ArtsErie News

CultureSpark Invites Participation in Online Surveys

Responses will help shape cultural development in Erie County

ERIE, PA — CultureSpark, the Erie County Cultural Plan, has developed an initial set of priorities and ideas through a series of forums, leadership interviews and meetings with artists and organizations. Now, CultureSpark is reaching out to Erie County residents, artists, and organizations to gather their opinions, ideas and hopes by conducting three Web-based questionnaires.

The three surveys can be accessed on the CultureSpark home page by clicking this link www.culturesparkerie.org. Each survey is geared toward a specific audience: cultural organizations, artists/creators and the community at large. Each survey should take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. All surveys must be completed by October 9, 2009.

The goal is have over 1,000 respondents from across the County. To encourage community participation, CultureSpark will hold a drawing for two $50 gas cards from all completed community surveys received by the deadline.

CultureSpark invites all members of the public to give their opinions by completing the online questionnaires. Responses to the surveys will shape cultural development in Erie County. The results will be posted on www.culturesparkerie.org, the initiative's Web site.

Anyone wishing to complete a hard copy of the survey can obtain one by contacting ArtsErie at 814-452-3427 or sending an email to info@culturesparkerie.org. For more information about CultureSpark, visit www.culturesparkerie.org.

About CultureSpark

CultureSpark is a year-long cultural planning process, implemented by ArtsErie and The Nonprofit Partnership, which is designed to identify the issues, strengths and challenges for cultural development throughout Erie County. Bill Bulick of Creative Planning, Portland, Ore. is facilitating the process, assisted by Surale Phillips of Decision Support Partners, Bozeman, Mont.

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September 23, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ArtsErie and Erie County to Kick-Off ‘The Big Read’ in Erie

ArtsErie partners with the Erie County Public Library and the Erie School District
to read and celebrate Ray Bradbury’s classic Fahrenheit 451 throughout October 2009

ERIE, PA — ArtsErie will launch its Big Read program in celebration of Ray Bradbury’s classic Fahrenheit 451 with a community kick-off on Thursday, Oct. 1 from 6-8 p.m. at the H.O. Hirt Auditorium in Blasco Library (160 East Front St., Erie). The Big Read–Erie is presented in partnership with the Erie County Public Library and the School District of the City of Erie.

The kick-off event will feature guest speaker John Repp, a writer and teacher, who will speak on “Banned Books Week.” Banned Books Week was created in 1982 to celebrate the freedom to read.

“Fahrenheit 451 is important to students because it addresses fighting for a good cause—for the freedom to read,” says M. Holly Nowak, ArtsErie Arts in Education Program Manager, about why this book was selected.

Activities in Erie County will continue throughout October. To encourage community-wide participation in the project, ArtsErie, the Erie County Public Library and the School District of the City of Erie will offer a program of activities related to Fahrenheit 415, including book discussions, a film series, programs and lectures, a reader’s theater production, artist residencies and more.

The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. The NEA presents The Big Read in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and in cooperation with Arts Midwest. Erie is one of 269 communities nationwide participating in The Big Read from September 2009–June 2010. To date, the NEA has funded more than 800 Big Read programs in the nation’s towns and cities.

For a full calendar of events for The Big Read–Erie, click here or visit www.onebookerie.org.