Calling all creative professionals and students! Join the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara (MCASB) for a dynamic evening of learning, sharing, and networking. The 3rd Annual Tastemakers Conference will feature a keynote presentation by Sharon Louden, artist and editor of The Artist as Culture Producer: Living and Sustaining a Creative Life, and Hrag Vartanian, critic, curator, editor-in-chief, and co-founder of Hyperallergic. The conversation will explore models of sustainability for creative producers and the keys to sustaining a creative life with a focus on the role of the creative in our community. The speakers will then lead an interactive workshop and participate in a question and answer period with conference attendees, followed by a book signing and networking reception. Copies of The Artist as Culture Producer: Living and Sustaining a Creative Life will be available for purchase.
Space is limited, so RSVP here to receive your confirmation email and reserve your spot for this free event.
Conference Schedule
5:30 pm Registration
6:00 pm Welcome & Introductions
6:15 pm Keynote Conversation with Sharon Louden and Hrag Vartanian
6:45 pm Workshop
7:30 pm Closing
7:45 pm Book Signing & Networking Reception
The conference will be recorded and you may also follow the event live on Twitter: @mcasantabarbara
The Creative’s Dinner
8:30 pm
Private Residence
Cost: $250 per person, includes dinner and a signed copy of The Artist as Culture Producer: Living and Sustaining a Creative Life.
Celebrate the creative life with Sharon Louden, Hrag Vartanian, and other VIP guests immediately following the Tastemakers Conference. Please contact Frederick Janka, Director of Development, at fjanka@mcasantabarbara.org for more information.
About the Speakers
Sharon M. Louden is an artist, educator, advocate for artists, and editor of the Living and Sustaining a Creative Life series of books. She graduated with a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an MFA from Yale University School of Art. Her work has been exhibited in numerous venues including the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, the Drawing Center, Carnegie Mellon University, Weisman Art Museum, National Gallery of Art, Birmingham Museum of Art, Weatherspoon Art Museum and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. http://www.livesustain.org/sharon-louden/
Hrag Vartanian is editor-in-chief and co-founder of Hyperallergic, a publication he created in 2009 in response to the changes in the art world, publishing, and the distribution of information. Breaking news, award-winning reporting, informed opinions, and quality conversations about art have helped Hyperallergic reach over 1 million readers a month. Hrag launched the Hyperallergic podcast in 2016 which travels around the globe to uncover the evolving world of art. http://hragvartanian.com/about/
About the Tastemakers Conference
MCASB’s Tastemakers Conference is an effort to deepen the Museum’s role as a resource for the creative community in the Tri-County region, nurturing new ideas and inspiring creativity through meaningful engagement with the art of our time.
Special thanks to the Carolyn Glasoe Bailey Foundation and the Santa Barbara County Office of Art & Culture.