For Immediate Release
March 24, 2017
Information: Sarah Sidman | 206-788-3051 | sarahsidman@artsfund.org
ArtsFund, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives & Communications
ARTSFUND ANNOUNCES THE 29TH ANNUAL CELEBRATION OF THE ARTS LUNCHEON
With Keynote Speaker Steven J. Tepper
Seattle, WA – ArtsFund will host its 29th annual Celebration of the Arts Luncheon on Thursday, May 4, 2017 at the Westin Seattle. Keynote address by Steven J. Tepper (Researcher and Cultural Theorist) is titled Creativity, Education, and Work in the 21st Century. ArtsFund will honor biotech entrepreneur and arts philanthropist Glenn Kawasaki with the Outstanding Contribution to the Arts award. Emory Thomas, Publisher, Puget Sound Business Journal and ArtsFund Trustee, will serve as Master of Ceremonies.
Theming the luncheon around the rising demands for creativity, ArtsFund President and CEO Mari Horita explained this year’s focus: “According to studies conducted by The Conference Board, business leaders rate creativity as increasingly important to US workplaces, with many CEOs identifying creativity as the number one skill sought after in new employees. In addition, 92% of college seniors say pursuing a career that allows them to be creative is very important to them. With demand for creativity rising, we are excited to explore creativity’s importance in education and work at this year’s Celebration of the Arts Luncheon. The Puget Sound is a region known both for creativity across industries and for its cultural assets, and we look forward to an informative and inspiring luncheon.”
The luncheon is generously sponsored by Premier Sponsors The Boeing Company, Delta Dental of Washington, JLL, and Wells Fargo, and by Event Sponsors CenturyLink, Columbia Bank, and Safeco Insurance. Delta Air Lines is the Official Airline of the Celebration of the Arts Luncheon.
Registration is available through April 21, 2017. To register: https://connect.artsfund.org/luncheon. For more information, visit www.artsfund.org or call 206.281.9050.
About Steven Tepper:
STEVEN J. TEPPER is a leading writer and speaker on themes of U.S. cultural policy, creativity, and cultural participation. He is currently the dean of the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University, the nation’s largest comprehensive design and arts school at a research university. Prior to ASU, Tepper was on the faculty at Vanderbilt University, where he was a chief architect of the Curb Center for Art, Enterprise and Public Policy, a national think tank for cultural policy and creativity. Prior to Vanderbilt, he served as deputy director of the Princeton University Center for Arts and Cultural Policy Studies. Tepper’s work has fostered national discussions around topics of cultural engagement, creative work and careers, art and democracy, and the transformative possibilities of a 21st century creative campus.
His writings on creativity and higher education have appeared in numerous national publications including the Chronicle of Higher Education, the Huffington Post, and Fast Company. Steven is also the research director of SNAAP, the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project, which has surveyed more than 100,000 graduates of arts training institutions about their education and careers. He is the author of Not Here, Not Now, Not That! Protest Over Art and Culture in America (University of Chicago, 2011) and co-editor and contributing author of the book Engaging Art: The Next Great Transformation of America’s Cultural Life (Routledge 2007).
Tepper holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; a master’s in public policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government; and a PhD in sociology from Princeton University.
About Glenn Kawasaki:
GLENN KAWASAKI is biotech entrepreneur, scientist, leader, and prominent philanthropist. Since connecting with local dance through Francia Russell and Kent Stowell, Founding Artistic Directors of Pacific Northwest Ballet, Glenn has served on the board of ten Seattle arts and cultural nonprofits and donated millions to Seattle arts organizations. While Glenn’s philanthropic presence is felt throughout our community, he has made the most profound impact on our region’s dance organizations. He currently serves on the boards or advisory boards of Pacific Northwest Ballet, Spectrum Dance Theatre, Zoe/Juniper Dance Company, and Khambatta Dance Company, and is the Board President of Velocity Dance Center. He is also a Founding Trustee of Seattle Dance Project and Whim W’him, and a former Trustee of ArtsFund.
Glenn has been instrumental in the development of new works through long-time support to Pacific Northwest Ballet and On the Boards, and has sponsored artists and playwrights at Seattle Repertory Theatre, University of Washington Dance Department, and Seattle Symphony Orchestra. He is also University of Washington, Benefactor and President’s Club life member, and the founder of the Glenn H. Kawasaki Foundation.
Professionally, Glenn is a significant leader in the biotech industry. He is currently the CEO, President, and Director of Accium BioSciences, Inc. and a Co-Founding Director of Sound Pharmaceuticals, Inc. He has been issued numerous scientific patents for his work, and holds a Ph.D. in genetics, an M.B.A., and a law degree, all from the University of Washington, as well as a B.A. in Zoology and B.S. in Genetics from University of California Berkeley. Through his work, Glenn has made significant contributions to the advancement of HIV drug therapies.
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ArtsFund’s Mission: ArtsFund strengthens the community by supporting the arts through leadership, advocacy, and grant making.
ArtsFund’s Vision: A community with a dynamic and world-class arts and cultural sector where the arts are accessible to all and valued as central and critical to a healthy society.