Creative Community Exchange Comes to New London, Connecticut June 8-9

(New London, CT)  The New England Foundation for the Arts is seeking session proposals for its 2017 Creative Communities Exchange (CCX 2017), to be held in New London, Connecticut, June 8-9, 2017.

The goal of CCX 2017 is to gather New England leaders who are invested or engaged in the creative economy to network, share best practices and ideas, and devise long-range projects to spur economic development through the arts.  The Exchange, a biennial event which rotates among different New England communities, serves as a bridge between the creative sector and community development.

“Sessions will share specific strategies and success stories of creative economy initiatives,” said Cathy Edwards, Executive Director of New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA).  “These initiatives have leveraged local creative assets and cross-sector partnerships leading to community revitalization and growth.”

Sessions are structured as workshops and focus on four general themes:

• Leadership and Partnerships: building capacity through strong partnerships
• Heading Downtown: innovative events and projects to draw visitors to downtown areas
• Policy and Planning: how cultural plans can impact policy and zoning decisions
• Sector Connector: model projects that use technology, networking and training to enhance the capacity of the creative sector to other sectors

“We are looking for practitioners who meet community development goals from various sectors,” said Wendy Bury, Executive Director of the Southeastern Connecticut Cultural Coalition, which is serving as local host of CCX 2017. “We are wide open to ideas on arts & culture, economic development, urban planning, revitalization, philanthropy and other topics.”

Leading a workshop can help an organization in a variety of ways, including gaining visibility for a particular project, sharing strategies and ideas, and creating content that is useful to communities across New England. Workshop hosts receive discounted registration and are also eligible for awards and cash prizes.

The application deadline for leading a CCX 2017 workshop is December 16, 2016.  Applications can be found at www.CCXNewEngland.org.

About New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA)
The New England Foundation for the Arts invests in the arts to enrich communities in New England and beyond.  NEFA accomplishes this by granting funds to artists and cultural organizations, connecting them to each other and their audiences, and analyzing their economic contributions.  NEFA serves as a regional partner for the National Endowment for the Arts, New England’s state arts agencies and private foundations.  For more information, please visit nefa.org.

About Southeastern Connecticut Cultural Coalition
The Southeastern Connecticut Cultural Coalition, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization, contributes to the cultural identity, economy and quality of life of Southeastern Connecticut by advocating and supporting arts, heritage, cultural and business activities and organizations. For more information, please visit http://culturesect.org/.

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CONTACT: Ann Wicks | 617.951.0010 x534