(CelebrityAccess ) — Citing “unsustainable financial losses” Arts Midwest, organizers of the annual Arts Midwest Conference, announced they are pausing planning for future installments of the long-running event.
As well, Arts Midwest Conference Director Angela Urbanz, and Creative Gatherings Manager Maria Vorhis, will leave the organization after November 2021.
The annual conference, which has taken place in various cities around the Midwest for more than 30 years, regularly attracted thousands of artists, managers, agents, presenters, and service organizations focused on the performing arts world.
In a statement, Torrie Allen, President and CEO of Arts Midwest said: “We have deep respect and gratitude for this Conference family, and we must acknowledge that we are facing a changing industry. Production costs have increased while event revenue has not. We have begun to encounter unsustainable financial losses on this event. While these losses pre-date the pivots we have made in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, they have grown exponentially these past two years. As a steward of private and public dollars, we have a financial responsibility to our communities, partners, and donors to pause and take the time needed to reimagine our presence in this space.”
The conference, which took place as a virtual event in 2021, was scheduled to take place in Omaha in 2022 and Detroit in 2023.
