Arkansas Learning Through the Arts annual fundraising dinner and program entitled ART TRANSFORMING LIVES featuring keynote speaker, Jane Chu, and showcasing Teaching Artist and Jazz Musician Dr. I.J. Routen.

Jane Chu is an artist living in New York. Chu was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, but raised in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, the daughter of Chinese immigrants.
Jane Chu received bachelor’s degrees in piano performance and music education from Ouachita Baptist University, as well as a master’s degree in piano pedagogy from Southern Methodist University.

Chu’s career has combined her academic research with professional practice in the arts, philanthropy, and business administration. In 2014, she was appointed to serve as the eleventh chairperson of the National Endowment for the Arts, completing her term in June 2018.

During her term, she traveled to 200 communities in all 50 states, meeting with artists and arts organizations all over the country.