The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, in partnership with Arts Alliance Illinois, the Goodman Theatre, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, invite you to listen in to this discussion about how the arts contribute to the development of a thriving region.

The conversation features Rocco Landesman, Chairman of the National Endowment of the Arts, and Shelley Poticha, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Senior Advisor for the Sustainable Housing and Communities Partnership. They discuss their recent collaboration through the Sustainable Communities Partnership. Mayor-Elect Rahm Emanuel makes a few remarks about the important role the arts play in the Chicago region. A panel of experts in business, community development, and the arts also help discuss the role and value of integrating artistic and cultural activities into their work in Chicago. The discussion is moderated by Chicago Public Media’s Steve Edwards.

Panelists include: Theaster Gates, artist, urban planner, Director of Arts Program Development at the University of Chicago and Loeb Fellow at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design; Lindsay Gaskins, Founder and CEO, Marbles: The Brain Store; Jaime de Leon, Director, New Communities Program, ENLACE Chicago; and Jeanne Gang, Principle and Founder, Studio Gang.

Recorded Wednesday, April 27, 2011 at the Goodman Theatre.