AS220's Umberto Crenca Will Be Keynote Speaker at Wilmington Renaissance Corp's 2013 Meeting Today

Wilmington Renaissance Corporation (WRC) is pleased to announce Umberto Crenca, renowned founder and artistic director of AS220 in Providence, Rhode Island, as its keynote speaker at WRC's Annual Meeting: Bringing Big Ideas to Life, being held today, April 24, 2013, from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at World Cafe Live at The Queen, 500 N. Market Street, Wilmington.

"We are thrilled to have Bert Crenca as our keynote speaker," said Carrie W. Gray, WRC Managing Director. "What he has done for Providence will inspire our arts partners - and the entire community - to envision even more exciting possibilities for Wilmington."

Mr. Crenca, a visual artist, is the founder and artistic director of AS220, a nonprofit center established in Providence in 1985 to provide a local forum and home for the arts, and dedicated to supporting and presenting unjuried and uncensored visual art, music, and poetry. The organization maintains 19 artist live/work and studio spaces, five galleries, and two performance spaces, and has established a powerful presence in the Downtown Arts and Entertainment District. Mr. Crenca is committed to the revitalization of downtown Providence, and plays an important role in community efforts across the region. He serves on the Mayor's Art, Culture + Tourism Advisory Board, and is a past member of the Providence School Board. In the past two decades, Mr. Crenca has been a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts, The Urban Institute, The Ford Foundation, LEF Foundation, Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Connecticut Council on the Arts, the New England Artists' Trust, and the Creative Cities Summit. More information is available at www.as220.org.

WRC generates Big Ideas to improve education, infrastructure, quality of life and culture in Wilmington, and the Annual Meeting will bring the community up-to-date on their development. WRC will discuss efforts to partner and collaborate to implement these Big Ideas.

Tickets are $50 and include a gourmet breakfast and complimentary parking at the Renaissance Center Garage on 5th Street immediately adjacent to World Cafe Live. For tickets, call 302.425.5500, or purchase them online at: http://wrcbigideastolife.eventbrite.com/#.

Wilmington Renaissance Corporation is a privately funded, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization.

Pictured: Umberto Crenca. Photo by Pam Murray.