Don't tarry, come to Barry for the Arts Council of Wales Annual Conference!
Ever wondered how to place the arts at the centre of national life? 'Forging the Future', Arts Council of Wales's Annual Conference, will give you the chance to find out.
The Annual Conference will be held on Thursday, 30 April at the Barry Memorial Hall and Theatre. This year's keynote speakers include Professor Dominic Shellard from Sheffield Theatres Trust and Helen Marriage from Event Production company; Artichoke. The Minister for Heritage, Alun Ffred Jones, AM and Nick Capaldi, Chief Executive, Arts Council of Wales, will also be presenting their first keynote speeches at an Arts Council of Wales Conference.
Professor Dominic Shellard is Chair of the Sheffield Theatres Trust, the author of over 20 economic and social impact studies for UK theatres and Pro-Vice-Chancellor for External Affairs at the University of Sheffield.
In his talk he will focus on his recent experiences of chairing an organisation undertaking a large capital redevelopment programme, authoring economic impact studies for Rhyl Pavilion Theatre and the Abbey Theatre, Dublin and heading a search for a new Artistic Director at the Crucible. Dominic suggests that there are a number of reasons why, (even during a recession), for the UK theatre industry to be cheerful.
Events Producer, Helen Marriage, will talk about her experiences of working at the margins of traditional arts practice. Helen will discuss her work at Canary Wharf, creating a new arts programme in a corporate context. She'll also share her experiences working on large-scale open-air events including The Sultan's Elephant and La Machine in Liverpool. Are such ambitious events still achievable in the current economic climate?
This will be Heritage Minister, Alun Ffred Jones, AM's first speech at the Arts Council of Wales's annual conference, and he is expected to share his thoughts on the place of the arts in Wales and in particular, the important role the arts have to play across the policy spectrum, such as in addressing social exclusion and acting as a spur to economic regeneration.
Also making his debut speech at an Arts Council of Wales Conference, Nick Capaldi, Chief Executive of the Arts Council of Wales, will talk about his views on what we can do to thrive as well as survive during the challenging times ahead.
Other seminar themes include an open space session, which gives delegates the opportunity to create their own discussions; 'Developing Cultural Leadership' lead by Simon Dancey; 'Making your own connections - how is practice changing?' lead by Pete Telfer and Gerald Tyler; 'The Media and the Arts' lead by Writer and Broadcaster, Jon Gower; "Rebranding a Region through Festivals" by Newcastle Gateshead Initative's Andrew Dixon and 2008 Creative Wales Award recipient, Menna Elfyn, will present her take on the day as our Poet in Residence.
Dynion, the multi award winning Welsh Male Dance Company from Swansea, will perform an extract from their current production, 'Falling Apart' and Justin Preece, Percussionist will also be wowing our Conference audience with his African drumming.
Nick Capaldi, Chief Executive for Arts Council of Wales, said:
"I'm very much looking forward to my first Arts Council of Wales annual conference. There's so much to talk about. Now more than ever we need to pull together to make sure that we're doing all we can to help the arts fight back against the recession. The conference is a place for debate, new thinking and the exchange of ideas. It's a packed programme of activity, but one that reflects the diversity and range of the arts in Wales today."
The conference will open with the 2009 Creative Wales Awards ceremony on the Wednesday evening (April 29), also at the Barry Memorial Hall and Theatre. In addition to the presentation of the Creative Wales awards for 2008-09, this event will see the Minister for Heritage unveiling the first four Creative Wales Ambassadors.