FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – July 26, 2021
DUKE ELLINGTON SCHOOL OF THE ARTS WINS BID TO HOST 2024 ARTS SCHOOLS NETWORK CONFERENCE
Event Will Bring Arts Leaders and Teachers From Around The World To DC, and Coincide With Ellington’s 50th Anniversary Celebration
WASHINGTON – Administrators at Duke Ellington School of the Arts felt good about their chances while preparing a bid to host the 2024 Arts Schools Network Conference. The event hops around the country annually but has not been at Ellington since 2009.
ASN President Kyle Wedberg called recently to inform the administration that the conference is coming to DC in 2024 … which happens to coincide with Ellington’s 50th anniversary. “We couldn’t be happier to receive such incredible news,” Principal Sandi M. Logan said. “We’re thrilled to host the ASN conference while celebrating our golden anniversary.”
“Duke Ellington School of the Arts is a founding member of the Arts Schools Network,” Wedberg said. “We are beyond excited to bring this conference to your magnificent campus in our nation’s capital.”
Founded by Peggy Cooper Cafritz and Mike Malone in 1974, Ellington has emerged among the nation’s premier high schools for visual and performing arts. It also ranks high in academic performance; only four other DCPS high schools have at least 4 STARs in the District’s ratings system, and U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks Ellington among DC’s Top 5 high schools.
Students hail from every DC ward, primarily from the city’s least-advantaged areas. Alumni have achieved major success in the arts and a range of other fields, including education, business, engineering, law, and medicine. Ellington is operated as a partnership between DC Public Schools, George Washington University, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
ASN is a nonprofit association founded in 1981 to inspire emerging and seasoned leaders in K-16 arts schools, by providing quality resources, support, and networking opportunities to elevate their institutions. A typical ASN conference draws more than 300 adults and students, representing five countries, 40 states and more than 200 institutions. Chicago will host the event this year and Las Vegas will host in 2022; the 2023 site is undecided.
In 2024, with a tentative conference theme of “Art as Activism,” ASN attendees will experience innovative programs from Ellington and its partners, while enjoying DC’s vast array of arts venues!
Comments