Chicago’s Millennium Park: Then and Now

Key Publications: 1.“The Millennium Park Effect,” The Economic Development Journal, Spring 2005 2.“Constructing Millennium Park”, Constructed Ground: The Millennium Garden Design Competition,Edited by Charles Waldheim, University of Illinois Press, 2001 3.“Park It Here”,Urban Land, September 2000 4.“Lincoln Park Framework Plan, A Restoration and Management Framework”,Office of Research and Planning,Chicago Park District, 1993 5.“Grant Park Design Guidelines”,Office of Research and Planning, 1992

Past Assignments: Keynote speaker for the International Sculpture Center Conference, Chicago, 2012 Juror for the Rudy Bruner Awards for Urban Excellence, Boston, 2011 Keynote speaker for the annual meeting of the Ft. Worth, Texas Public Art Program, 2011 Lecturer for the Asia Society, New York City, 2010 Moderator for the Landscape Forms Roundtable on Landscape Architecture, 2010 Juror for the American Institute of Architects, national Award for Urban and Regional Design, 2010 Keynote speaker for the ULI Rose Kennedy Parkway, Boston, 2010 Juror for the American Institute of Architects Chicago, Urban Design Awards, 2009 Speaker for a series of lectures in Hong Kong and Perth, Australia, 2008 Juror for Thu Thiem Parks and Bridge International Design Competition Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 2008 Keynote speaker at the Dennos Museum Center “The Millennium Park Effect”Traverse City, Michigan, 2008 Keynote speaker for the annual meeting of the Fairmont Park Art Association, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2008 Speaker/Panelist for the US Economic Development Administration, America’s Physical Infrastructure-Meeting the Challenge, Tomorrow’s Economic Drivers, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2008 Speaker/Panelist, International Sculpture Center, Outdoor Museums,Seattle, Washington, 2007 Speaker/Panelist Urban Land Institute Economic Development Council,“The Development of Millennium Park”, Chicago, Illinois, 2007 Keynote speaker for Art in Public Places, Art Form Lecture Series Austin, Texas, 2007 Keynote speaker for the Downtown St. Louis Partnership annual meeting St. Louis, Missouri, 2007 Keynote speaker for the Fulton County Arts Council, “Creating Civic Space”Atlanta, Georgia, 2007 Speaker/Panelist for Public Space LA, “Sustaining Greatness in Public Spaces Los Angles, California, 2007 Keynote speaker for the Downtown Seattle Assoc, Seattle, Washington, 2007 Keynote speaker for the San Antonio River Foundation, “The Millennium Park Experience”, San Antonio, Texas, 2007 Keynote speaker for the Urban Land Institute, “Reclaiming the Edge: Creating value by Remaking the Urban Waterfront”, Seattle, Washington, 2007 Keynote speaker and panelist with Mayor David Cieslewicz for the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, “Millennium Park, a Triumph for Chicago, an Inspiration for Madison”, Madison, Wisconsin, 2007 Guest Lecturer for Architecture and Society at the Politecnico di Milano, Piacenza, Italy, 2007 Speaker/Panelist for the Business of Design Week, Hong Kong, China, 2006 Speaker/Panelist for the International Symposium for the Future of Large Open Spaces, Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture, Seoul, Korea, 2006 Speaker/Panelist for the Cultivating Creative Communities Conference, “New Anchors/Building the Field of Dreams”, Charlotte, NC, 2006 Speaker for the International Symposium on Public Art: Creating a New City Image: Planning, Creation and Implementation, Beijing, China 2006 Panelist on Project Economic Impact for ULI Europe, Birmingham, England 2006 Presenter of an abstract on the Economic Impact of Millennium Park at the International Congress on Urban Metropolitan Parks, Porto, Portugal, 2006

Bio: Matt Nielson is the Deputy Commissioner for the Cultural Planning and Operations Division of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, where he oversees venues, initiatives and policies which make Chicago an international cultural destination and enhance the quality of life for its residents. Current responsibilities include the management, operation and function of Millennium Park and the Chicago Cultural Center, as well as the Gallery 37 Center for the Arts, Water Tower Park/Water Works Visitor Information Center, and the Clarke House Museum. He is also involved with the City’s Creative Industries Initiative and the 2012 Cultural Plan of Chicago.

Education: - Bachelor’s Degree from Iowa State University in Urban Planning; - Graduate Study in Urban Planning and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

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Past Assignments: - APA Conferences: 1997, 2001, 2002 - City of Denver, Arts and Venues, October 2012