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Welcome to ArtBeat, and Conference Information from the California Arts Council Director

Dear California ArtBeat Friends,

We here at the California Arts Council office in Sacramento are very pleased to have a new and user-friendly website for you to peruse. And we are delighted to have arrived at an actual name for what we called the "Update"--now the California ArtBeat. It was time for a new look and an easier way to get information to you without our e-newsletter being 20 pages long. We like suggestions, so send us your best ideas on how to better serve your needs.

The entire staff is now putting the finishing touches on the March 4th Arts Conference at the beautiful, historic Memorial Auditorium on J Street between 15th and 16th Streets in downtown Sacramento. The programs are printed, conference bags are being stuffed, lighting and sound systems are being finalized, and last-minute details tended to. This conference is sponsored by TARGET, and we thank this generous company and Bernard Boudreaux, Senior Manager, Community Relations, for supporting the Conference and the Arts.

Our speakers for the day are indeed futuristic ....

-- Derek Woodgate, well-known "futurist," is excited to be with us for his special interest is in the Arts.

-- Dr. Tomas Ybarra-Frausto will bring stories of California's immigration growth. His background is varied, his experience in transnational cultures rich, and his knowledge of our changing nation deep.

-- Joe Hayes from the Public Policy Institute of California will bring us up-to-the-minute facts on California's demographics.

-- Dick Deasy has much to relate from his recent research about Art in Education and the kind of language we might use to draw more people to the arts--we need imagination!

-- Jonathan Katz is known to many of you through the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies. He is the consummate facilitator, communicator and leader of groups such as ours. He will get us all thinking in a new way.

We are looking forward to hearing each one of these speakers, and then sharing all your thoughts on meeting the future's art challenges. Can't wait to see you all on March 4th at "The Future--What's Next?" and on March 5th at California Arts Advocates' Advocacy Day.

Muriel Johnson
Director
California Arts Council

Information on Conference speaker Derek Woodgate -- President of the Futures Lab

With experience as an executive on the board of two major corporations and over 15 years Senior Vice-President-level management and operational responsibilities in international businesses, Derek is widely recognized as a global specialist in marketing, innovation, business and futures-based consulting.

2007 Poetry Out Loud State Champion's Advice for Participants

The Sonoma County Poetry Out Loud competition took place on February 22 at Chops Teen Center in Santa Rosa. Karen Hong, the 2007 California state champion, wrote remarks for the event. Read below to see what advice she gives to students. State finals are March 14 in Sacramento.


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