Allied Arts of Greater Chattanooga is accepting applications for the seventh annual Bill Holmberg Arts Leadership Institute, a program designed to develop and mentor future arts leaders in the community, until Aug. 19.
"For someone who's thinking about 'Is this program good for me?' they should know this program is designed to give participants an insider's look into nonprofits, a deep understanding of the role of the arts in Chattanooga and an opportunity to make life-long friends," said Dan Bowers, Allied Arts of Greater Chattanooga president.
According to Allied Arts Vice President Marilyn Harrison, participants will hear from 50 speakers in keynote addresses and panels over the course of the program. Participants will also visit a variety of locations in the Chattanooga area like the Hunter Museum of American Art and Normal Park Museum schools.
"They get to meet a lot of different community movers and shakers," said Rodney Van Valkenburg, Allied Arts of Greater Chattanooga director of communication and arts education.
Some speakers for this year will include Chattanooga Times Free Press publisher emeritus Ruth Holmberg, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts arts education workshop leader Melanie Layne and Lyndhurst Foundation program officer Karen Rudolph.
In addition to attending educational sessions, participants will work on a project the class comes up with. Some projects previous classes have worked on are structuring ways for people to volunteer, improving social media and creating videos for each of the organizations featured on the Allied Arts of Greater Chattanooga website, said Van Valkenburg.
A high percentage of Bill Holmberg Art Institute graduates get on arts boards or other nonprofit boards, said Harrison, because the skills learned in the classes are transferable.
No more than 30 people will be admitted into the institute and applications are due with a letter of recommendation by Aug. 19. Tuition for the program is $250 and must be paid by Sept. 13. Some need-based scholarships are available.