Momentum: The Arizona Creative Futures Summit
Reimagining the Role of Arts & Culture in Arizona’s Future
Arizona stands at a crossroads. To thrive in the decades ahead, we must do more than simply support the arts—we must integrate creativity into every aspect of our state’s growth. Momentum: The Arizona Creative Futures Summit is a two-day gathering designed to equip leaders, artists, educators, healthcare innovators, tourism partners, and business visionaries with the tools to make Arizona a national model for creative integration.
Through breakout tracks, peer-led roundtables, fireside chats, and capacity-building workshops, participants will build a shared vision for Arizona’s creative future. Sessions span economic development, creative workforce pipelines, arts in health and wellness, education, and public-private partnerships, ensuring that every conversation connects creativity to the issues that matter most for our state’s prosperity.
Momentum is not just a conference. It’s a launchpad for partnerships that transcend silos and metro–rural divides, empowering communities to advocate more effectively, fund more creatively, and embrace the arts as a catalyst for equity, innovation, and resilience.
Dates & Times
Spring 2026 | Location & Details Announced November 2025
Locations
Multiple Locations
Momentum: The Arizona Creative Futures Summit will unfold across multiple venues throughout the Valley, creating a dynamic three-day experience that immerses attendees in the region’s cultural heartbeat. Each day will spotlight a different facet of Arizona’s creative sector, from collaborative workshops and leadership roundtables to immersive advocacy at the Capitol. By moving through diverse spaces, the event mirrors the diversity of our state and its people. Full details, including venues and schedules, will be announced in November 2025.
Sponsors
Momentum: Arizona Creative Futures Summit & Conference
Momentum: The Arizona Creative Futures Summit isn’t just a conference—it’s a training ground for leaders who want to shape Arizona’s cultural and economic future. Over three days, participants will gain practical tools, fresh ideas, and new connections that strengthen their ability to advocate, collaborate, and innovate across every sector of society.
Breakout Tracks
Designed to meet the diverse needs of Arizona’s creative ecosystem, the breakout sessions dive into timely topics with real-world applications:
Arts & Economic Development – Explore how arts and culture drive job creation, attract tourism, and fuel community vitality.
Creative Health & Wellness – Learn how creativity can transform healthcare delivery, strengthen mental health, and improve quality of life.
Public-Private Arts Partnerships – Discover strategies for building innovative collaborations between cultural organizations, businesses, and government.
Creative Workforce Development & Trades – Address skills training, apprenticeships, and pathways for the next generation of Arizona’s creative workforce.
Youth & Education in the Arts – Share and develop models that strengthen arts education and inspire lifelong creativity in young people.
Advocacy and Education Tools – Gain hands-on training in messaging, storytelling, and legislative engagement to amplify the sector’s voice.
Roundtable Discussions – Join leaders from both the business and nonprofit sectors to workshop solutions together.
Peer-Led and Cross-Sector Learning
Momentum places a spotlight on peer leadership and practical knowledge-sharing.
Peer-led Roundtables – Learn from Arizona practitioners about creative placemaking, entrepreneurship, and funding models already transforming communities.
Fireside Chats – Hear from cross-sector leaders in business, healthcare, tourism, and government about how the arts can accelerate their work.
Capacity-Building Workshops – Sharpen critical skills in fundraising, advocacy, and storytelling to increase your organization’s reach and sustainability.
Networking and Connection
The Summit is intentionally designed to break down silos and foster collaboration. Networking opportunities—from casual meetups to structured dialogues—create space for authentic connections between artists, business leaders, educators, and policymakers. These moments are where ideas become partnerships, and partnerships become action.
Outcome: Attendees will leave with a shared language for Arizona’s creative future, stronger tools to advocate and fund more creatively, and connections that bridge rural and urban divides.
Arizona Arts & Cultural Advocacy Day
On the third day, the Arizona State Capitol becomes a living canvas of our state’s creative sector. The Capitol lawn bursts to life with regional pavilions showcasing every corner of Arizona’s cultural, artistic, and natural heritage.
From culinary tastings by local chefs, student mariachi and jazz ensembles, live mural painting, traditional dance, and artisan demonstrations, the day is designed to immerse legislators, community members, and the public in the essential role of arts and culture.
At its heart, a Legislative Lunch & Awards Ceremony brings lawmakers and constituents together in direct dialogue. The Governor’s Creative Excellence Awards are presented alongside mayors, tribal leaders, and regional representatives, celebrating local and statewide cultural achievements.
This is more than advocacy—it’s an unmistakable demonstration of power, presence, and purpose. The message is clear: Arizona’s creative sector isn’t asking to be included. We are essential.
Arizona Creative Excellence Awards
The Arizona’s Creative Excellence Awards are built to reflect both the diversity and unity of Arizona. Each community—from large cities to small towns to sovereign tribal nations—selects local honorees across categories that reflect their unique creative ecosystem.
These local winners are celebrated on the Capitol lawn alongside their peers, and from among them, a statewide review panel selects one honoree per category for statewide distinction. This dual recognition structure ensures that every community has a voice, and every voice has a stage.
The Awards mark a new era for cultural leadership in Arizona—celebrating innovation, honoring tradition, and building a future where the arts are central to our collective success.
Volunteer
Sponsor the Event
The Summit is more than an event—it’s an investment in culture, community, and creativity. Sponsorship directly fuels a platform where artists, families, and neighbors come together to celebrate the transformative power of the arts in daily life.
As a sponsor, your brand will:
Strengthen the Local Creative Economy: Support local and regional artists, artisans, and makers who rely on this event to showcase their work and sustain their livelihoods.
Amplify Community Identity: Align with a signature event that enhances Arizona’s reputation as a hub for culture, innovation, and family-friendly engagement.
Showcase Corporate Social Responsibility: Position your business as a champion of arts, education, and cultural vitality in Arizona.
Engage Thousands of Attendees: Connect directly with festival-goers through on-site visibility, meaningful brand integration, and authentic community interaction.
Build Long-Term Goodwill: Create lasting impressions by supporting programs that foster creativity, inspire cultural understanding, and enrich the quality of life in our region.
