GUEST SPEAKER AT LAUDERHILL ARTS CENTER

Katharine DeShaw, Executive Director USA Projects Microphilanthropy for Artists, visits Broward County

Broward Cultural Division and Lauderhill Arts Center invites artists, gallery owners and creative entrepreneurs to hear Katharine DeShaw, executive director of United States Artists. United States Artists (USA) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to investing in America's finest artists and to illuminating the value of artists to society. USA Projects is the first microphilanthropy site dedicated exclusively to artists living and working in the United States, where anyone can discover original projects from some of today’s most innovative artists and make tax-deductible donations to support their work. With a funding success rate of 75 percent, USA Projects has raised more than $1.84 million in funded projects thanks to the pledges of more than 12,800 unique donors, who have helped hundreds of artists realize original projects with funding goals ranging from $2,500 to $50,000. Through the USA Fellows program, which annually awards 50 unrestricted grants of $50,000 to outstanding performing, visual, media, and literary artists across the country, USA has put $15 million in the hands of artists in the six years since its founding. Through the USA Fellows program and USA Projects, USA continues the work of advocating for living artists and providing a community where the public can connect with, learn about, and support America’s greatest artists and their next creative breakthroughs. Learn more at www.unitedstatesartists.org. Katharine DeShaw is the executive director for United States Artists and serves on its Board of Directors. She has enjoyed a long career in the nonprofit sector working as a consultant, philanthropic advisor, senior development officer, and teacher. DeShaw created and launched the Nimoy Foundation and designed their national program Visual Artist Residences. She spent 12 years in art museum management, leading development efforts at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, MN. Early in her career, she led record-breaking fundraising campaigns for the Multiple Sclerosis Society and Twyla Tharp Dance based in New York City. Tuesday, February 21, 2012 6 - 7 pm Lauderhill Arts Center, 5450 NW19th Street in Lauderhill, FL 33313 (Central Broward) Lecture/talk with question and answer