Creative Resilience: The Art of Mass Gatherings in Kansas City

Art of Mass Gatherings

Sunday, May 22, 2022 | 9:30 am – 3:30 pm | in-person only

The Art of Mass Gatherings is an experiential training for arts administrators, artists, emergency professionals, and event organizers to elevate the safety, accessibility, sustainability, and community responsiveness of events. The program includes learning sessions and demonstrations of sustainable power and waste infrastructure and equipment, utilizing the infrastructure of the conference as a hands-on classroom for building cross-fluencies between event production and emergency response.

This free one-day workshop and networking event is for music presenters, arts administrators, artists, emergency professionals, and event organizers. It utilizes the infrastructure and grounds of the Kansas City Folk Festival and Folk Alliance International Conference as a hands-on classroom for elevating the safety, safety, accessibility, sustainability, and community responsiveness of events, and to build resilience in our communities.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Details about the event program are still being finalized! Parts of the day will take place indoors and others will occur outside (weather permitting) on the grounds of the Kansas City Folk Festival grounds. The program schedule will be available shortly.

Proof of vaccine against COVID-19 is required, along with mask wearing at all times, as part of the conference’s COVID-19 policy.

About the Training

Performing arts and live entertainment events are catalysts for culture and community-building. How can they also drive meaningful social transformation, equitable emergency response, and increased economic resilience for arts and events workers? What do our events look like when safety, accessibility, sustainability, and community are conscientiously placed at their center?

The program includes sessions led by experts and advocates in these four areas, inviting participants to share their own experience and expertise throughout and encouraging speakers and participants to all take turns as both teachers and learners. The training also includes demonstrations of sustainable power and waste infrastructure and equipment, focusing on cross-fluencies between event production and emergency response. Participants will leave with concrete practices and resources to increase the safety, sustainability, accessibility, and community-centeredness of their work. The program schedule will be posted shortly.

How to Attend

This pre-conference event is brought to you by the Kansas City Folk Festival, Folk Alliance International, Majestic Collaborations, Performing Arts Readiness, and local partners. It is part of the 2022 Folk Alliance International Conference taking place May 18-22 in Kansas City, MO.

You do not need to be registered for the conference to attend this event, although a certain number of spaces have been reserved for conference registrants.