Pam Korza co-directs Animating Democracy, a program of Americans for the Arts that inspires, informs, promotes, and connects arts and culture as potent contributors to community, civic, and social change.  She has consulted and offered workshops and presentations on arts and civic engagement for artists, cultural organizations, funders, and at cross-sector gatherings across the country and internationally. She co-authored the Municipal-Artist Partnership Guide (2019) with Jan Cohen-Cruz, in partnership with A Blade of Grass. She co-wrote Civic Dialogue, Arts & Culture, and the Arts & Civic Engagement Tool Kit, as well as the five-book Case Studies from Animating Democracy.  Her writing and editing on assessing arts and social change work includes: the framework, the Continuum of Impact guide; Aesthetic Perspectives: Attributes of Excellence in Arts for Change; “Evaluating Impact/Appreciating Evaluation;” and a chapter in the book, Arts and Community Change (Routledge, 2015). 

Website: http://animatingdemocracy.org/

Prerana Reddy is Director of Programs at A Blade of Grass, a nonprofit that advances the field of socially engaged art through financial support for artists, public programming, research, and content creation. Previously she was the Director of Public Programs & Community Engagement at the Queens Museum in New York City (2005-2018) where she organized both exhibition- and community-based programs as well as public art commissions. In addition, she oversaw a cultural organizing initiative for Corona, Queens residents that resulted in the creation and ongoing programming of a public plaza and a popular education center for new immigrants. She has a Masters degree in Cinema Studies and Anthropology from New York University, and has extensive film programming experience. She is currently on the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission and sits on the boards of NOCD-NY, ArtBuilt, Rockaway Initiative for Sustainabilty & Equity, and New Immigrant Community Empowerment. 

Website: www.abladeofgrass.org

Twitter: @preranareddy

Instragram: @preranar

Lynn Osgood, PhD is an urban planner and researcher, and the founder and executive director of Civic Arts. She started her career in urban planning in New York City when she worked with the UN Habitat II Conference on Human Settlements. Trained in landscape architecture and urban planning at the University of Virginia, Lynn moved to Austin in 2003,where she became Adjunct Faculty at the University of Texas in the School of Architecture. She now teaches there on civic engagement and qualitative research.  In 2011 she founded Civic Arts (formerly GO collaborative) and leads the development of creative placemaking projects such as the NEA Exploring Our Town website, and the ArtPlace America-funded Drawing Lines project, as well as technical assistance services for municipal partners across the United States. Currently Civic Arts is in partnership with ArtPlace America, the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and Engaging Local Government Leaders (ELGL) to find ways in which arts-based community development practices can become more fully integrated into the local government sector.

Website: www.civicarts.org

Twitter: @CivicArtsAustin

Working in the mediums of dialogue, participation, and collaboration, Krissie Marty makes dances with people who aren’t traditionally considered dancers.  As Associate Artistic Director & Community Collaborations Director of Forklift Danceworks, she most often engages city employees in making dances that ask audiences to reconsider their relationship to labor and laboring bodies. She helped to conceive the My Park, My Pool, My City project and co-directed Bartholomew Swims, Dove Springs Swims, and Givens Swims. Krissie created and directed RE Source, featuring employees and machinery of the Goodwill Resource Center in a 125,000 square foot warehouse. She co-directed PowerUP, Play Ball Downs Field, Afoot: A Marching Band Extravaganza, and The Trees of Govalle. Previously, Krissie worked as a faculty member and choreographer with the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange for over a decade. She choreographed movement for theatre with Big Art Group (NYC and international tours), Washington Shakespeare Company, and Imagination Stage (DC). Her choreography has been performed at the Kennedy Center, Stratford Circus in London, Chateau de Cazals in France, and Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival.

Website: forkliftdanceworks.org

Facebook: @forkliftdanceworks

Instagram @forkliftdanceworks