The Santa Monica College Public Policy Institute (PPI) will present its Annual Fall Forum Nov 16-Dec 6. The theme for this year’s community forum is “The Ways Public Policy Sustains Creative Arts.”
The Fall Forum features speakers, panel discussions, and dance performances for audiences ranging from fifth graders to adults. All forum events are open to the public, and most events are free. Seating is on a first-arrival basis if reservations are not required.
“We chose the Fall Forum theme to explore how the arts help citizens develop an understanding of themselves and others, and how expression through the arts can influence ideas and change perceptions,” said PPI co-director and SMC political science professor Dr. Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein.
The Fall Forum lineup is:
• Monday, Nov 16 at 7 p.m.:
ACCESS: Community Keynote Addresses by Austin Beutner and Joanne Heyler. Austin Beutner – recent publisher and CEO of the Los Angeles Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, and the 16-publication California News Group – is a member of the Council of Foreign Relations and serves on the Board of The Broad Stage and the California Institute of the Arts. He will share his insight into the significant role public policy plays in the creation of a vibrant civic society that values art and culture. Beutner will be joined by Joanne Heyler – Founding Director of the new contemporary art museum The Broad, which just opened on Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles, and makes the 2,000 works of contemporary art in Eli and Edythe Broad’s collection accessible to the public through free general admission and arts engagement initiatives. FREE. The Broad Stage, SMC Performing Arts Center, 1310 11th St., Santa Monica. (Free onsite parking.)
• Tuesday, Nov 17 from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
ADVOCACY: Community Forum: “Thinking Inside the Box: How the Public Sector Can Support the Arts.” Panel highlighting the importance of the visual and performing arts in – and to – our society, and how community advocacy can contribute to public policies that support the arts. Panelists: Dr. Paul Cummins, president and CEO of Coalition for Engaged Education, author of “Confessions of a Headmaster,” cofounder of Crossroads School, and founder of New Roads School; longtime music instructor Mary Ann Cummins, founder of the Elizabeth Mandell Music Institute at Crossroads School and the Aube Tzerko Piano Academy at New Roads High School, and named 2014 Educator of the Year by the Harvard Club of Southern California; feminist artist and activist Bruria Finkel, member of the City of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs Division’s Urban Task Force for the Arts, founding member of the Santa Monica Arts Commission, member of the Board of Directors of Downtown Santa Monica Inc., and member of the State of California’s Arts Work, Live/Work Task Force Committee; and longtime arts advocate Jessica Cusick, Cultural Affairs Manager of the City of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs Division and named a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Republic Ministry of Culture and Communication. The panel will be moderated by SMC Public Policy Institute co-director Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein, and followed by audience back-and-forth. FREE. Limited seating; reservations required (email ppi@smc.edu with number of guests attending). Art Lecture Hall 214 on SMC’s main campus, 1900 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica. (FREE visitor parking at Lot 6, 14th St. and Pico Blvd.)
• Nov. 28, Dec 5, 6 at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.; Nov. 29 at 11 a.m.; Dec 3, 4 at 7 p.m.
ARTISTIC PATHWAYS: Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” Ballet. The Westside Ballet, joined by the SMC Symphony and SMC dancers, presents its annual holiday extravaganza featuring Tchaikovsky’s majestic score, Balanchine’s exuberant choreography, falling snow, and a Christmas tree that grows! See westsideballet.com for ticket details. The Broad Stage, SMC Performing Arts Center, 1310 11th St., Santa Monica. (Free onsite parking.)
• Wednesday, Dec 2 and Friday, Dec 4 at 11 a.m.
ARTS FOR YOUTH: Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker Suite” for 5th Graders. SMC, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, and the City of Santa Monica bring local fifth graders to experience the transformative power and wonder of classical music and dance in two exclusive educational performances presented by the Westside Ballet, joined by the SMC Symphony and SMC dancers. FREE. The Broad Stage, SMC Performing Arts Center, 1310 11th St., Santa Monica.
“For the Fall Forum, we selected a wide range of events to present in order to highlight the many wonderful examples of creative arts in our community,” said SMC Public Policy Institute co-director Shari Davis, “and to engage in substantive dialogue about how the public, private, and nonprofit sectors all strive to support the arts and cultural endeavors, and explore what additional beneficial policies can and should be pursued.”
SMC’s Public Policy Institute provides nonpartisan community programs exploring key economic, social, and political issues. SMC offers an Associate in Arts Degree and Certificate of Achievement in public policy, and students can specialize in one of five public policy areas: arts and cultural affairs, education, environment and sustainability, public health, and urban/socioeconomic issues.
The Fall Forum is cosponsored by a wide range of education, government, and community organizations, and donors, including: Associated Students of Santa Monica College, SMC Associates, SMC Foundation, Westside School of Ballet, Santa Monica College Symphony, City of Santa Monica, SMC Art Department, SMC Dance Department, SMC Music Department, SMC Theatre Arts Department, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation, SMMUSD Parent Teacher Association, The Broad Stage, Human Relations Council Santa Monica, Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, Community For Excellent Public Schools, and KCRW.
For further information about the Fall Forum, go to www.smc.edu/ppi or call 310.434.3541.
