Arts Activated National Conference 2010 : Arts - Access - Excellence

Photo Gallery

25 - 26 March 2010
Powerhouse Museum, Sydney
500 Harris Street Ultimo

The second Arts Activated National Conference was presented by Accessible Arts and bought together leading thinkers, artists, advocates, practitioners and producers from across Australia and overseas, to create dialogue about and showcase examples of excellence in arts and disability.

Over 350 delegates from the arts and disability sectors attended the conference, to debate, network, learn and be stimulated over two days. The program included 80 speakers, 40 breakout sessions, four performance showcases, a pre-conference dance masterclass and an international keynote speaker.

For more information go to the Accessible Arts website.

Theme: Arts - Access - Excellence

The overall theme will focus on arts and access within in the context of excellence. The word 'excellence' will provoke debate and discussion. The conference will raise questions and stimulate delegates through keynote speakers, papers, workshops, panels and performance that focus on innovation, process and practice.

What is excellence in relation to the arts?
Are artists with a disability capable of excellence?
Is the use of the word 'excellence' relevant to the arts and disability sector?
Can we achieve excellence in relation to access?

Aims

To provide an opportunity for creative, high quality, and interactive presentations
To celebrate the accomplishments of, and provide showcase opportunities for, artists with disability.
To build on presentations from the 2007 conference with a focus on looking at where the sector has traveled over the past three years and to explore where to from here
To connect and strengthen the link between the arts & disability sector

Presentation Focus Areas

Conference presenters, facilitators and artists will address the themes of arts, access and excellence, and will present papers and workshops that illustrate innovation, process and practice. Presentations, workshops and panels will cover the focus areas of:

Access and participation
A focus on ideas, issues and strategies to address barriers, which prevent people with disability from accessing and participating in the arts and cultural activities, both as audiences and participants.
Arts practice
A focus on ideas, issues and strategies to address the barriers that prevent emerging and professional artists and arts workers with a disability from realising their ambitions and developing their practice.
Audience development
A focus on ideas, issues and strategies around growing audiences for work created by artists with a disability and disability arts organisations.
Strategic
A focus on ideas, issues and strategies at a broader policy level to improve coordination and collaboration across all levels of government, empower people with a disability to have a stronger voice in policy development and planning, and support informed decision-making.

Who should attend?

Those working in the arts and or disability sectors including:

Artists with and without a disability
Arts workers
People with disability
Disability service providers
Policy makers
Funding bodies
Major cultural institutions and venues
Festival organisers and volunteers
Museum & galleries staff and volunteers
Local government e.g. cultural development, gallery, theatre and library staff
Anyone interested in arts and disability

Background

Accessible Arts hosted the inaugural 'Arts Activated: Leading examples of inclusion of people with disabilities in the arts' conference in 2007 at the Conservatorium of Music in Sydney. The conference aimed to be a celebration for all those passionate about people with disabilities and their active inclusion and participation in the arts. This 2-day conference brought together policy makers, disability arts workers, artists, managers of arts organisations and arts projects to connect with each other and discuss their work. The conference was a huge success with around 150 delegates from both the arts and disability sector attending. Conference highlights included moving and memorable performances by Tim McAllum, Annika Hooper and Aimee Crathern from Tutti Ensemble and the Australian Theatre of the Deaf.

For more information visit http://www.aarts.net.au/projects/arts-activated-conference/

Further Information

For more information contact Jane Pollard, Education & Training Manager, on tel: (02) 9251 6499 or email: jpollard@aarts.net.au.