Arts Conference

Couldn't remember if I'd mentioned it here yet, but I'm currently involved in a project in the arts community in the Peoria area. This June, Peoria is hosting the Illinois "One State - Together in the Arts" conference. It's a biennual statewide conference that draws artists, arts educators, and others interested in the business of the arts from all over Illinois.

I'm serving on the local planning committee for the event. This is the first time the conference has been held outside of Chicago or Champaign, and it's a pretty big deal for Peoria and the Central Illinois community. We're planning a variety of arts related entertainment and activities during the conference for the attendees to enjoy.

This is a great collaboration of artists and arts enthusiasts, and a great opportunity for the Central Illinois arts community as well. And as a performing artist and entertainer, aside from the thrill of being part of something so inspiring, it's also a great networking and PR opportunity too. You get by giving. (I already booked one show through someone I met at one of our planning sessions.)

As an artist, are you contributing to the arts in your area? Networking and collaborating with other artists from other artistic disciplines can be a great way to broaden your expression of magic, and move your career forward, if you do it professionally. And in general, I think that the more we promote the arts, the more opportunities there are for what we do as performing artists and entertainers.

I highly recommend giving it your consideration. There may be a wealth of opportunities in the arts community in your area.

Oooops! Sorry!

Well, I guess I owe an apology to anyone who's bothered to check out my blog here, as it's been over a year since I've posted. I could give you excuses, such as the fact that I've been swamped with other activities in my professional performing career, all of which would be true, but bottom line is I simply need to make these entries a priority. And I intend to make more of an effort in that regard.

I'm doing a lecture for the Quad Cities Magic Club on October 23, so it's a good opportunity to re-establish my focus on promoting magic as an actual Art Form.

Speaking of which, in my local area, I've been involved recently in several projects helping to promote the arts. Among other things, I've attended several meetings sponsored by the Economic Development Council in the Peoria area on creating an "Artist Relocation Program" as part of the downtown riverfront and warehouse district development in Peoria. The idea is to encourage established artists to move to the Peoria area as one means of stimulating the local economy, increasing tourism, and improving the lifestyle choices in the area.

Studies have shown that the economic development of a metropolitan area is driven largely by the "creative class", the artist, innovators, entertainers, and others involved in creative pursuits. Without them to draw interest and appeal to a city, nothing else happens.

I firmly believe that magic has a role to play in this crucial process. In these tough economic times, magic can inspire like little else. That is, if we're willing to step out on the skinny branches and make our magic represent more than just some cool tricks. How much meaning and emotion can you put into your magic? How much inspiration? It's certainly food for thought.