Arts Disaster and Crisis Preparedness Conference 2026: Full Schedule

8:30am EDT

Thursday September 24, 2026 8:30am - 9:00am EDT

Thursday September 24, 2026 8:30am - 9:00am EDT
Ballroom A Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Networking & Refreshment

8:50am EDT

Welcome & Opening Remarks

Thursday September 24, 2026 8:50am - 9:00am EDT

Ballroom A

Thursday September 24, 2026 8:50am - 9:00am EDT
Ballroom A Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

9:00am EDT

Collective Stories: An experimental group creation lab for disaster contexts

Thursday September 24, 2026 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT

330C

A strength the arts bring to disaster preparedness and recovery is their ability to incorporate narrative and storytelling. Much of emergency preparedness education, disaster reporting, and support for survivors is fact-based, dry and didactic, hiding the human experiences and costs of these disasters. But how do we build collective narratives that tell a more complete story? What participatory...
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Speakers

Wyn Batson

Taiga Christie

Nicole Garneau

Rachel O'Hanlon-Rodriguez

Spiral Q

Thursday September 24, 2026 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
330C Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Creative Practice Lab, Health and Wellbeing in Disaster Recovery

9:00am EDT

Gathering the Story: Story Circles as a Tool for Community Connection, Preparedness & Recovery

Thursday September 24, 2026 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT

330E

This workshop gives arts practitioners firsthand experience with story circles, practical facilitation training, and tools to use the methodology responsibly in disaster recovery and community healing contexts.Some of the most important knowledge a community holds about disaster (i.e., what it felt like, what broke down, what held) never makes it into official reports or planning documents. It...
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Speakers

Nicole Breazeale

University of Kentucky

N/A

Ryan Linton

Program Assistant, University of Kentucky

Hello, I am a program assistant at the Spencer County Extension Office! I am excited to learn more about environmental education, new skills, and information I can take back to my community to share!

Melissa Bond

Community Arts Extension Program Leader, University of Kentucky

Thursday September 24, 2026 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
330E Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Hands-On-Workshop, Health and Wellbeing in Disaster Recovery

9:00am EDT

Building and Sustaining Cultural Disaster Response Networks

Thursday September 24, 2026 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT

375

Designed as a half-day networking and training session, this workshop focuses on strengthening arts and cultural response networks by examining shared best practices in network design, governance, and operations. Open to those who help coordinate a city, regional, or state-level arts or cultural response network, the session creates a dedicated space for peer-to-peer learning and mentoring, with...
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Speakers

Christina Cain

Emergency Programs Manager, Foundation for Advancement in Conservation, Alliance for Response

Tom Clareson

Project Director, Performing Arts Readiness/Lyrasis

Tom Clareson is Project Director of Performing Arts Readiness, funded by the Mellon Foundation to help performing arts organizations protect their assets, sustain operations and prepare for emergencies. He also serves as Senior Consultant for Digital & Preservation Services at Lyrasis... Read More →

Mollie Quinlan-Hayes

Fund Development and Program Officer, NCAPER/National Coalition for Arts Preparedness and Emergency Response

Mollie works primarily with two institutions committed to the readiness and recovery of artists and arts organizations in crisis. For NCAPER, the National Coalition for Arts Preparedness and Emergency Response, she serves as the Fund Development and Program Officer. This arm of her... Read More →

Leah Hamilton

Assistant Professor, University of Kentucky

Leah Hamilton is an Assistant Professor of Arts Administration at the University of Kentucky. Her research focus is on the intersection of arts, sociology, and emergency management, specifically in disaster management policy. Her most recent research was just released in summer of... Read More →

Thursday September 24, 2026 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
375 Gatton Student Center

Peer Learning Cohort, Track 2: Arts and Cultural Response Networks

9:00am EDT

Move to Connect: Creative Movement for Community Connection

Thursday September 24, 2026 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT

231

This pre-conference workshop introduces Move to Connect, a research-informed, arts-based intervention designed tostrengthen social connection and support mental well-being in community settings, particularly in the context of disruption and recovery. Grounded in a 2023 pilot study integrating creative movement with Social Network Analysis (SNA), and supported by a newly developed program in...
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Speakers

Susie Thiel

Faculty, University of Kentucky

Pronouns: She/her

Susie Thiel is the Chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Kentucky (UK). She is excited to be at this conference as she received her BFA in dance from Western Michigan University and her MFA in Dance from the University of Michigan. Between her undergraduate... Read More →

Amy Kostelic

Thursday September 24, 2026 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
231 Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Workshop, Creative Skills in Emergency Management

12:30pm EDT

Lunch & Networking

Thursday September 24, 2026 12:30pm - 1:30pm EDT

Ballroom A

Thursday September 24, 2026 12:30pm - 1:30pm EDT
Ballroom A Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Networking & Refreshment

about <br>

12:30pm EDT

Roundtable Discussion: AFTA Incubator Three-Month Convening

Thursday September 24, 2026 12:30pm - 1:30pm EDT

Ballroom A

In June, 2026, the Americans for the Arts AFTACON conference in Albuquerque featured, as one of its nine pathways for participants, “Readiness, Response and Community Care.” A full-day Incubator immersed local arts agency leaders, arts advocates and artists in conversation, hands-on learning and networking. The final component of the day was the offer/challenge for each participant to make a...
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Speakers

Mital Lyons-Warren

Mollie Quinlan-Hayes

Fund Development and Program Officer, NCAPER/National Coalition for Arts Preparedness and Emergency Response

Tom Clareson

Project Director, Performing Arts Readiness/Lyrasis

Thursday September 24, 2026 12:30pm - 1:30pm EDT
Ballroom A Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Roundtable Discussion

1:30pm EDT

Arts in Disaster: Shaping Tools to Support Community Connection and Wellbeing

Thursday September 24, 2026 1:30pm - 3:15pm EDT

330E

This workshop gives arts practitioners firsthand experience with story circles, practical facilitation training, and tools to use the methodology responsibly in disaster recovery and community healing contexts.The arts are increasingly recognized for their role in disaster readiness, response, and recovery. Beyond economic recovery and tourism, arts and cultural programming can support social and...
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Speakers

Heather Spooner

Thursday September 24, 2026 1:30pm - 3:15pm EDT
330E Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Hands-On-Workshop, Health and Wellbeing in Disaster Recovery

about <br>

1:30pm EDT

Building Social Connection Through Participatory Arts: A Train-the-Trainer Workshop to Strengthen Organizational Well-Being

Thursday September 24, 2026 1:30pm - 3:15pm EDT

231

This train-the-trainer workshop introduces participatory arts practices that strengthen social capital, connection andorganizational well-being. Participants will learn how to facilitate accessible arts-based experiences that help build caring relationships and community within organizations. Arts-based experiences can help organizations strengthen the relational conditions that support...
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Speakers

Renee Gallagher

University of Kentucky College of Medicine Office for Organizational Well-Being

Thursday September 24, 2026 1:30pm - 3:15pm EDT
231 Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Train-the-Trainer Workshop, Health and Wellbeing in Disaster Recovery

1:30pm EDT

Resource Mapping Forum for Arts and Cultural Response Networks

Thursday September 24, 2026 1:30pm - 5:00pm EDT

330C

This forum is designed as an invited, in-person gathering to bring together national leaders in cultural response with leaders of arts and cultural response networks to discuss the formation, management, and sustainability of cultural response mapping tools that help identify and communicate disaster impacts on cultural heritage sites across their service areas. These maps address a...
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Speakers

Christina Cain

Emergency Programs Manager, Foundation for Advancement in Conservation, Alliance for Response

Colleen Carroll

Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative

Mollie Quinlan-Hayes

Fund Development and Program Officer, NCAPER/National Coalition for Arts Preparedness and Emergency Response

Tom Clareson

Project Director, Performing Arts Readiness/Lyrasis

Leah Hamilton

Assistant Professor, University of Kentucky

Thursday September 24, 2026 1:30pm - 5:00pm EDT
330C Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Peer Learning Cohort, Track 2: Arts and Cultural Response Networks

3:15pm EDT

Networking & Refreshment Break

Thursday September 24, 2026 3:15pm - 3:30pm EDT

330AB

Thursday September 24, 2026 3:15pm - 3:30pm EDT
330AB Gatton Student Center

Networking & Refreshment

about <br>

3:15pm EDT

Many Hands: A tabletop practice session for arts and disaster response

Thursday September 24, 2026 3:15pm - 5:00pm EDT

375

Join disaster preparedness professionals, arts organizations, and individuals in a tabletop exercise for hands-on practice identifying and utilizing your resources to help your community in times of disaster.Artists and arts organizations possess key elements that make them vital resources in times of disaster: they are deeply embedded in their communities, have intimate knowledge of local...
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Speakers

Wyn Batson

Taiga Christie

MC Erskine

University of Virginia

Thursday September 24, 2026 3:15pm - 5:00pm EDT
375 Gatton Student Center

Hands-On-Workshop, Arts and Cultural Response Networks

3:15pm EDT

Meaning through Making: Using Collage to Bring Order from Chaos After Disaster

Thursday September 24, 2026 3:15pm - 5:00pm EDT

Brockman Senate Chamber (2nd floor)

This workshop explores how collage can help individuals make meaning from tragedy through the use of accessible creative practices that bring order from chaotic experiences and build agency and connection in the wake of disaster.In the aftermath of disaster, grief often feels fragmented—disrupting memory, identity, and a sense of stability. This workshop explores how expressive and accessible...
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Speakers

Jessica Evans

Community Arts Senior Extension Associate, University of Kentucky

Jessica, a Kentucky native, earned her Bachelor of Fine Art in Ceramics from East Tennessee State University. Jessica has held a variety of roles at galleries, museums and art centers including curation, graphic design/marketing, teaching, grant-writing, and project management. She... Read More →

Thursday September 24, 2026 3:15pm - 5:00pm EDT
Brockman Senate Chamber (2nd floor) Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Workshop, Health and Wellbeing in Disaster Recovery

about <br>

8:15am EDT

Registration & Continental Breakfast

Friday September 25, 2026 8:15am - 8:45am EDT

Ballroom A

Friday September 25, 2026 8:15am - 8:45am EDT
Ballroom A Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Networking & Refreshment

8:45am EDT

Welcome & Opening Remarks

Friday September 25, 2026 8:45am - 9:00am EDT

Ballroom A

Friday September 25, 2026 8:45am - 9:00am EDT
Ballroom A Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

9:00am EDT

Power of Art: Community Based Art Therapy After Gun Violence

Friday September 25, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am EDT

Ballroom A

This session explores the design, implementation, and evaluation of a community-based art therapy initiative that emerged in the immediate aftermath of a school shooting and evolved into a sustained, two-year program supporting community healing. Initially conceived as a short-term, open studio experience housed within a museum, the program offered accessible, dropin art therapy support to a wide...
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Speakers

Raquel Farrell-Kirk

Stacey Kesten

Friday September 25, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Ballroom A Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Keynote, Healing Well-Being and Care as Infrastructure

9:45am EDT

Networking & Refreshment Break

Friday September 25, 2026 9:45am - 10:00am EDT

Ballroom A

Friday September 25, 2026 9:45am - 10:00am EDT
Ballroom A Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Networking & Refreshment

10:00am EDT

ArtShine: Illuminating the Healing Potential of the Arts

Friday September 25, 2026 10:00am - 10:30am EDT

330D

1. Executive SummaryIn July 2022, a century-defining flood devastated Perry, Letcher, Knott, and Leslie counties. Amidst this loss, the ArtShine Project was born as a rapid-response creative intervention. This presentation details the journey from a modest goal of 100 "ArtShine Boxes" to a multi-state movement (ArtShine 2.0 and 3.0) that proves art is an essential service in times of crisis.2. The...
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Speakers

Timothy Deaton-Conway

Executive Director, Appalachian Arts Alliance

Timothy Deaton, is the Executive Director of the Appalachian Arts Alliance. After studying Music and Theatre Education at Morehead State University, and a short stent in New York performing in numerous Theatrical and Operatic Productions, Tim returned to the Mountains, where his heart... Read More →

Lindsey Branson

Friday September 25, 2026 10:00am - 10:30am EDT
330D Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Presentation, Healing Well-Being and Care as Infrastructure

10:00am EDT

The Art of Paying it Forward

Friday September 25, 2026 10:00am - 11:00am EDT

Brockman Senate Chamber (2nd floor)

A tornado cut a devastating path through the heart of Mayfield, Kentucky in December 2021. Residents experienced a painful collective trauma, with much of the historic downtown destroyed and few landmarks or spaces remaining where people could connect and gather. The slow, patient work of recovery in this close-knit community began with the Mayfield Rebuilds Committee, culminating in a final...
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Speakers

Jordan Phemister

Jill Celaya

Elizabeth Riley

Helen Siewers

Friday September 25, 2026 10:00am - 11:00am EDT
Brockman Senate Chamber (2nd floor) Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Panel Discussion, Arts and Mitigation

10:00am EDT

A Guided Tour of Readiness, Response, and Recovery Resources: Navigate the landscape of support for artists and arts organizations

Friday September 25, 2026 10:00am - 11:00am EDT

375

Step aboard for a guided tour of the ever-growing world of resources for artists, small arts organizations, and those who support them. First stop: What defines an emergency, a crisis, or a disaster?Next: The Anatomy of an Emergency, and how understanding the cycle prepares you to avoid fight/flight/freezeand act with intention and clarity. The tour continues through the landscape of information...
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Speakers

Mollie Quinlan-Hayes

Fund Development and Program Officer, NCAPER/National Coalition for Arts Preparedness and Emergency Response

Emily Sollenberger

Friday September 25, 2026 10:00am - 11:00am EDT
375 Gatton Student Center

Workshop

10:00am EDT

Legacy Planning and Archiving for the Active Artist: What you’ve created merits preservation

Friday September 25, 2026 10:00am - 11:00am EDT

330C

Whether you’re early in your career, have an established practice, or are looking towards retirement, you can - and should - take steps to record, safely store, and preserve your material records and data. Knowing that your artistic, business and programmatic history is centralized and stored in multiple formats provides peace of mind, and also ensures that your legacy will last. If you work in...
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Speakers

Tom Clareson

Project Director, Performing Arts Readiness/Lyrasis

Cora Barnes

Friday September 25, 2026 10:00am - 11:00am EDT
330C Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Workshop

10:00am EDT

Safeguarding Community Celebrations: Lessons from Greenup County’s Between Two Rivers Arts & Preparedness Project

Friday September 25, 2026 10:00am - 11:00am EDT

330E

Community celebrations such as festivals, concerts, and farmers markets are central to local identity and local economies, yet many are planned by small teams with limited time, training, or direct relationships with emergency management. This session shares lessons learned from an NEA-funded arts and preparedness project in Greenup County, Kentucky, focused on strengthening event safety through...
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Speakers

Melissa Bond

Community Arts Extension Program Leader, University of Kentucky

Anne Stephens

Friday September 25, 2026 10:00am - 11:00am EDT
330E Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Workshop, Arts and Mitigation

10:00am EDT

The Healing Power of Dance

Friday September 25, 2026 10:00am - 11:00am EDT

231

Dance facilitates the physical expression of internal emotions while improving well-being and fostering social connections in times of crisis. Attendees will be equipped to lead a movement class for individuals of all ages and abilities.The arts play a critical role in times of crisis by bringing people together to reflect, heal, and process grief and trauma.Research has proven the physical and...
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Speakers

EveMarie Bessenbach

Friday September 25, 2026 10:00am - 11:00am EDT
231 Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Workshop, Healing Well-Being and Care as Infrastructure

10:30am EDT

From Comic Book Inker to Crisis Leader

Friday September 25, 2026 10:30am - 11:00am EDT

330D

Career paths are rarely linear. Mine certainly was not. Before coordinating multi-county disaster operations as aregional emergency management director, I trained as a visual artist. I studied art in Italy, worked as a comic book inker, and learned to think in panels, composition, pacing, and negative space. Today, I work in a field often perceived as procedural and bureaucratic—yet I rely daily...
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Speakers

Jason York

Friday September 25, 2026 10:30am - 11:00am EDT
330D Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Presentation, Creative Skills in Emergency Management

11:00am EDT

Networking & Refreshment Break

Friday September 25, 2026 11:00am - 11:15am EDT

330AB

Friday September 25, 2026 11:00am - 11:15am EDT
330AB Gatton Student Center

Networking & Refreshment

11:15am EDT

Community Identity and the Perception of Post-Hurricane Arts Engagement: A Regional Case Study of Northwest Florida and Coastal Alabama

Friday September 25, 2026 11:15am - 11:45am EDT

330E

In order to explore the meaning, experience, and perception of art-making in hurricane-impacted communities, a regional, qualitative research study was conducted through a series of interviews with a diverse sample of community members from the Northwest Florida and Coastal Alabama area. This study explores the role of visual arts in post-hurricane recovery, looking specifically at community...
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Speakers

Crystal King Wallner

Friday September 25, 2026 11:15am - 11:45am EDT
330E Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Presentation, Healing Well-Being and Care as Infrastructure

11:15am EDT

Fostering Dynamic Resilience: Developing & Measuring a Resilient Organization

Friday September 25, 2026 11:15am - 11:45am EDT

231

Arts Organizations across the globe are now faced with consistent threats. These issues span from ecological disasters to cultural shifts, economic uncertainties, and technological hazards. And that’s just outside. In addition, these often struggling companies and nonprofits face a particularly daunting task of not only protecting its often invaluable properties on the premises, but at times,...
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Speakers

Josh Austin

National Director, United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829

Josh Austin serves as the National Director of United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829, IATSE—the national union representing designers, artists, and coordinators across the entertainment industry. Knowing that solidarity wins out, Josh has centered his educational tenure within the... Read More →

Friday September 25, 2026 11:15am - 11:45am EDT
231 Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Presentation, Resilience Education and Workforce Development

11:15am EDT

Revealing Our Fragile Future: How Architecture Can Make Climate Vulnerability Visible

Friday September 25, 2026 11:15am - 12:15pm EDT

Brockman Senate Chamber (2nd floor)

This panel discussion highlights the work of Architecture Sarasota, an organization dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Sarasota School of Architecture in Southwest Florida and their collaboration with the National Park Service. After a series of storms impacted architectural significant properties in 2024, the organization began documenting and evaluating climate vulnerabilities. One novel...
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Speakers

Morris (Marty) Hylton III

Jennifer Wellock

Friday September 25, 2026 11:15am - 12:15pm EDT
Brockman Senate Chamber (2nd floor) Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Panel Discussion, Resilience Education and Workforce Development

11:15am EDT

Disasters, Data, and Decision-Making: Finding and Understanding Local Disaster-Related Data

Friday September 25, 2026 11:15am - 12:15pm EDT

375

Have you ever wondered how many times your county has been included in a major disaster declaration? Have you ever gone online looking for county-level data related to disasters for a grant proposal, program or planning tool, or to help your organization understand the importance of community level disaster-related planning and response? There are multiple data resources available online to assist...
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Speakers

Julie N. Zimmerman

Jeff Young

Friday September 25, 2026 11:15am - 12:15pm EDT
375 Gatton Student Center

Presentation

11:15am EDT

NCAPER Learning Sprint: Risk Assessment, Business Continuity, Navigating Crises and Legacy Planning

Friday September 25, 2026 11:15am - 12:15pm EDT

330D

NEED UPDATED DESCRIPTION

This fast-paced sprint session delivers a universal, need-to-know overview of critical mitigation and preparedness concepts across four essential skills areas.

Speakers

Mollie Quinlan-Hayes

Fund Development and Program Officer, NCAPER/National Coalition for Arts Preparedness and Emergency Response

Tom Clareson

Project Director, Performing Arts Readiness/Lyrasis

Mital Lyons-Warren

Friday September 25, 2026 11:15am - 12:15pm EDT
330D Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Workshop

11:15am EDT

Rampart: Readiness and Legacy Planning for Musicians

Friday September 25, 2026 11:15am - 12:15pm EDT

330C

In March 2026, The Ella Project, an artist service organization based in New Orleans focusing on pro bono legal assistance and arts business development, premiered its Rampart Guide to Legacy Building and Readiness for Musicians. Written by a team of intellectual property and estate lawyers, Rampart is designed for the moderate-income musician and/or their heirs to demystify estate planning and to...
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Speakers

Gene Meneray

Ashlye Keaton

Friday September 25, 2026 11:15am - 12:15pm EDT
330C Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Workshop, Arts and Mitigation

11:45am EDT

Arts Emergency Management in Higher Education: A New Pedagogy for Resilience

Friday September 25, 2026 11:45am - 12:15pm EDT

231

This session will outline the nation's first higher-education pedagogical framework in Arts Emergency Management (AEM), designed and implemented by the University of Kentucky's Department of Arts Administration. Examining principles and practices in emergency management comes at a critical moment in arts management education, asthe severity and costs of disaster events are increasing in scale and...
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Speakers

Rachel Shane

Chair and Professor, University of Kentucky

Dr. Rachel Shane is the Gary B. Knapp Endowed Chair of Arts Administration and Professor at the University of Kentucky in the College of Fine Arts. She also holds a dual appointment with the College of Fine Arts and the Gatton College of Business and Economics.

She oversees three degrees in the Department of Arts Administration (BA, MA, and PhD in Arts Administration) as well as related graduate certificates and professional development offerings. She also teaches a variety of courses in the degree programs. Dr. Shane is the co-editor of... Read More →

Leah Hamilton

Assistant Professor, University of Kentucky

Friday September 25, 2026 11:45am - 12:15pm EDT
231 Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Presentation, Resilience Education and Workforce Development

11:45am EDT

Creative Resilience: How Arts-Based Practices Support Community Healing

Friday September 25, 2026 11:45am - 12:15pm EDT

330E

When disasters strike, communities reach first for two things: safety and meaning. Traditional health education often focuses on physical preparedness—first aid, sheltering, communication plans—but creative practices are equally vital to recovery.Music, storytelling, movement, journaling, and visual art offer culturally grounded strategies that help people process fear, reconnect with one...
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Speakers

Shelly Krajny

Friday September 25, 2026 11:45am - 12:15pm EDT
330E Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Presentation, Healing Well-Being and Care as Infrastructure

12:15pm EDT

Lunch & Networking

Friday September 25, 2026 12:15pm - 12:45pm EDT

Ballroom A

Gather with fellow attendees for lunch, networking, and a special celebration honoring partnerships and leadership that have strengthened preparedness across the arts and culture field: the launch of the National Endowment for the Arts' new practical toolkit, created through its Creative Forces Military Healing Arts Network, and the 20th anniversary of the National Coalition for Arts...
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Friday September 25, 2026 12:15pm - 12:45pm EDT
Ballroom A Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Networking & Refreshment

12:45pm EDT

Roundtable Discussion #1: Arts in Disaster: A Conversation Around Tools for Community Connection and Wellbeing

Friday September 25, 2026 12:45pm - 1:30pm EDT

Ballroom A

The arts are increasingly recognized for their role in disaster readiness, response, and recovery. Beyond economic recovery and tourism, arts and cultural programming can support social and emotional wellbeing by bringing people together and offering ways to express experiences that are difficult to put into words. They can also create space to share stories, honor loss, and reconnect with...
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Speakers

Heather Spooner

Sara Baicich

Friday September 25, 2026 12:45pm - 1:30pm EDT
Ballroom A Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Roundtable Discussion, Healing Well-Being and Care as Infrastructure

12:45pm EDT

Roundtable Discussion #2: Retreating to Advance: CAReNet's artist-led approach to disaster relief and recovery

Friday September 25, 2026 12:45pm - 1:30pm EDT

Ballroom A

In April, a small, thoughtful group of artists, cultural workers, organizers, and cross-sector partners gathered in the beautiful backdrop of Estill County to imagine how artists can be embedded in preparedness, mitigation, and long-term resilience in partnership with local leaders, technical experts, and institutions. The idea was to support a response grounded in real relationships, community,...
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Speakers

Sarah M. Schmitt

Executive Staff Advisor, Kentucky Arts Council

Kiana Mahjub

Friday September 25, 2026 12:45pm - 1:30pm EDT
Ballroom A Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Roundtable Discussion, Healing Well-Being and Care as Infrastructure

12:45pm EDT

Roundtable Discussion #3: The Arts and Post Disaster Recovery Resource

Friday September 25, 2026 12:45pm - 1:30pm EDT

Ballroom A

The Roundtable Discussion will consist of sharing the new Arts and Post Disaster Recovery Resource that was created by the UF CAM research lab. The resource includes art projects and interventions conducted by artists, community leaders, and art organizations to provide a creative outlet after a disaster has struck a community. During our session, we will be guiding participants in the usage of...
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Speakers

Lucia Girado

Crystal King Wallner

Friday September 25, 2026 12:45pm - 1:30pm EDT
Ballroom A Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Roundtable Discussion, Creative Skills in Emergency Management

12:45pm EDT

Roundtable Discussion #4: Local Arts Agencies: Essential Infrastructure for Disaster Readiness, Response, and Recovery

Friday September 25, 2026 12:45pm - 1:30pm EDT

Ballroom A

Thousands of Local Arts Agencies (LAAs) exist across the United States, supporting artists and cultural organizations while working at the intersection of public systems and community life. Americans for the Arts (AFTA) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) recognize that LAAs are uniquely positioned to contribute to disaster readiness, response, and recovery. These organizations bring...
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Speakers

Mital Lyons-Warren

Eleanor Billington

Civic Partnerships Manager, National Endowment for the Arts

Eleanor Billington is the Civic Partnerships Manager at the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). She manages the local arts agency grant portfolio as well as the NEA’s disaster recovery and emergency preparedness work.

Friday September 25, 2026 12:45pm - 1:30pm EDT
Ballroom A Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Roundtable Discussion, Healing Well-Being and Care as Infrastructure

12:45pm EDT

Roundtable Discussion #5: Prepared to Thrive: Building Performing Arts Resilience On and Off the Stage

Friday September 25, 2026 12:45pm - 1:30pm EDT

Ballroom A

Performing artists and organizations are navigating an increasingly complex landscape—balancing creative work withfinancial uncertainty, leadership transitions, and unexpected disruptions/disasters. These disruptions extend beyond natural or man-made disasters and include anything that interrupts an artist’s or organization’s ability to function, create, and sustain their work.Prepared...
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Speakers

Carol Foster

Tom Clareson

Project Director, Performing Arts Readiness/Lyrasis

Friday September 25, 2026 12:45pm - 1:30pm EDT
Ballroom A Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Roundtable Discussion, Resilience Education and Workforce Development

12:45pm EDT

Roundtable Discussion #6: Connection as Prevention: Building Arts, Health, and Community Response Networks After Disaster

Friday September 25, 2026 12:45pm - 1:30pm EDT

Ballroom A

In the aftermath of the 2023 Lahaina wildfires, communities across Maui faced profound disruption, including displacement, grief, cultural loss, and increased strain on families and support systems. In response, artists, educators, cultural practitioners, and health leaders mobilized to restore connection; not only as a form of healing, but as a strategy for prevention. This roundtable introduces...
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Speakers

Moira Pirsch

Erin Brothers

Hoku Pavao

Anna Pirsch

Friday September 25, 2026 12:45pm - 1:30pm EDT
Ballroom A Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Roundtable Discussion, Resilience Education and Workforce Development

1:45pm EDT

UK Robinson Center: To Rebuild>To Refocus>To Recover

Friday September 25, 2026 1:45pm - 2:15pm EDT

330E

From July 25th through July 30th, 2022, multiple complex thunderstorms developed south of I-64 and not only broughtrecord-setting rain and deadly flash flooding but also devastating river flooding to Eastern Kentucky and CentralAppalachia. The Robinson Center was not exempt from the devastation. Experiencing extensive damage to multiplebuildings and total decimation of others, facility staff...
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Speakers

Daniel Wilson

Friday September 25, 2026 1:45pm - 2:15pm EDT
330E Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Presentation

1:45pm EDT

National Efforts, Local Impact: Insights from the NEA and Creative Forces Arts in Disaster Programming

Friday September 25, 2026 1:45pm - 2:45pm EDT

Brockman Senate Chamber (2nd floor)

The arts are increasingly recognized for their role in supporting disaster readiness, response and recovery. Beyond their contributions to economic recovery and tourism, arts and cultural programming can also play a meaningful role in communities’ social and emotional recovery. The arts can bring people together, restore a sense of normalcy, and offer offer ways to express experiences that may...
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Speakers

Heather Spooner

Bill O'Brien

Bill O'Brien, Senior Advisor for Program Innovation at the National Endowment for the Arts, is responsible for exploring, examining and identifying innovative and/or emerging practices, programs and endeavors in the arts that are transformative and deserving of support. Mr. O’Brien... Read More →

Eleanor Billington

Civic Partnerships Manager, National Endowment for the Arts

Sara Kass

Sara Baicich

Friday September 25, 2026 1:45pm - 2:45pm EDT
Brockman Senate Chamber (2nd floor) Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Panel Discussion, Healing Well-Being and Care as Infrastructure

1:45pm EDT

Cultural Emergency Response Map: Safeguarding Puerto Rico’s Heritage

Friday September 25, 2026 1:45pm - 2:45pm EDT

231

The Alianza Cultural para Emergencias de Puerto Rico (Alliance for Cultural Emergencies in Puerto Rico) (ACEPR) was established in 2019 to assist cultural, LAM, and arts organizations throughout the Archipelago in minimizing damage to their collections during natural hazards or man-made disasters. Founded in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and María in 2017, ACEPR has utilized the lessons...
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Speakers

Hilda Teresa Ayala González

Friday September 25, 2026 1:45pm - 2:45pm EDT
231 Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Presentation, Arts and Mitigation

1:45pm EDT

After the Storm: Storybooks and other Arts-Based Practices for Children’s Disaster Readiness and Recovery

Friday September 25, 2026 1:45pm - 2:45pm EDT

330D

Children are particularly vulnerable in disasters, not only from direct exposure, but from watching their caregivers stressed and struggling. They often react by acting out, or by experiencing increased anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress. What helps most is a caregiver who feels equipped to stay calm, keep communication open, and help children identify and express their feelings.This...
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Speakers

Nicole Breazeale

University of Kentucky

N/A

David Weisenhorn

Jessica Evans

Community Arts Senior Extension Associate, University of Kentucky

Natese Dockery

Melissa Bond

Community Arts Extension Program Leader, University of Kentucky

Friday September 25, 2026 1:45pm - 2:45pm EDT
330D Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Workshop, Healing Well-Being and Care as Infrastructure

1:45pm EDT

EmComm for All: Basic radio communication for resilient communities

Friday September 25, 2026 1:45pm - 2:45pm EDT

330C

This workshop is designed to equip participants with foundational knowledge and practical skills needed to communicate effectively when internet-based communication is unavailable. For individuals, communities, and organizations interested in improving operational resilience, this session provides a well-rounded introduction to essential emergency communication (“EmComm”) concepts and...
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Speakers

Samuel Lockridge

Friday September 25, 2026 1:45pm - 2:45pm EDT
330C Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Workshop, Resilience Education and Workforce Development

1:45pm EDT

Lost in Translation: When Arts Administrators and Emergency Managers Speak Different Languages

Friday September 25, 2026 1:45pm - 2:45pm EDT

375

Arts and cultural organizations are increasingly recognized as important partners in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. However, collaboration between arts administrators and emergency managers often reveals a fundamental challenge: the two sectors frequently speak different professional “languages.” Terminology, planning frameworks, organizational structures, and even assumptions...
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Speakers

Cameron Baxter Lewis

Friday September 25, 2026 1:45pm - 2:45pm EDT
375 Gatton Student Center

Workshop, Creative Skills in Emergency Management

2:15pm EDT

Interdisciplinary Links from Appalachian Water Humanities Cooperative

Friday September 25, 2026 2:15pm - 2:45pm EDT

330E

Water has shaped and influenced the natural and cultural landscapes of Appalachia, especially as powerful sites of historical significance, cultural and collective memory, place-based identity, and everyday community life. This presentation aims to share insights and links created through the synergistic exchange of experiences and interests around water in Appalachia. The Appalachian Water...
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Speakers

Nicole Marks

Kathryn Newfont

Kopana Terry

Matthew Strandmark

Education Archivist, University of Kentucky - Special Collections Research Center

Friday September 25, 2026 2:15pm - 2:45pm EDT
330E Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Presentation, Resilience Education and Workforce Development

2:45pm EDT

Networking & Refreshment Break

Friday September 25, 2026 2:45pm - 3:00pm EDT

330AB

Friday September 25, 2026 2:45pm - 3:00pm EDT
330AB Gatton Student Center

Networking & Refreshment

3:00pm EDT

From Fly Loft to Rescue Loft: Using Theatre Spaces for High Rescue Training

Friday September 25, 2026 3:00pm - 3:30pm EDT

330C

High-angle rescue is one of the most technically demanding disciplines in emergency response, requiring precision,advanced rigging systems, and training environments that simulate real-world vertical challenges. While fire and rescue teams often rely on specialized facilities, theaters—equipped with complex rigging systems, fly systems, and overhead structures—represent an underutilized...
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Speakers

Alicia Jay

Friday September 25, 2026 3:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
330C Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Presentation, Arts and Mitigation

3:00pm EDT

The Late Recovery Gap: Make-Break-Transform, an Arts-Based Framework for Community-Led Recovery

Friday September 25, 2026 3:00pm - 3:30pm EDT

330E

When disaster strikes, communities lose more than infrastructure. They also lose agency. Make-Break-Transform is a creative resilience framework developed over 15 years of arts-based practice across the United States and Central America, now proposed as a deployment model for the late recovery phase, when outside support has largely withdrawn. The process is simple: participants make something...
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Speakers

Michelle Rene Hill

Owner

Friday September 25, 2026 3:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
330E Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Presentation, Healing Well-Being and Care as Infrastructure

3:00pm EDT

From Forecast to First Response: An All‑Hazards Panel for Arts and Culture with a Meteorologist and an Emergency Manager

Friday September 25, 2026 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT

Brockman Senate Chamber (2nd floor)

This panel brings together expertise from the National Weather Service and Kentucky Emergency Management to help arts and cultural leaders better understand how weather warnings are developed and communicated, and the ways that arts and cultural organizations can best engage with first responders before, during, and after an emergency. Jane Marie Wix, Warning Coordination Meteorologist with the...
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Speakers

Jane Marie Wix

Warning Coordination Metoerologist, National Weather Service Jackson, KY

Jane Marie Wix is from Brandenburg, KY and a 2010 graduate of Western Kentucky University, part of their 1st ever graduating class of Meteorology! She has worked as a meteorologist intern at NWS Louisville, KY while in college, before moving to Marquette, MI to start her full-time... Read More →

Jason York

Leah Hamilton

Assistant Professor, University of Kentucky

Melissa Bond

Community Arts Extension Program Leader, University of Kentucky

Friday September 25, 2026 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Brockman Senate Chamber (2nd floor) Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Panel Discussion, Resilience Education and Workforce Development

3:00pm EDT

Creative Disasters: Movement workshop for disaster storytelling

Friday September 25, 2026 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT

330D

Art has the unique strength of bringing firsthand experiences into disaster preparedness and response work. Mainstream emergency preparedness education, disaster reporting, and support for survivors tends to be fact-based, dry and didactic, hiding the human experiences and costs of these disasters. But how do we build collective narratives that tell a more complete story? What participatory...
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Speakers

Wyn Batson

Taiga Christie

Nicole Garneau

Rachel O'Hanlon-Rodriguez

Spiral Q

Friday September 25, 2026 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
330D Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Workshop, Healing Well-Being and Care as Infrastructure

3:00pm EDT

In the Wake of Disasters: Defining and Mitigating Traumas

Friday September 25, 2026 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT

375

In the face of pervasive disasters, both natural and socially constructed, people are looking for trauma-informed practices that they can use in their teaching, research, and everyday lives.This workshop will teach one method that museum curator Rachel Hooper developed in conversation with an interdisciplinary group of humanities researchers at Indiana University’s Institute for Advanced Study....
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Speakers

Rachel Hooper

Friday September 25, 2026 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
375 Gatton Student Center

Workshop, Healing Well-Being and Care as Infrastructure

3:30pm EDT

Case Study: A Cultural Treasure Engulfed in Flames

Friday September 25, 2026 3:30pm - 4:00pm EDT

330E

The 2022 fire that destroyed the Masonic Temple in Zanesville, Ohio, serves as a harrowing case study for arts administrators, urban planners, and community leaders. Built in 1902 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Temple had evolved from a fraternal lodge into a vital artist center. It housed many studios where local creatives worked and sold their art. In a single night,...
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Speakers

Joshua Prentice

Friday September 25, 2026 3:30pm - 4:00pm EDT
330E Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Presentation, Healing Well-Being and Care as Infrastructure

3:30pm EDT

Stronger Together: Forging a Rural Arts and Culture Disaster Resilience Network in Vermont

Friday September 25, 2026 3:30pm - 4:00pm EDT

231

Vermont's arts and cultural sector, including artists, museums, historical societies, libraries, archives, and performing arts organizations, is as vulnerable to disaster as any other part of the state's infrastructure. For years, this sector lacked a coordinated voice in emergency preparedness and response.This session traces the development of the Vermont Arts and Culture Disaster and Resilience...
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Speakers

Amy Cunningham

Friday September 25, 2026 3:30pm - 4:00pm EDT
231 Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Presentation, Arts and Mitigation

3:30pm EDT

The Alianza Cultural para Emergencias de Puerto Rico: Building Connections and Resilience through Educational Innitiatives

Friday September 25, 2026 3:30pm - 4:00pm EDT

330C

In this presentation, we will discuss how the Alianza Cultural para Emergencias de Puerto Rico has designed andImplemented educational programs and the impact they have had on building our local response network.Following Hurricane Maria's impact in 2017, several challenges arose, among them: the lack of a local network to respond to emergencies involving heritage collections. In response, the...
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Speakers

Hilda Teresa Ayala González

Friday September 25, 2026 3:30pm - 4:00pm EDT
330C Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Presentation, Resilience Education and Workforce Development

4:15pm EDT

Closing Plenary Performance: "Down by the River"

Friday September 25, 2026 4:15pm - 5:00pm EDT

Ballroom A

A performance of an original work for flute ensemble and narration by Julie Hobbs, with a recitation of the poem "Aerial View of Catastrophic Flooding" by Appalachian poet Pauletta Hansel.This original composition, written for flute ensemble and narration, is based on the Appalachian folk tune "Down by theRiver to Pray." The music serves as a backdrop for Pauletta Hansel's powerful poem "Aerial...
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Speakers

Julie Hobbs

Friday September 25, 2026 4:15pm - 5:00pm EDT
Ballroom A Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Performance, Arts and Mitigation

5:00pm EDT

Closing Reception

Friday September 25, 2026 5:00pm - 6:30pm EDT

Ballroom A

Friday September 25, 2026 5:00pm - 6:30pm EDT
Ballroom A Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508

Networking & Refreshment