CITY DESIGNATES MUSICIANS, DANCE COMPANY AS CREATIVE AMBASSADORS

The Ambassadors will represent the City of Austin while touring abroad.

City of Austin FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Release Date: Mar. 25, 2014

AUSTIN – The Economic Development Department of the City of Austin is pleased to announce designation of 4 local artists as Creative Ambassadors for the first quarter of 2014. The Ambassadors will represent the City of Austin while touring abroad in the coming months in North America, Europe, and Australia.

• SaulPaul – The “Musician with a Message” will perform his inspirational brand of acoustic hip hop in Vancouver, Canada in April 2014 and Barcelona, Spain in June 2014.
• Steve Parker – In July 2014, Parker will share his unique blend of brass and electronic music with audiences in Spain and Germany, including the annual Brass in the Ruins festival in Forchtenberg.
• Ruby Dee and the Snakehandlers – This high-octane Americana roots and rockabilly band will perform across southeastern Australia in July 2014, including stops in Austin’s Sister City of Adelaide and GreazeFest in Brisbane.
• Ellen Bartel Dance Collective – The dance company, led by dancer-choreographer Ellen Bartel, will premiere a dance at the Dance Forms 67^th International Choreographers Showcase, as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland in August 2014.

The City’s Cultural Arts, Music & Entertainment, and Global Business Retention & Investment Divisions have partnered to coordinate the operation of the Creative Ambassadors Program. This collaboration is intended to open new avenues of dialogue and opportunity between Austin’s creative community and markets worldwide. The program designates Austin artists who will travel overseas, either independently or as part of a City-sponsored trip as Creative Ambassadors for the City. Artist categories include, but are not limited to: musicians, visual artists, filmmakers, and performing artists.

City of Austin Cultural Arts Division

The Cultural Arts Division of the Economic Development Department provides leadership and management for the City’s cultural arts programs and for the development of arts and cultural industries. The Cultural Arts Division is responsible for the Cultural Arts Funding Programs, Art in Public Places Program, community-based arts development, and programs to assist the development of film and creative industries in Austin. For more information, visit www.austincreates.com.