Los Angeles Readies for Its First Citywide Convention of the Year with the Arrival of the College Art Association’s (CAA) 100th Annual Conference – February 22-25

Four Days, 6670 Total Room Nights, and a $6.7 Million Citywide Economic Impact

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Los Angeles welcomes its first citywide convention of 2012 when the College Art Association (CAA), founded in 1911 to advocate excellence in scholarship and teaching of the visual arts, hosts its centennial conference February 22-25. The four-day gathering is expected to draw more than 5,000 attendees resulting in nearly 7,458 total room nights shared among the JW Marriott at LA LIVE, the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites, the Millennium Biltmore, and the Figueroa Hotel with an expected $6.7 million citywide economic impact.

“This gathering of distinguished art historians, educators, curators, collectors and enthusiasts coincides with LA’s Fourth Annual Discover the Arts, the city’s longest running and largest arts campaign. Because of the timing, it helps to further showcase LA as a cultural destination and reinforces the city’s commitment to the arts.”

The conference, which the public is welcome to attend, will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center. In addition, more than 200 sessions and special events will be held at several of the city’s key cultural venues, including the Los Angeles Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art, Cathedral of Our Lady of Angeles, The Getty Museum and The Getty Villa, The Hammer Museum and The Fowler Museum plus several smaller and notable artistic backdrops.

“The CAA’s 100^th Annual Conference couldn’t have come at a better time for the city,” says Mark Liberman, president and CEO of LA INC. The Convention and Visitors Bureau. “This gathering of distinguished art historians, educators, curators, collectors and enthusiasts coincides with LA’s Fourth Annual Discover the Arts, the city’s longest running and largest arts campaign. Because of the timing, it helps to further showcase LA as a cultural destination and reinforces the city’s commitment to the arts.”

The CAA, which last held its conference in Los Angeles in 2009, will host several presentations and panel discussions that will focus on exploring art, art history and visual culture from ancient times to the present. There are a plethora of professional development opportunities for attendees with topics ranging from job hunting and securing tenure to grant writing for artists. Speakers will also present their recent artistic projects and art-historical research with others discussing relevant issues in pedagogy, technology, publishing and the academic workforce.

Historical and contemporary art in Los Angeles will be the topic of several noteworthy sessions with discussions that include Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945-80, Chicano Art, and Punk Rock and Contemporary Art on the West Coast.

The CAA’s 100^th Annual Conference, which takes place February 22-25, is open to the public. For more information, visit http://conference.collegart.org.

LA INC. The Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau is a private, nonprofit business association whose primary mission is to market and promote Los Angeles as the premier site for meetings, conventions and leisure travel. Though not part of city government, LA INC. is recognized as the city’s official tourism marketing organization. For more information, visit the official visitor information website of Los Angeles at www.discoverLosAngeles.com.

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