Three summers ago, the Janklow Arts Leadership Program in the College of Arts and Sciences welcomed its inaugural cohort. Today, the program is not only a shining beacon of interdisciplinary success, linking liberal and professional learning, but also is asserting itself on the national stage.
Mark Nerenhausen
Case in point: Mark Nerenhausen, founding director and professor of practice of the Janklow Program, is crisscrossing the country, speaking at some of the industry’s premier events. One of them is the Americans for the Arts’ prestigious leadership roundtable, whose theme this year is “The Arts and Tourism: Transforming America’s Communities.” It is currently under way in Sun Valley, Idaho.
Nerenhausen and other tastemakers—including leaders of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation—will converge on the popular resort city to examine the relationship between arts and tourism at the local, state and national levels.
“Cultural content can and should be used for economic development,” says Nerenhausen, who has served as president and CEO of both the AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas and the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. “Nowhere is this more apparent than in cultural and heritage tourism, which no longer is a niche market, but is a thriving industry with a highly complex infrastructure.”
Americans for the Arts is a nonprofit organization that, for nearly half a century, has advanced the arts in the United States. With offices in Washington, D.C., and New York City, Americans for the Arts represents and serves local communities, including some 150,000 organizational and individual members and stakeholders.
The organization’s annual roundtable brings together artists, philanthropists and corporate leaders for a proactive dialogue about how the arts may be utilized as a positive force for change.
“For the University to have a seat at the table—no pun intended—is both an honor and a responsibility I don’t take lightly,” Nerenhausen adds. “Being invited is a clear indicator that the Janklow Program is moving in the right direction, and that our mission and values are in line with our nation’s cultural, civic and economic priorities.”
The roundtable is expected to examine strategic partnerships between the arts and tourism industries, in hopes of stimulating economic development. In addition to sharing best practices, participants will brainstorm ways traditional artists and nonprofit institutions can interface with large economic sectors, such as entertainment, publishing and broadcasting, to drive cultural tourism to new heights.
