Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs welcomed nationally recognized leaders to a recent statewide cultural conference held in the new, beautiful and awe-inspiring Dr. Phillips Center. The conference, which focused on the powerful role arts and culture plays in the overall health of communities and states, brought together individuals who work in Florida\u2019s cultural community for a day of meaningful professional development, networking and collaboration.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Dr. Phillips Center is much more than a breathtaking addition to our skyline and downtown core. This is a place where learning, exploration and creativity will happen,\u201d Mayor Jacobs said. \u201cThis is our cultural heartbeat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Participants in the day-long conference \u2013 Convening Culture 2015: Building a Healthier Florida through Arts and Culture<\/em> \u2013 explored sessions ranging from arts and healthcare initiatives to roundtables on sustaining a healthy funding environment. Presentations were made by nationally recognized leaders in the fields of arts and culture, healthcare, the environment, research and advocacy.<\/p>\n Speakers included Mayor Jacobs, the conference co-chair Sibille Pritchard, Frank Billingsley, Chief of Staff to City of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, and Florida\u2019s Secretary of State Ken Detzner.<\/p>\n \u201cThrough the guidance of professionals like you, and by engaging our entire community with the arts, we are creating healthy, thriving communities, which are bursting with imagination and innovation,\u201d Mayor Jacobs said. \u201cBy nurturing arts and culture, we are nurturing our quality of life.\u201d<\/p>\n During her remarks, Mayor Jacobs also emphasized the importance of arts and culture, the impact the Dr. Phillips Center has on future generations, tourism and hospitality and Orange County as a premier destination for performing arts.<\/p>\n \u201cWe all know that children benefit from exposure to the arts,\u201d Mayor Jacobs said. \u201cMore and more, the research is pointing to solid gains in creative and critical thinking among children who engage in the arts.\u201d<\/p>\n With its opening in November 2014, the performing arts center has fulfilled its vision as a remarkable hub for Broadway performances, spectacular artists, audiences and students. The second phase of the Dr. Phillips Center will begin construction in the first quarter of 2017. The centerpiece of the second phase will be the third theatre, a 1,700-seat acoustical theater that will provide a space for ballet, operas and orchestral performances.<\/p>\n \u201cBy investing in first-class facilities like the Dr. Phillips Center, we are showing the world that the arts are important for our future as a healthy, dynamic, creative, evolving community,\u201d Mayor Jacobs said.<\/p>\n The two-block Center features the 2,700-seat Walt Disney Theater, 300-seat Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater, the Seneff Arts Plaza, the School of Arts, the DeVos Family Room, and other spaces to host theater, dance, popular musical artists, and spectacular entertainment performances. Future expansion plans include the 1,700-seat acoustic theater and commercial development spaces. The Dr. Phillips Center is a public-private collaboration with Orange County, the City of Orlando, the State of Florida and generous donors.<\/p>\n The event was presented in conjunction with the Florida Council on the Arts and Culture, the Citizens for Florida Arts, Inc. and the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs. A preconference professional development workshop for individual artists was held the day before the Dr. Phillips Center event, along with an opening reception. A closing reception at the Orlando Science Center followed the event.<\/p>\n