CREATIVE RESILIENCE
The Art of Mass Gatherings in Northern Virginia
Program Schedule
Sunday, October 3rd
12:45 AM
Check-in
1:00 PM
Land acknowledgment by Sydney Mills Farhang of Running Strong for American Indian Youth and Intertribal Creatives
1:05 PM
Welcome and introductions. Featuring Linda Sullivan of ArtsFairfax, Daniel Singh of McLean Community Center, Lori Carbonneau of McLean Project for the Arts, Matthew Ché Kowal of Majestic Collaborations, and Tom Clareson of Performing Arts Readiness.
Help us document and learn from this event! A call for experiential documentation from Jessica Wallach, photographer and accessibility self-advocate.
1:25 PM
Travel time and transition to outdoor tours
1:35 PM - 2:15 PM
First session of tours:
Cohort 1 Safety & Preparedness
Led by Carol Foster (International Association of Blacks in Dance), Jim Digby (Event Safety Alliance), and Richard Cadena (Academy of Production Technology).
Cohort 2 Accessibility
Led by Betty Siegel (John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts), Laura Grunfeld (Everyone's Invited), Ian Watlington (National Disability Rights Action Network), and Jessica Wallach (Greater Depth Media).
Cohort 3 Sustainability & Life Cycle Design
Featuring Tyler Bonner (Zero Waste Festival), Lisa Curll (Virginia Composting Council), and Matthew Ché Kowal (Majestic Waterworks). Water tree fabricated by Building Momentum.
2:15 PM
5-minute break and travel time
2:20 PM - 3:00 PM
Second session of tours:
Cohort 1 Accessibility
Led by Betty Siegel (John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts), Laura Grunfeld (Everyone's Invited), Ian Watlington (National Disability Rights Action Network), and Jessica Wallach (Greater Depth Media).
Cohort 2 Sustainability & Life Cycle Design
Featuring Tyler Bonner (Zero Waste Festival), Lisa Curll (Virginia Composting Council), and Matthew Ché Kowal (Majestic Waterworks). Water tree fabricated by Building Momentum.
Cohort 3 Safety & Preparedness
Led by Carol Foster (International Association of Blacks in Dance), Jim Digby (Event Safety Alliance), and Richard Cadena (Academy of Production Technology).
3:05 PM
5-minute break and travel time
3:05 PM - 3:45 PM
Third session of tours:
Cohort 1 Safety & Preparedness
Led by Carol Foster (International Association of Blacks in Dance), Jim Digby (Event Safety Alliance), and Richard Cadena (Academy of Production Technology).
Cohort 2 Accessibility
Led by Betty Siegel (John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts), Laura Grunfeld (Everyone's Invited), Ian Watlington (National Disability Rights Action Network), and Jessica Wallach (Greater Depth Media).
Cohort 3 Sustainability & Life Cycle Design
Featuring Tyler Bonner (Zero Waste Festival), Lisa Curll (Virginia Composting Council), and Matthew Ché Kowal (Majestic Waterworks). Water tree fabricated by Building Momentum.
3:45 PM
5-minute break and travel time
3:50 PM
Brief wrap-up. Thank you for joining us for this great day!
Saturday, October 2nd
9:45 AM
Check-in
10:00 AM
Land acknowledgment by Sydney Mills Farhang of Running Strong for American Indian Youth and Intertribal Creatives
10:05 AM
Welcome and introductions. Featuring Linda Sullivan of ArtsFairfax, Lori Carbonneau of McLean Project for the Arts, Matthew Ché Kowal of Majestic Collaborations, and Tom Clareson of Performing Arts Readiness.
Help us document and learn from this event! A call for experiential documentation from Jessica Wallach, photographer and accessibility self-advocate.
10:20 AM
The Four Pillars: Safety. A presentation by Jim Digby, president and co-founder of the Event Safety Alliance.
10:35 AM
The Four Pillars: Accessibility. Presentations by Laura Grunfeld (owner and founder of Everyone's Invited), Ian Watlington (National Disability Rights Action Network), and Betty Siegel (Director of Access and VSA at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts).
11:05 AM
10-minute break
11:15 AM
The Four Pillars: Community Relationships. A presentation by Matthew Ché Kowal (co-founder of Majestic Collaborations and the Art of Mass Gatherings) and Tom Clareson (Project Director of Performing Arts Readiness).
11:35 AM
10-minute break for travel time as we move outdoors for hands-on tours and workshops.
11:45 AM - 12:15 PM
Tours! We'll be broken into two groups, one of which will attend each of the following sessions. We'll switch places during the next set of tours.
Event & Emergency Power. Power gear demo and discussion of lightning/weather safety, led by Richard Cadena (Academy of Production Technology).
Sustainability & Life Cycle Design. Featuring Tyler Bonner (Zero Waste Festival), Lisa Curll (Virginia Composting Council), and Matthew Ché Kowal (Majestic Waterworks). Water tree fabricated by Building Momentum.
12:15 - 12:45 PM
Tours! Each cohort will now switch to experience the other session, either Event & Emergency Power or Sustainability & Life Cycle Design.
12:45 PM
Coming back together and segue into conversation and networking. Thank you for joining us for this great day!
Slides
Download the slides shared by our presenters! All updated materials will be uploaded shortly following the event. See below for additional handouts and resources.
AoMG_NoVA_Siegel.pdfBETTY SEIGEL
AoMG_NoVA_Grunfeld.pdfLAURA GRUNFELD
AoMG_NoVA_Digby.pdfJIM DIGBY
MATTHEW CHÈ KOWAL
Resources
From the sessions and the organizations represented at the symposium.
Accessibility resources from the Kennedy Center
Tip sheets, webinars, and other accessibility resources from the Kennedy Center LEAD program (Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability)
Free webinars for arts organizations from PAR
Performing Arts Readiness (PAR) makes a wide variety of exceptional safety, communications, and preparedness webinars available at no charge via their website.
Resources from the Event Safety Alliance
The Event Safety Alliance (ESA) provides online training, convenes safety summits, and provides knowledge-sharing opportunities among its members.
Making Temporary Events Accessible
Recommended by Betty Seigel, "A Planning Guide for Making Temporary Events Accessible to People With Disabilities"