2019
American Academy in Rome Residency, January 2019
Ongoing project:The Future of Italian Museums: What Happens Next to the Franceschini Reform?
Article includes interviews with museum directors, art professionals, and the head of the selection committee, Paolo Baratta.
2017
2nd Annual International Symposium on Culture, Athens, Greece, May 2017
“Culture and the Migrant Crisis: Getting to the Heart of the Matter.” Paper presented at 2nd Annual International Symposium on Culture, Athens, Greece, June, 2017. Sponsored by Athens Institute for Education and Research. Thesis: The social study of the lived experience can assist in taking the measure of crises, conflict, and stability and help us see the city as THE integrative unit that it is.
Linda Lees, PhD, Director, CCI
2014
Panel Discussion: “Having an Impact,” Bronx Museum, February 18
“Having an Impact” featured esteemed New York City cultural leaders discussing the issues faced by institutions working to make their voices heard locally and across the city, the importance of leadership and vision at the helm, the development of a strong board and core constituency, and methods for getting their messages heard amid the many voices vying for public, financial and critical attention. http://www.bronxmuseum.org/events/panel-discussion-having-an-impact
Panelists: Holly Block, Executive Director, The Bronx Museum of the Arts;Tom Finkelpearl, Executive Director, Queens Museum of Art; Linda Lees, Founder, Creative Cities International and the Vitality Index; and Stephanie Roach, Director, The FLAG Art Foundation. Moderated by Fran Kaufman, Kaufman Vardy Project http://kv-projects.com
2013
III Congresso Internacional de Cidades Criativas, Campinas, Brazil
“How We Think About Cities Today.” Paper presented at III International Congress of Creative Cities, Campinas, Brazil, August 2013. Sponsored by University of Campinas and University of Madrid. Thesis: Education will be the determining factor for the future of cities to counteract economic inequality and sustain growth.
Linda Lees, PhD, Director, CCI
2012
American Creativity Association International Conference, Singapore
“Culture Counts: A New Math for the Future of Innovative Cities,” Plenary Presentation at ACA International Conference, “Creating the Future: Innovation and the Global Challenge,” Orchard Hotel, Singapore, August 20, 2012 CULTURECOUNTS_VS.pdf
Linda Lees, PhD, Director, CCI
UN Alliance of Civilizations Partners Forum, Istanbul
Linda Lees was invited to present the Vitality Index as part of a panel on “The Alliance of Civilizations: Cities and Citizens.” UNAOC Partners Forum, Istanbul, 31 May-1 June 2012
Panelists:
Kadir Topbas, Mayor of Istanbul
Kahlifa Sall, Mayor of Dakar
Lutfu Savas, Mayor of Antakya
Snezana Markovic, Director General, Democracy Project, Council of Europe
Josep Roig, Secretary General, United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG)
Creating a Sense of Place: Engaging Creativity in Towns & Cities
Panel Discussion of the Creativity Conference, The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum. April 27 & 28, 2012. Presented by The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield Library, Ridgefield Arts Council
Panelists:
Andrea Gartner, Executive Director, CityCenter Danbury (Connecticut)
Linda Lees, PhD, Director, CCI
Philip Morris, CEO, Proctors Theatre, Schenectady, New York
Alyson Baker, Executive Director, The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
Steven Dahlberg, Director, International Centre for Creativity and Imagination, moderator
2011
Doha Forum, UN Alliance of Civilisations
Linda Lees, along with Advisory Board member, Fred Manson, spoke on the Vitality Index at the 4th UN Alliance of Civilizations Forum, December 11-3, 2011, Doha, Qatar. UNAOC Doha Forum link: http://www.qatar4unaoc.org/
Interview with in:polis, Berlin
November 2011, Linda Lees was interviewed by Brendan Colgan of in:polis, an organization devoted to place branding and marketing, about the Vitality Index. Read the interview here: http://blog.inpolis.com/2011/12/07/creative-cities-international-the-vitality-index-vi/
Vitality Index Release
CCI was proud to release the groundbreaking Vitality Index report and ranking of 35 cities in the United States on July 20, 2011. To download the pdf, go to: http://creativecities.org/the-vitality-index/
2010
Coyotes in the Bronx: Valuing “Good Messiness”
Paper delivered at European Union “Capital of Culture Symposium on Creative Cities/Creative Industries.” Linda Lees, Istanbul. November 2010
Creativity in the City: The New Measure
Article published by Linda Lees in UNESCO Observatory, Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, The University of Melbourne Referred E-Journal, Vol 1. Issue 5. April 2010, http://education.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/1105892/llees-paper.pdf
2009
Creativity, Public Engagement and Political Accountability: The New Measure
Paper presented by Linda Lees at “Government Encounters: Policies, Research and the Emergence of Creative Spaces Conference”
Sponsor: Copenhagen Business School, May 2009
2008
Cities Live! Vision and Implementation
“Marketing Cities: Place Branding in Perspective” Conference
Sponsors: Georg Simmel Center for Metropolitan Studies, Humboldt University, and Association for Place Branding and Public Diplomacy
City Hall, Berlin, December 2008
Museums and the City: A Creative Combination
March 2008
Sponsor: Creative Cities International and The Wilson Center for National Affairs, The New School, New York
Panelists:
Fred Manson, Urbanist
Frederic Schwartz, Architect
Kinshasha Holman Conwill, Deputy Director, National Museum of African American History & Culture, Smithsonian Institution
Marc Pachter, Director, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Moderator: Linda Lees, PhD, Director, CCI
A video recording of the panel is available: http://fora.tv/embedded_player
2007
“Brooklyn Matters”
October 2007
Sponsor: The Wilson Center for National Affairs, The New School
Participants:
Candace Carponter, Head of Legal Team, Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn
Francis Morrone, architecture critic
Ron Schiffman, Director, Pratt Institute Center for Community and Environmental Development
Isabel Hill, filmmaker, Building History Productions
Moderator: Linda Lees, PhD, Director, CCI
Featuring Isabel Hill’s documentary film, “Brooklyn Matters”
Economic Development Competitiveness
December 2007
Sponsors: Charlotte Regional Partnership Investor Forum
Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, Johnson & Wales University
Charlotte, North Carolina
Participants included:
Richard Greene, Principal, Creative Cities International
Ed McCallum, Principal, McCallum Sweeney Consulting
Eric Stavriotis, Jones Lang LaSalle
Jessica Hayden, Jones Lang LaSalle
John Rhodes, MSB Consulting
Building Lasting, Sustainable Communities
Sustainability Conference, CoreNet Global, London Summit, September 2007
Presenters:
Linda Lees, PhD, Director, CCI, “Elephant & Castle: A Cultural Approach to Economic Development”
Susie Wilson, Community Development Manager, Greenwich Peninsula (MDL), Lend Lease, Greenwich Peninsula Development
Moderator: Philip Tidd, Managing Director, DEGW UK Ltd
(http://www2.corenetglobal.org/summits_events/london_2007/reports/wednesday.vsp#ep_x)
“Art as an Impetus for Successful Re-Development”
Sponsor: Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, Hudson, New York, September 2007
Panelists:
Joyce Schwartz, arts consultant
Maider Bilbao Echeverria, artist-in-residence
Linda Lees, PhD, Director, CCI
Moderator: Livia Straus, Founder
2006
Urban Land Institute: ULI Europe
“Cinderella Cities: Tales of Modern Urban Renaissance”
Birmingham, UK
June 2006
Culture: Celebrating Cornerstones of Community
Panelists:
Sir Albert Bore, Councillor, Ladywood Ward, Birmingham, UK
Pierre Baillargeon, Director, HOK International Ltd, London, UK
Charles-Henri Malcot, Director of International Relations, City of Lyon, France
Linda Lees, PhD, Director, CCI, New York
Moderator: Reinier de Graaf, Partner, Office of Metropolitan Architecture, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
2005
“Rebuilding Baghdad: Planning the Civil Society”
October 2005
Sponsors: Creative Cities International, Goethe Institute and The Wilson Center for National Affairs, The New School, New York
April 2005
Participants:
Benjamin Barber, Director, The Democracy Collaborative
Fergus Muir, Head, Architecture, Department of Culture, Media, and Sport, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, London
Paul Kahlfeldt, Kahlfeldt Architekten, Berlin
Moderator: Marc Pachter, Director, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Featuring excerpts from “Return to the Land of Wonders,” a documentary by filmmaker Maysoon Pachachi.
“Making the Creative City: A Vitality Index”
Presentation by Linda Lees at the New York Metro American Studies Association Annual Conference: “Public and Private in Urban Space”
Hunter College, City University of New York
October 2005
“Immigration Today: Revisiting The Fertile Verge”
Sponsor: The Wilson Center for National Affairs, The New School
October 2005
Panelists:
Tamera Luzzatto, Chief of Staff to US Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
Elzbieta Matynia, Director, Transregional Center for Democratic Studies, Graduate Faculty
Judy Rabinovitz, Senior Staff Counsel with the ACLU Immigrants Rights Project
Earl Shorris, author of New American Blues
Moderator: Linda Lees, PhD, Director, CCI
“The Prince of the City”
Giuliani’s New York and the Genius of American Life
Sponsor: The Wilson Center for National Affairs, The New School, New York
June 2005
Panelists:
Andrew Kirtzman, WCBS-TV, author, “Rudy Giuliani: Emperor of the City”
Michael Tomasky, Executive Editor, American Prospect
Jon Avlon, New York Sun
Andrew White, Director for New York City Affairs, Milano Graduate School
Fred Siegel, author, “The Prince of the City”
Moderator: Linda Lees, PhD, Director, CCI
2001-2004
Memory and the City: Living the Past in the Present
March 2004
Sponsor: Creative Cities International and the American Institute of Architects, co-sponsored by the Goethe Institute and AIA
The Center for Architecture, AIA, New York
Panelists included:
Diane Lewis, architect
Susan Szenasy, Metropolis Magazine
Ron Schiffman, Professor, Pratt Institute
Austin Williams, Chair, Future Visions, London
Moderator: James Sanders, author, “Celluloid Skyline”
Creative Capital: The Creative Class
April 2003
Sponsors: Beacon Project Space and The Vera List Center for Art and Politics, The New School
April 1: The New School, New York
Panelists:
Alberta Arthurs, arts consultant
Jeff Madrick, Editor, CHANGE and writer for New York Review of Books
Neil Scott Kleiman, Director, The Center for an Urban Future
Vera Zolberg, Professor of Sociology, Graduate Faculty, The New School
April 8: The Hudson River Valley: Case Study in Culture and Community Development, Beacon Project Space, Beacon, New York
Panelists:
Sidney Plotkin, Professor, Political Science, Vassar College
Ann Davis, Professor, Economics, Marist College
David A. Ross, Director, Beacon Cultural Project
Moderator: Linda Lees, PhD, CCI
Cities of Destiny: How Do They Achieve Greatness
October 2003
Sponsor: Creative Cities International and The Wolfson Center for National Affairs. Co-sponsors: AIA and Brooklyn Brewery
The New School, New York
Participants:
Rafael Viñoly, architect
Fred Manson, urbanist
Marc van de Mieroop, Professor, Ancient Near East Studies, Columbia University
Moderator: Marc Pachter, Director, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
New York Talks to London and Berlin
May 2002
60 Thompson Hotel, New York
Keynote: Sir Peter Hall, Professor of Planning, Bartlett School of Architecture and Planning, University College London
Participants:
London:
Will Alsop, architect
Fred Manson, former director, Southwark Borough of London
Peter Ford, former chairman, London Regional Transport
Berlin:
Axel Schultes, architect
Michael Moenninger, architecture critic, Die Welt
Volker Hassemer, Partner for Berlin
New York:
John Belle, architect
Alex Garvin, Lower Manhattan Development Corporation
Paul Goldberger, architecture critic, The New Yorker
Anthony Cracchiolo, Director of the Office of Priority Capital Programs, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Moderators: Tony Travers, Head, Greater London Group, London School of Economics and Marc Pachter, Director, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Major funding by the Rockefeller Foundation and Deutsche Bank. Special assistance provided by the Municipal Arts Society
Sustainable Creativity: Getting Serious About Profound Change
November 2002
New York Academy of Art
Conference sponsored by Creative Cities in collaboration with Metropolis Magazine, and The Privatization of Culture Project, New York University, New York
Participants:
Lord Richard Rogers, architect
Fred Manson, urbanist
Tony Travers, Head, Greater London Group, London School of Economics
Teixeira Coelho, University of Sao Paulo
Frederic Schwartz, architect
Anthony Cracchiolo, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Rocco Compagnone, architect
William Wheeler, Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Stan Eckstut, architect
Rowan Moore, Head, Architecture Foundation, London
Support provided by CB Richard Ellis, the Durst Corporation, the Corporation of London, and the Fund for the City of New York
Creative Cities: Renewing New York
October 2001
On the future of Long Island City South: Queens Plaza to Queens West
Conference hosted by P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center, New York
Sponsor/organizer: The British Council (UKwithNY Festival), Van Alen Institute: Projects in Public Architecture, and The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Participants included:
Charles Landry, author of “The Creative City”
Joseph B. Rose, Chairman, NYC Planning Commission
Bernardo Fort-Brescia, Principal, Arquitectonica
Mary Lea Bandy, Deputy Director, Curatorial Affairs, MoMA
Hong Yee Lee Krakauer, Executive Director, Queens Council on the Arts
Mary Ann Tighe, Insignia/ESG
Peter Wilson, Tate Modern
Fred Manson, Head, Regeneration and Environment, Southwark Borough Council, London
Christopher O. Ward, Chief of Planning and External Affairs, PANY&NJ
Raymond Gastil, Executive Director, Van Alen Institute
Linda Lees, PhD, Director of Cultural Affairs, The British Council
Additional sponsorship provided by Halcrow Consulting Engineers, LCOR, Inc., EHS Partners, Pepsi-Cola, NY Waterway, M&C Saatchi