EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT

DATE: March 9-11, 2016

EVENT: The Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities’ (a2ru) 2016 Emerging Creatives Student Summit, “RISE: Forging Resilient Communities” is the third annual student summit organized by a2ru—a national organization founded at the University of Michigan committed to providing institutional support for arts-integrative research, curricula, programs at research universities.

The summit will convene 80 students from more than 50 disciplines in Ann Arbor and Detroit. The students, who represent 25 U.S. research universities, will explore creative transdisciplinary collaborations addressing economic development and quality of life in communities across the country and the world.

Students will explore not only how creative partnerships can transform and revitalize communities in sustainable ways, but they will also gain tools they can bring back to their own campuses.

Panels, workshops and a Detroit tour—including stops at the Heidelberg Project and the Detroit Institute of Arts—are planned. Detroit panel members include: George Jacobsen, senior program officer at the Kresge Foundation; Jenenne Whitfield, executive director at the Heidelberg Project; Kate Bordine, co-founder and creative director of Ponyride; and Dan Lijana, communications officer at M-1 RAIL.

Scheduled speakers from U-M include: Aaron Dworkin, dean of the School of Music, Theatre & Dance; Tom Frank, executive director of the Center for Entrepreneurship; V. Mitch McEwen, assistant professor from the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Design; and Thomas Zurbuchen, professor of aerospace engineering at climate and space sciences and engineering.

At the summit, a2ru will announce the 2016 Student Challenge Grant winner providing seed monies to multicampus interdisciplinary student teams to start or continue a collaborative project that addresses a social, community, or societal problem.

“We are thrilled to host this year’s a2ru Emerging Creatives Student Summit and embrace its focus on Forging Resilient Communities,” said James Holloway, U-M vice provost for global and engaged education. “Across the globe, resilient communities are both created by, and cause the creation of, challenging artistic works. One does not arise without the other.”

MEDIA: If interested in attending, contact Michelle Krell Kydd at 734-763-2318 or michkydd@umich.edu.

INFORMATION:
2016 Emerging Creatives Summit
Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities (a2ru)
Hashtag for the conference: #a2ruRise