Virtual | DC BreakfastTable with Nancy Miyahira & Deirdre MacWilliams

8:30am ET| 7:30am CT

Join ArtTable’s DC Chapter for May’s Breakfast Table with Nancy Miyahira, Vice President & Marketing Director for the Georgetown Business Improvement District (BID), and Deirdre Ehlen MacWilliams, public art manager and curator of Georgetown GLOW. Now in its 7th edition, GLOW is an outdoor public light-based art experience featuring local, national, and international artists. Nancy and Deirdre will give presentations and talk about the history and vision of GLOW. They will also tell us about current GLOW artworks and artists.

This program is free for all ArtTable members. Members may bring 1 additional guest for $5.

Not a member? Join today!

How to take part:

1. Click here to Register for this event.
2. Following registration you will receive call-in information in the form of a Zoom link.
3. Before joining a Zoom meeting on a computer or mobile device, you can download the Zoom app from the Download Center and select the “Zoom Client for Meetings” option. Alternatively, you will be prompted to download and install Zoom when you click a join link.
4. For further instruction on how to use Zoom, see here.

About Nancy Miyahira

Nancy Miyahira is the Vice President & Marketing Director for the Georgetown Business Improvement District (BID), where she has overseen the creation and growth of new experiences to attract visitors to one of D.C.’s most historic districts since 2009. In 2014, she and the BID team began to delve into public art as a placemaking initiative for the commercial district. They launched D.C.’s first free, curated, outdoor Light Art exhibition, Georgetown GLOW. GLOW started as a three-night experience with five art installations. It has since grown over six years to a month-long exhibition with 11 installations in 2019.

After a pause in 2020 due to the pandemic, GLOW is back in spring and summer 2021 as a two-part, six-month exhibition with eight installations featuring many local artists. In addition to working on public art initiatives, Nancy and her team oversee marketing strategy, events and communications to promote Georgetown as a destination to local, national and international visitors. Nancy believes in the accessibility and power of public art, and hopes that BID can be a catalyst for increasing opportunities for all. One of her most memorable public art experiences is Desert X 2019 in the Coachella Valley. One of her favorite museums is the Honolulu Museum of Art.

Nancy has over 20 years of experience in marketing – primarily in the retail and real estate industries. Prior to joining the BID, she served in marketing leadership roles for Nordstrom’s East Coast region. There she worked to launch Nordstrom stores in over 20 new markets; The Mills Corporation (national retail REIT acquired by Simon Property Group) – leading the branding for the regional mall portfolio; and Duke Realty Corporation (national office REIT) – overseeing marketing of office and industrial properties in four East Coast markets. Nancy has an MBA in Marketing from the George Washington University, and currently serves on the Board of STABLE Arts in Eckington, D.C. Originally from Honolulu, Hawaii, Nancy lives in Woodley Park, D.C. with her husband and two silly beagles.

About Deirdre MacWilliams

Deirdre MacWilliams brings passion, effective oversight and management skills to large- and small-scale public art projects. Since 2005, Deirdre has collaborated with design professionals, community members, government colleagues and artists to develop public art for Washington, D.C. and Arlington, Virginia.

Deirdre serves as public art project manager for Arlington’s nationally renowned Public Art program. She develops and manages County-initiated projects and advises on various public art and design enhancement requests. Prior to joining Arlington, Deirdre worked as the public art coordinator for the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (DCCAH) and for Weitzman Studios. 

Deirdre also works independently on creative projects and initiatives.  She has been the curator of Georgetown GLOW since 2014. She was the co-curator for What’s Going on Voices of Shaw in 2016 and in 2015 she was a project manager for Finding a Line, working with local artist and skateboarder Ben Ashworth and the Kennedy Center. In 2014, Deirdre was the curator for the Foggy Bottom Sculpture Biennial and in 2014 and 2012 was the producer for DCCAH’s temporary public art program 5×5.  

Deirdre received her BA in Art History from The George Washington University and an MA from the Fashion Institute of Technology in Art Market Studies, and currently serves on the board of Washington Project for the Arts. Originally from Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., she lives on Capitol Hill, D.C. with her husband, four-year-old son and super sweet Pitbull mix.

About The Georgetown Business Improvement District (BID)

The Georgetown BID is a city chartered private non-profit organization who focuses on managing the commercial district of the historic neighborhood of Georgetown. It is one of eleven BIDs in Washington, D.C., and the fourth largest, with an annual budget of $4.5 million and 850+ business members. Membership consists of local, national and international retailers, restaurateurs, real estate developers and corporations. The BID’s property owners and merchants established, funded and founded the BID in 1999. They work to protect and enhance the accessibility, attractiveness and overall appeal of Georgetown. The BID is governed by a 24-member Board of Directors and works with city agencies of the District of Columbia on issues of concern to the business district. Major program areas for the BID are: Streetscape, Street Services, Public Safety, Transportation, Economic Development, Placemaking and Marketing.

Thank you to Concetta Duncan, Head of Communications at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, for organizing this program.

Images:

1. Snapshot from Georgetown GLOW, 2019
2. Nancy Miyahira, courtesy of the speaker
3. Deirdre MacWilliams, courtesy of the speaker