Janet Brown presents "Cultural Growth - A Civic Dialogue" April 18 The North Valley Arts Council presents "Cultural Growth - A Civic Dialogue" at 4:30 p.m. Friday, April 18, at the Chester Fritz Auditorium. Janet Brown, chair of visual and performing arts at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D., will address the importance of cultural planning to spur economic development. Brown believes communities that are deliberate about providing access to arts participation, historical preservation and cultural understanding to their residents and visitors have a greater opportunity for economic success. She argues that, hand in hand with education, business, infrastructure and transportation development, arts and cultural offerings make our communities richer, both literally and figuratively. The event is free and open to the public. Cultural Growth - A Civic Dialogue will launch Art & Democracy, a new program of the North Valley Arts Council that provides arts supporters and advocates with the opportunity to dialogue about democracy with one another and experts in political life. Art & Democracy consists of a series of lectures, exhibits, and other art-related events that examine how the arts address civic change; explore how democracy enables the creation of vibrant art; and increase the public understanding of the role of the arts in civic life. Brown has 30 years of experience working in urban and rural environments for nationally recognized arts institutions, community organizations, state government agencies and statewide organizations. She is a national consultant, speaker, facilitator and teacher, and founder and director of the Prairie Arts Management Institute held annually at Augustana College. She has a B.F.A. in theatre and a master's in public administration from the University of South Dakota. Cultural Growth - A Civic Dialogue is part of Generating Ideas Through Partnership: A Community-University Forum on April 18 and 19. The forum features programs based on the themes of community-university collaborations, community diversity, community ecology, and community arts.