Heading to the Americans for the Arts Half-Century Summit

This Wednesday in Baltimore, the Americans for the Arts Half-Century Summit -- affectionately known as "Convention" by the Americans for the Arts member community -- kicks off in Baltimore.

Over the next five days, more than a thousand arts leaders from across America will meet to talk about the state of the arts in America, to plan for the future, and to catch up with old friends. They'll discuss strategies for improving community support for arts programs, exchange successful tactics for ensuring reliable local arts funding, and learn about innovative ways to use social media and other new technologies to build awareness and lock in audiences. And Blue State Digital will be there.

I'll be leading a panel called "Technology's Impact on the Future of Traditional Arts Delivery Systems". We'll be exploring how new media are changing the way arts content is delivered and promoted, by both institutions and individuals. One of the topics we'll be discussing will be how social media and location-based services like Foursquare make it possible for the audience to play their own part in arts events and installations as more than a spectator. I'll also be at the Arts Action Fund Morning Briefing on Friday morning, to hear about what the Arts Action Fund -- a BSD client -- achieved on Capitol Hill during Arts Advocacy Day this spring.

Follow all the conference goings-on in real time by tracking the Twitter hashtag #afta2010. Better yet, hop a train and join us in Baltimore in person this weekend -- it's not too late to be part of one of the biggest arts professionals' networking events of the year.