The Performing Arts Challenge Sponsored by Opus 3 Artists
A solutions-oriented working lunch, Wednesday September 9, 12pm - 1:30pm
Sign-ups for PAC Tables open the week of July 20 to those registered for the Luncheon!
With WAA OAK’s call to Circle Up, this new event calls us to come together to attack, address, and overcome challenges facing our sector. The Performing Arts Challenge is an interactive arts salon featuring multiple roundtables with a host that facilitates discussions around a question that gets to the heart of an issue they face. Together, colleagues attack the question in order to leave the room armed with strategies and insights to solve the problem.
Purchase a ticket to the Performing Arts Challenge during registration (or, if you’ve already registered, return to the portal to add a ticket). If you’re registered for the conference, you’ll get notified about how to sign up for the table of your choice following the Early Bird deadline.
Choose between the following questions:
Are We Cultivating or Exhausting the Creative Ecosystem?
with SheenRu Yong, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Grounded in the premise that creativity emerges from collective conditions rather than individual talent, this roundtable asks participants to examine what nourishes — and what drains — shared creative ecosystems. Join SheenRu to identify practical actions or small experiments that could help build more resilient creative communities.
How Can Regional Grantmakers Design Funding Structures That Support Native and Indigenous Cultural Realities?
with Marcelina Ramirez, Creative West
Rooted in Creative West's grantmaking experience across the Western U.S., Alaska, and Pacific jurisdictions, this roundtable addresses a systemic problem: funding structures often collapse vastly different Indigenous cultural, geographic, and political realities into a single category. Join Creative West to evolve their practices to honor cultural sovereignty, regional specificity, and the full complexity of Indigenous identity.
How Can We Build Street Arts Infrastructure in North America?
with Kevin Ewing, Street Arts Nexus
The gap between demonstrated public appetite for accessible, outdoor cultural engagement and institutional support structures to support it is wide. Join Street Arts Nexus to identify the first piece of the presenting infrastructure needed to make street arts a permanent part of the American cultural landscape.
How Do We Sustain Artist Support Networks in a Culturally Hostile Environment?
with Beatrice Thomas, Authentic Media LLC
Many artists face political, institutional, and funding dynamics that shape what feels possible to say or create. Join Beatrice to explore the specific role that artist affinity groups and peer networks play in sustaining uncompromising creative practice and truth-telling.
How Do We Support International Touring in the U.S. Amid New Visa Restrictions and Expenses?
with Justine Bayod Espoz, CIPA (Creative and Independent Producers Alliance)
An expanding travel ban, rising visa costs, longer wait times, and concerns about racial bias in the visa approval process are together threatening the field's ability to sustain international cultural exchange. Join Justine to collectively challenge and begin to change a system that feels outside of our control.
How can arts education close the gap between Hollywood and community-based artistry?
by Eleanor Johnson
The widespread lack of arts literacy in the U.S. has created a culture that elevates celebrity over community artists. Join Eleanor in re-balancing the role of community arts in society.
How do we export North American artists to European markets with attention to inclusion and safety?
with Clémence Bizien
Join Clémence in a peer discussion about the practicalities of booking North American artists internationally, especially considerations around inclusion and safety for touring teams and audiences.
How can agencies and presenters come together to build stronger partnerships that maximize audience engagement, ticket sales, and long-term success?
with Lindsay Kratz & Sarah Pelch, Opus 3 Artists
Now, more than ever, ticket sales are the driving force behind the success of presenting organizations and artists. How can agencies and presenting organizations effectively partner to create marketing and ticket sales success? Let's dig into how we can create a successful partnership, from the signing of the deal to the night of the performance.
How can university presenters address existential threats to world and the university itself?
with Ty Furman, Past President with Pennsylvania Presenters & Marie-Reine Valez, USC Visions and Voices
We in arts presenting are experiencing the poly crisis of climate change, democracy, developing technologies, and disruptions in in-person activity. As world disruptions these may feel amplified at colleges and universities. How do we position our contributions to address the challenges ahead while also consistently needing to make a case for our existence at our institutions?
How can performing arts venues leverage their local communities to reduce risk and build financial sustainability?
with Adam Fowler An opportunity for venue representatives to dig into specific challenges and questions around tapping into the potential of local communities to help ensure sustainable futures.
How do we make the case for the public value and impact of arts presenting in our communities?
with Jerry Yoshitomi, Board Member Emeritus
How do we gather and communicate the evidence of what we know to be true: That the performing arts change lives. Jerry leads an exploration of the collection and packaging of our stories for maximum effect.
How can we protect our artistic legacies from funding cuts and other emergencies?
with Tom Clareson, Bay Area Arts Readiness Network
Being prepared to handle the many crises plaguing the day-to-day work of the performing arts sector takes time many of us simply don't have. Join BAARN's Tom Clareson to exchange strategies and solutions for protecting our work.
If you’ve registered for the conference and purchased your ticket, you’ll receive an email with sign-up instructions.