Under Mr. Young's direction, the commission uses its $2.2 million budget to provide funds to individual artists, arts organizations and arts presenters.

Both events are organized by Creative Time, the nonprofit arts presenter; www.creativetime.org/anch2001.

Performing arts presenters are typically found in three varieties:

The festival is a somewhat curtailed version of what was to be a larger celebration sponsored by the city's museums, educational institutions and arts presenters.

The center will use $600,000 to support arts presentations in Appalachia and collaborations with arts presenters across the country.

Performing arts presenters must apply here to bring in performers, another process that can drag on for weeks or months.

Works by the company have also toured nationally and internationally to universities, arts presenters and festivals.

It is known as the "most active interdisciplinary arts presenter in Chicago" and partners with local community organizations for the co-presentations of performing arts.

Little did the arts presenter suspect what would happen when she put two pampas grasses on her balcony in west London.

In that time it has evolved into a multifarious performing arts presenter.