LAS VEGAS, June 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- World-renowned
artist and urban designer Candy
Chang will speak about love, loss and fulfilling goals at
The MGM Resorts Foundation's 12th annual Women's
Leadership Conference (WLC). The conference will be held
Aug. 27-28 at MGM Grand Conference
Center in Las Vegas, NV.
"Candy Chang's story – about
losing a loved one and living your life to the fullest – is certain
to resonate with WLC attendees," said conference organizer
Dawn Christensen, Executive Director
of National Diversity Relations for MGM Resorts International.
"It's so easy to lose focus on the important things in life, the
things we all want to accomplish before we die. Candy's artwork and
its inspirational message will serve as a reminder to others to set
goals and work toward accomplishing them."
Chang was inspired to create her best-known art exhibit "Before
I Die" after losing a loved one in 2012. The grief she felt made
her realize that the day-to-day activities of life can made her
lose focus on the things she wanted to accomplish. Wondering if
others felt the same, Chang transformed the external walls of an
abandoned house in New Orleans
into a blank canvas. Passersby were encouraged to write in chalk to
finish the sentence "Before I die I want to..."
The response was overwhelming. Hundreds of people wrote out
their greatest desires, such as "eat all the candy and sushi in the
world, tell my mother I love her," and other messages.
"My work is about well-being and kinship, which is what the
Women's Leadership Conference is all about. I'm excited to share
what I've learned from creating communal spaces for emotional
intimacy, and I'm excited to offer many concrete exercises that
attendees can use to cultivate their creativity and take care of
their own emotional health," Chang said.
The participatory project has since grown into a global
phenomenon and today there are over 4,000 Before I Die walls in
over 70 countries, including Iraq,
China, Brazil, Kazakhstan, and South Africa. The Before I Die project and
subsequent book, which features walls around the world and insights
into our aspirations, have been featured on CNN, NBC, TED, AP News,
and Wired. Her most recent project includes the participatory
public installation A Monument for the Anxious and Hopeful at the
Rubin Museum of Art in New York
City.
The Atlantic called the exhibit "one of the most creative
community projects ever." In Chang's captivating and intimate
talks, she demystifies the creative process, inspires personal
reflection, and provokes new ideas for community and
well-being.
Chang is a TED Senior Fellow, Urban Innovation Fellow, and World
Economic Forum Young Global Leader. She has also created
installations for people to share their hopes for vacant
storefronts, a confessional sanctuary in a Las Vegas casino, designated sites for crying
in Hong Kong, and a civic tool
called Neighborland.com for people to collaborate on the future of
their communities. Her work has been exhibited in the Venice
Architecture Biennale, New Museum, and Tate Modern. She was also
named one of the Top 100 Leaders in Public Interest Design by
Impact Design Hub and a "Live Your Best Life" Local Hero by Oprah
Magazine.
Conference background:
The 2018 Women's Leadership
Conference theme is "Women Inspiring Women." Registration is
$499 which includes the two-day
conference and all workshops and lectures, a networking reception,
and continental breakfasts and lunches catered by MGM Grand
Conference Center. Time is also allotted for attendees to build key
professional relationships with others.
The mission of WLC is to provide women, and men who attend, the
developmental tools they need to continuously advance their lives
and careers. Through WLC, women from all walks of life are offered
a variety of ways to impact their personal and professional lives,
including networking opportunities, educational workshops and
exposure to other women who can serve as role models, heroes or
mentors.
The conference will offer a wide range of learning
opportunities, career guidance and personal growth tools,
including:
- Exposure to diverse and nationally recognized speakers and
accomplished women role models
- Two days of career-oriented workshops that will give women
hands-on opportunities to develop skills based on their career
needs
- Three distinct learning tracks: Emerging Leaders, Emerging
Executives and Executives
- Workshops for entrepreneurs who are well-established or just
thinking of starting their own businesses
WLC is open to women of all ethnicities, professions and social
backgrounds, locally and nationally, and men who support them. The
MGM Resorts Foundation is the conference's Presenting Sponsor. Each
year, proceeds from the conference, after costs, are donated to one
or more local nonprofit agencies devoted to the welfare and
development of women and children.
Participating sponsorships are available to organizations or
companies who share the vision and goals of this conference.
Sponsors include: Cox Communications, Everi Payments, R&R
Partners Foundation, Cirque du Soleil, Kre-8 Media Outdoor
Advertising, International Game Technology, Vegas PBS, Greenspun
Media Group, Las Vegas Metro
Chamber of Commerce, Bank of America, The Coca-Cola Company, Branch
Benefits Consultants, TYLT, Coola, Cashman Photo, Phyllis A. James, Women's Chamber of Commerce of
Nevada, Waggl, Las Vegas
Convention & Visitors Authority (LVCVA) and Large Vision
Business Network Mixer.
For more information about WLC, please visit
mgmresortsfoundation.org/WLC.
About the MGM Resorts Foundation
The purpose of The
MGM Resorts Foundation is to collect and distribute monies and
assets donated by employees of MGM Resorts (NYSE: MGM) for the aid
and support of qualified community nonprofit programs, agencies or
organizations designated exclusively by MGM Resorts' employees. In
addition, the Foundation collects and distributes donations to the
Foundation by third-party non-employees to support charitable,
scientific, literary, and educational activities approved by the
Foundation's Board of Directors and organized by MGM Resorts
employees to benefit qualified non-profit charitable organizations
designated by the Foundation's Board.
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SOURCE MGM Resorts Foundation