The University of California Institute for Research in the Arts (UCIRA) is pleased to announce the first annual State of the Arts conference to be held May 19th to 20th , 2006 at UC Santa Barbara. Relocated in July of last year from Irvine to the Santa Barbara campus, the UCIRA has been dedicated since its foundation to the promotion and support of the arts and arts-centered research system wide. The State of the Arts conference publicly inaugurates the Institute's newly expanded mission: to broaden discussion of the current role and future of the arts in California and beyond by - addressing practical and policy issues of pressing concern for artists, arts administrators and educators - assessing the viability of new models of collaborative, thematically focused, community based and 'action research' arts practice and programming - presenting and discussing a selection of arts and arts-related initiatives currently underway within the UC system and/or mounted by UC faculty and students in conjunction with non-UC organizations and agencies - considering the research functions and modalities of arts practice For more information, CLICK HERE.