See below for answers to all of your pertinent (and impertinent) questions.
When should I plan to get to Knoxville and when should I plan to leave?
Arrive: Plan to arrive on Thursday December 10 in time to participate in "Knowing Knoxville! A Guide to the NPN Annual Meeting" at 4:30pm at the hotel. This orientation session is designed to demystify the Annual Meeting for new and returning NPN/VAN Partners, Artists and Colleagues. You will have an early chance to meet your fellow attendees, Regional Desks, NPN Board and staff.
Depart: Scheduled Annual Meeting activities end on Sunday December 13 at 10:00pm after the "Closing Dinner, Dance and Keynote," which you do not want to miss. Plan to depart on Monday December 14. Don’t forget to schedule some time to be a tourist in Knoxville.
Did I hear something about an optional field trip on December 9?
There’s an optional field trip to NPN Partner Appalshop in Whitesburg, KY which leaves on Wednesday, December 9 at 1:30pm and returns in time for the 6:30 reception on Thursday. Cost for transportation and one overnight hotel in Whitesburg (double occupancy) is estimated $110 - $125. Email Kathie deNobriga or call 404-299-9498 for more information. All reservations must be made by November 1.
What if I can’t come in that early?
Can’t come in a day early, but still want to see one of Appalachia and the South’s chief cultural treasures? On Thursday Dec. 10, a van-load will travel to Highlander Research and Education Center, in near-by New Market TN, for a brief visit. Highlander has been supporting cultural organizers, activists and communities in creating social justice for 75 years….Van will leave at 1:30pm, return by 6pm; you pay only for shared van (estimated $35-$40). Have lunch on your own before you leave, no need to stay overnight. Email Kathie deNobriga or call 404-299-9498 for more information. All reservations must be made by November 1.
Who is invited to attend?
The Annual Meeting is a national forum for peer-to-peer communication among NPN and VAN Partners, artists, and key stakeholders. One representative from each NPN and VAN Partner organization is expected to attend. Invited leaders come to articulate issues, debate alternative models, and examine policies that shape the local and national presenting and exhibition arenas. Unlike other performing and visual arts gatherings, this meeting is deliberately designed to create a place at the table for artists. This reinforces the most important premise of NPN’s structure: building long-term relationships among presenters and exhibitors, artists, and communities. In an effort to actualize this vision, NPN invites artists to the meeting who have been commissioned through NPN’s Creation Fund or participated in a Performance Residency during the past three years. Additionally, a local NPN Partner committee suggests cultural community members–artists and organizational colleagues–to attend.
This is my first NPN Annual Meeting. Will I be the only one who doesn’t know anyone?
Absolutely not! Last year, about 37% of attendees had never attended an Annual Meeting. Plan to attend "Knowing Knoxville! A Guide to the NPN Annual Meeting" at 4:30pm on Thursday December 10 in the hotel to help you figure out the lay of the land (and to meet some of the other folks). Besides, the people who attend the Annual Meeting are a pretty special bunch–you should feel comfortable introducing yourself to them.
What should I bring with me?
In the hotel, there will be resource tables available for your printed materials, and the Media Lounge will be accessible for viewing of/listening to artists’ work throughout the weekend–bring copies of DVDs and CDs.
What are the objectives for this year’s Annual Meeting?
The Annual Meeting is a forum for networking and sharing strategies with each other, for advancing our professional and field development and for conversations that span generations and perspectives.
Professional Development Workshop for Artists
Scheduled on Sunday December 12 from 1-5pm "Entering, Building and Exiting Community," facilitated by Urban Bush Women, provides tools and resources to artists in attendance at the Annual Meeting. Participants who sign up must attend the entire workshop; Sign up at Registration.
Entering Community is a process of becoming aware of the values, leadership and history of a community; building or engaging community is putting those values into action, often questioning or even challenging existing values; exiting community is ensuring that all who participated feel recognized and can identify what they learned from the experience. The workshop covers the following concepts:
- Embodied Learning through physical and movement concepts
- Dialogic Learning
- Challenging Assumptions
- Asset & Group Mapping
- Leadership Transparency
- Celebrating the intrinsic human impulse to create