By R.V. Baugus

We at IAVM only became recently aware of the passing of Richard Huff, who most recently served as Executive Director of the Irving Arts Board and the Irving Arts Center. Despite his passing in 2020, we wanted to share his obituary and to send belated condolences.

Richard Huff’s professional experience has included working at the local, state and national levels. He has gained a national reputation for his work in each of these arenas. As Director of the Cultural Activities Center in Temple, Texas (a community of 25,000) he was instrumental in raising the funds necessary to construct a new cultural center. As Director of the Dallas City Arts Program for seven years, he played a key role in the creation of the Dallas Arts District, the creation of the city’s first Cultural Policy and Plan, the establishment of the Neighborhood Cultural Center Program and the renovation of the Majestic Theater, a 1920’s elegant vaudeville and movie theater.

Mr. Huff has served as the Executive Director of two state arts agencies: The Texas Commission on the Arts and the Illinois Arts Council. In Texas, Mr. Huff led the agency through times of political turmoil and changing values with respect to grant making. Under his direction, staff was reduced and efficiency was increased. With his guidance, a long-range plan was created and grants making processes and procedures were revised. Many of those revisions are still being utilized today. In Illinois, he also addressed the grant-making procedures to increase public accountability and reduce potential for conflict of interest. Mr. Huff reached out to the rural arts interest in Illinois, working with both the arts world and the rural development interests throughout the state.

As Director of the National Endowment of the Arts Locals Program, Mr. Huff was able to double the program’s budget, promote the value of community cultural planning and policy making. He encouraged rural constituents to become involved with the NEA’s Locals Program and was a member of the management group for President Bush’s Rural Development Initiative. He redesigned the Locals Program’s panel review procedures to ensure that specific criteria were established and followed. The new design also ensured that the panel meetings were open to constituents.

Mr. Huff was the President of Richard Huff & Associates, a consulting service that provided organizational planning, meeting facilitation and technical assistance to a wide variety of arts and cultural organizations. Clients have included the Ames International Orchestra Festival Association in Ames, Iowa; the Mid-America Arts Alliance in Kansas City; the Missouri Association of Community Arts Agencies; the Assembly of Community Arts Councils of Oklahoma; the State of Louisiana Division of the Arts; the Marshall Regional Arts Council in Marshall, Texas; the Arts Council of the Brazos Valley in College Station, Texas; the Texas Alliance for Education and the Arts; the Branson Arts Council in Branson, Missouri; the Calcasieu Arts and Humanities Council in Lake Charles, Louisiana; Slidell Little Theater in Slidell, Louisiana; the New Iberia Arts Commission in New Iberia, Louisiana; the Cross Timbers Regional Arts Council in Stephenville, Texas; the Association of American Cultures in San Antonio, Texas; and the Texas Commission on the Arts.

• Since August 1, 1995, Mr. Huff has been Executive Director of the Irving Arts Board and the Irving Arts Center. The Center has a budget of $5 million dollars annually and is home to 11 Resident Art Organizations. The six-acre campus includes a facility with more than 91,500 square feet of performing and visual arts space, including the 707-seat Carpenter Performance Hall and the 253-seat Dupree Theater.

• In 2007 the Irving Arts Center was named an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution.

• The Arts Center’s four gallery spaces have housed notable exhibitions from local, regional and national artists, including:
– 200 Years of African American Art: The Arthur Primas Collection
– Within the Emperor’s Garden: The Ten Thousand Springs Pavilion – A Smithsonian exhibition
– Dance Theatre of Harlem: 40 Years of Firsts -A retrospective of the first 40 years of the company.

• In 2011, the Arts Center welcomed the international tour of Genghis Khan: The Exhibition. The multi-media exhibition brought with it the largest number of artifacts from 13th century Mongolia ever gathered in a single showing. During the four month exhibition, over 50,000 people attended, including 12,682 students. Visitors came from 49 states and the District of Columbia and represented over 2,303 zip codes, pushing annual IAC attendance up to 162,831.

• In 2014, the Arts Center partnered with National Geographic Museum in Washington D.C. to present “Peruvian Gold: Ancient Treasures Unearthed.” Irving and Washington are the only locations for the exhibition which showcases pre-Inca splendors from the royal tombs of Peru.

• The Sculpture Garden was completed during Huff’s tenure and features commissioned sculptures by James Surls, Jesús Moroles and Michael Manjarris; the monumental mosaic Irving Centennial Mural created by artist Francisco Mendoza with Irving youths; and ’03 Politicized Democracy by John Brough Miller. The Sculpture Garden also features rotating sculptures by Texas and national artists, including a sculpture by American artist Reuben Nakian, on loan from the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Huff graduated from Wichita State University with a B.A. in Speech and Drama with a minor in Business and received an M.A. from the University of Denver in Technical Theater (Set and Light Design). He also attended the University of Texas for Post-Graduate studies in Arts Management. He was an Adjunct Professor for the Community Arts Management Graduate Program at University of Illinois at Springfield in Springfield, Illinois, an Adjunct Professor for the Arts Management Program at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas and a guest lecturer to the Arts Management Graduate Program at Columbia College of Chicago. Mr. Huff is a founding member of the U.S. Urban Arts Federation and the Texas Assembly of Arts Councils (now called the Texas Alliance for Education and the Arts). He has served on the boards of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, the National Association for Regional Ballet, Texans for the Arts and Texas Non-Profit Theatres and two regional arts organizations: Arts Midwest and Mid America Arts Alliance. Mr. Huff served as both a panelist and site evaluator for the National Endowment for the Arts prior to and since his employment at the Irving Arts Center.

Richard is preceded in death by parents, Robert and Charlotte Huff. He is survived by son, Robert Huff and wife Margaret; daughter, Cecillia Huff; grandson, Marcus David Huff; grandson, Richard Steven Huff; brother, Harold Huff; sister, Barbara Sue Mikesell; numerous other nieces, nephews, extended family, and loving friends.

By StadiumBusiness

The Brazilian city of São Paulo is set for a new 20,000-capacity arena through a partnership between Live Nation Entertainment, Oak View Group and GL Events.

GL Events, an events infrastructure specialist, has been awarded a 30-year lease by the City of São Paulo for the Anhembi campus, which spans four million square feet and is currently known for hosting a carnival parade among other events.

The arena has been designed by architecture firm Gensler and is expected to break ground in 2022,

opening in 2024. The arena is set to include innovative features such as environmental sustainability programs, VIP seating, hospitality lounges, diverse food and beverage offerings, and premium acoustic technology.

The Arena São Paulo will host concerts, sports, family entertainment shows and more, and will be located in the heart of the Anhembi District. The development of the arena will mark the beginning of a wider redevelopment project for the district that will include a range of real-estate investments.

It is hoped the redevelopment will transform Anhembi into a “global benchmark” for events with the arena, which will be complemented by a cultural boulevard, an exhibition center and São Paulo’s first next-generation international convention center.

Live Nation and OVG will develop and operate the new arena and oversee event bookings. Live Nation, which has an existing presence in Brazil with festivals such as Lollapalooza and Rock in Rio, will focus on featuring international and domestic artists at the arena.

São Paulo Mayor Ricardo Nunes said: “Today is a historic day for our city because we are starting the implementation of the Arena São Paulo, a project led by the three best companies in the world in their industry. We are going to build the best arena in Latin America. It will be a major achievement for the city of São Paulo and for the world.”

Michael Rapino, president and chief executive of Live Nation Entertainment, added: “As the leader in live, we’re excited to be expanding our footprint in Latin America by creating a world-class arena in São Paulo. This new venue will add to our portfolio of 200+ venues worldwide and we are proud to contribute to the growth of São Paulo as a live music hub and international touring destination.”

Last month, Live Nation and OVG were announced as companies in a consortium that will deliver a new 15,000-capacity arena in the Welsh capital of Cardiff. The companies will serve as operators, with Robertson to be the developer of the arena, which is set to open by the end of 2024.

iCommit, IAVM’s new member referral campaign, is nearing its end! Now is the time to refer industry nonmembers to IAVM, i.e., venue professionals, companies who provide products and services to venues, faculty and students are encouraged to join.

Current members: for each new member you refer by the deadline, your name will be entered into a raffle to win one of five, $500 Apple Gift Cards. The more members you refer, the more chances you have to win!

• Prizes: The grand prize will be a complimentary registration to VenueConnect 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona (value up to $1,000).
• Win one of five, $500 Apple Gift cards – receive one raffle entry for each new member you refer.
• The IAVM Region that adds the most new members will choose one recipient to apply for the CVP designation by 12/31/2022; IAVM will waive the $125 application fee (the Region Director will choose the recipient within the winning region).

To ensure you are eligible to win one of the prizes, ask your applicant to do the following:

• List your name in the Application Section titled, “Who Recommended IAVM To You/How Did You Hear About IAVM?”
• Enter “iCommit” in the Promotional Code field in the online membership application.
• For new Professional or Allied members only, the $150 one-time initiation fee will be waived*

*Some membership types do not have an initiation fee; membership dues will not be discounted.

All winners of the gift cards will be notified in January 2022. Contact membership@iavm.org if you have any questions.

It makes me proud to see how close we are to meeting the 100+ Women of IAVM’s 2021 goal. Because of our strong member commitment for the past five years, 35 scholarships have been granted to support and educate our industry women.

You have embraced this initiative time after time, and the results speak for themselves

So today, I ask one more time, if you have yet to give your annual donation or have never chosen this initiative, please consider today making that donation.

We are within $1600 of success. Together, as always we can make this happen! Donate Here!

 

 

 

 

Kerry Painter, CVE, CEM, CMP
IAVM Board of Directors, 2nd Vice Chair

 

Thank you to the following who have donated to the 100+ Women of IAVM 2021 campaign:

Matt Balk RV Baugus Bill Bavirsha Kim Bedier Alexis Berggren Jason Blackwell John Bolton Jana Brooks Jim Brown Danny Bryant Gina Brydson Kathryn Carlson Stacey Church Tom Cornwall Robin Covington Terri Cranmer Sam Dores Donna Dowless Rosanne Duke Mark Eddy Adina Erwin Cliff Flynn Shura Garnett Lori Garza Maura Gast Mark Gnatovic Bobby Goldwater

Jim Greene Mark Haley Stacey Hall Eric Hart Ebony Hattix Barbara Hubbard Daniel Huerta Christine Hunjas Robert Hunter Elizabeth Ishihara Shelly Kleppsattel Tammy Koolbeck Abbie Jo Lady Christopher Lamberth Frantzer LeBlanc Kate Lee Joan LeMahieu Joyce Leveston Mary Lewis Kimberly Mahoney Michael Marion Kimberly Marriott Brad Mayne James McCue Carol Moore Jennifer Norris Carisa Norton

Kerry Painter Julie Pazina Michele Powell Lynda Reinhart Clifford Rippetoe Christopher Russo Eray Saban Mich Sauers Susan Sieger John Siehl Julia Slocombe Zakiya Smith-Dore Leslee Stewart Barry Strafacci Cheryl Swanson Laura Sweet Angie Teel Karen Totaro Lara Verdone Beth Wade Carol Wallace Lori Wehmer Robyn Williams James Wynkoop

By R.V. Baugus and Travel+Leisure

Travel+Leisure magazine recently came out with a list of the 10 Most Impressive Art Deco Buildings in the World. The list, we are happy to share, includes the Paramount Theatre in San Francisco (pictured, photo by Cathe Centorbe), and Fair Park, TX in Dallas. We congratulate both and share below the introduction from the magazine’s story. To see the full list, please click here.

It’s no surprise that the art deco movement was born around the conclusion of World War I. It was a symbol of hope, a new beginning that parted ways with the past’s opulent and overly ornate designs, and instead, put a stress on a more straightforward, functional, modern-day aesthetic. The trend emerged during the 1925 world’s fair in Paris, where exhibitors from around the globe were asked to build their pavilions in a brand-new style that made no historical references to other movements. Gone were the lavish religious and floral motifs of the past centuries. They were replaced by stylized shapes and geometrical elements, as well as chevron, sunburst, and zigzag patterns that are now emblematic of the art deco style.

This new design aesthetic caught on primarily on this side of the Atlantic. As our country was going through an economic and real estate boom, this modern design trend was wholeheartedly adopted by architects, inspired by its understated sense of grandeur. Art deco buildings started popping up all over the nation — and the world — forever changing city skylines in every corner of the globe.