the chancellor for the arts. Mr. Kang serves as a member of the National Council on the Arts, having been appointed by former United States President Barack Obama in 2012. 

Linda Shelton is the executive director and a trustee of The Joyce Theater Foundation. Before her tenure at The Joyce began in 1993, she served as general manager of The Joffrey Ballet, held various management positions at The Twyla Tharp Dance Foundation, and managed tours for the Bolshoi Ballet, Moscow Virtuosi, Sankai Juku, and composer Phillip Glass. Under her leadership, The Joyce Theater received the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Liberty Award (2011) and most recently, the William Dawson Award for Programmatic Excellence and sustained achievement in programming (2019). In 2017, Dance Magazine named Shelton one of the most influential people in dance today and in 2019, presented her with the Chairman’s Award for her global leadership in dance.

Maria Torres-Springer is the NYC Deputy Mayor for Economic and Workforce Development, charged with spearheading the Administration’s efforts to strengthen and diversify its economy, invest in emerging industries, bolster small business, connect New Yorkers to family-sustaining jobs and expand access to arts and culture. She was previously Vice President of US Programs at the Ford Foundation where she oversaw the Foundation’s domestic grant making and made historic investments in support of racial equity, workers’ rights, voting rights, and arts & culture across the country. Maria has a long track record of public service with the City of New York. She led three agencies with over 3,000 employees and approximately $2 billion in annual operating budgets, addressing some of the city’s most significant public policy challenges in pursuit of expanded economic opportunity for all New Yorkers. 

Dr. Zannie Voss is Director of SMU DataArts and Professor of Arts Management in SMU’s Meadows School of the Arts and the Cox School of Business. Previously she was Chair of Arts Management at SMU, a Professor at Duke University and Producing Director of Theater Previews at Duke, where she transferred two productions to Broadway.  Her 70+ academic and applied research articles have been published in peer-reviewed journals and as professional publications.  She has co-authored Theatre Facts for Theatre Communications Group since 1998.  She serves on the boards of the International Association of Arts and Cultural Management, the New Orleans Museum of Art, and the Dallas Symphony Association, and she is a former member of the American Academy of Arts and Science’s Commission on the Arts.

This event is being photographed and video recorded for archival, educational, and related promotional purposes. By entering this event, you consent to being photographed and video recorded.

The doors to Chelsea Factory will open at 5:30PM. Please plan to arrive no later than 15 minutes prior to the event start time to allow for vaccination checks, security screenings, and seating.

Health and Safety Protocols
Chelsea Factory will be implementing the following procedures to help ensure the health and safety of our patrons, staff, and artists:

• Proof of COVID-19 vaccination

• Masks worn at all times inside Chelsea Factory

Click here for our full Health and Safety Protocols.