Albany Welcomed NY's Finest Artists & Industry Leaders at the Empire Arts Summit This Week

Earlier this week at The Egg on Empire State Plaza in Downtown Albany, many of New York’s prominent artists, cultural and thought leaders, policymakers, and creative workers gathered for an exciting and educational two days at this year's ArtsNYS "Empire Arts Summit". This two-day event last Wednesday and Thursday, was headed by three very well-received guest speakers including the Executive Director of the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), Erika Mallin, Michael J. Bobbitt, President & CEO of OPERA America, and multiple book author and entrepreneur Yancy Strickler, who is also the Co-Founder of Kickstarter and Metalabel.

“This year’s summit was everything we hoped for," said Elizabeth Lane, Executive Director of ArtsNYS. "We had amazing guest speakers and presenters, and everyone immensely enjoyed these two days from so many perspectives around the arts and culture community in New York State. We cannot wait until next year!”

The statewide organization for the Summit, ArtsNYS, is dedicated to advancing and supporting New York’s arts and cultural sector. Through advocacy, professional development, networking, and resources, ArtsNYS works to strengthen the creative ecosystem and elevate the arts’ role in communities throughout New York State.

Many of the sessions and discussions this year explored such topics having to do with health and well-being, local economies, belonging, cultural preservation, and civic participation. The uniqueness of the Summit is that it puts arts and health at the center of these conversations and at the same time, it explores the many ways how creativity strengthens community wellbeing. The Summit also looks into how the arts and public health sectors build stronger partnerships across New York.

Although the Summit officially began on Wednesday, October 14, this year's Summit began on the evening before with a Welcome and Networking Cocktail Hour at The Hollow Bar and Kitchen on North Pearl Street here in Albany. The next morning, everyone gathered at The Egg for breakfast, followed by an opening plenary and then the breakout into various workshops took place to kick off the morning.

For more about who took part in this year's Empire Arts Summit, please see the October 6, 2026 press release which has the complete listing of events and presenters.