On June 18-20, Kansas City will play host to a free national conference to celebrate and discuss the United States’ return to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and how with that return can help Kansas City grow.
The conference is sponsored by Creative City KC, who applied for and in 2017 helped Kansas City receive designation as a UNESCO Creative City for Music.
Thanks to its jazz heritage, Kansas City was designated as a UNESCO Creative City for Music under the organization’s cultural umbrella. UNESCO’s goal, as well as Creative City KC’s, was to use the designation to help build economically around the city’s jazz culture.
The vision was to use the designation as part of an effort to use jazz as an economic driver for local artists and as a way to help grow a market for jazz-related tourism in Kansas City.
However, in 2018, then Pres. Donald Trump pulled the United States out of UNESCO, citing alleged bias against Israel. Last summer, the United States was reinstated as a UNESCO member after the body’s 193 member countries approved the Biden administration’s request for readmission. .
The two-day “Return to UNESCO”l conference provides a unique opportunity to learn and network for artists, educators, tourism officials, creative professionals, and civic leaders.
The conference is free, but registration is required. Register by June 11 at bit.ly/Return2UNESCO.
Schedule of Events
- June 18: Opening reception at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library, 5 p.m. dinner, 6 p.m. reception.
- June 19: Open-forum panel discussion at UMKC from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Speakers will include representatives from the U.S. State Department and the Canadian Commission for UNESCO. The forum is followed by a dinner and jazz concert.
- June 19: Free “Journey of Jazz” concert at UMKC’s White Recital Hall at 6 p.m. The concert goes through the history of jazz from its beginnings to Bebop through today.
- June 20: Next steps discussion and an optional tour.
“We are pleased to be the first in the UNESCO network to welcome our nation back into the largest cultural organization in the world,” said Anita Dixon-Brown, Creative City KC Executive Director. “This conference will educate participants on the importance of the United States’ international presence of cultural arts and world heritage and celebrate our country’s diverse legacy and creativity”
