Join the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville, Mayor Lenny Curry, Secretary of State Ken Detzner, and the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs (DCA) at the JAX Chamber to discuss how the arts and culture sector contributes to a city’s economic prosperity. The 2017 State of the Arts is Wednesday, August 30, 2017. The format for SOTA has expanded from a luncheon to an all-day conference.

The morning session will include a Q&A with Sandy Shaugnessy, the Director of the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs. The theme for the Q&A is the economic impact of the arts.

The annual luncheon will be hosted at the Jesse Ball duPont Center and catered by Moxie Kitchen + Cocktails. Opening remarks at the luncheon will be led by City Council President Anna Brosche.

The keynote presentation will be provided by Lily Yeh, who has dedicated more than 30 years of her life to urban alchemy. Her lifework is to use art as a vehicle and promote imagination and collaboration as tools to transform decay into vitality; and trauma and despair into hope and joy.

Lunch will be followed by a presentation in which the 2017 PNC Arts Alive Grant recipients are announced. This year, PNC will award $60,000 in grants to four arts and culture organizations in Jacksonville as part of their Arts Alive initiative.

Immediately following the luncheon at the Jesse Ball duPont Center, there will be a panel discussion on activating art partnerships between the public and private sector. Moderating the panel is Kristi Aiello, Florida Blue’s Market Development and Community Engagement Manager. The panel will include Kimberly Reckley, VP Client & Community Relations Director for PNC; Dave Herrell, Sports and Entertainment Officer for the City of Jacksonville; and Jessica Santiago, President of ArtRepublic. The panel will allow time for questions from the audience.

The closing reception will be hosted at Hyperion Brewing Company by Activate360 in Jacksonville’s historic Springfield neighborhood. For tickets, click here.