The first annual State of the Arts Conference will take place in Austin, TX at the Omni Austin Hotel on Jan 31 – Feb 1. At the two-day meet-up, organized by Texans for the Arts, art administrators, arts education providers, and staff, board members, and trustees of cultural institutions will jaw about topics like social media, economic development, arts education, rural development, online resources and ADA compliance, with a strong undercurrent of "ohmygod!ohmygod!statebudgetcutswhatarewegonnado!" Coincidentally, another highlight of the conference will be a discussion on how to approach foundations and corporations for funding for arts programming.