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Arts and disability creative intersection at World Summit
Representatives from Accessible Arts together with others from the Arts Access network Australia-wide, attended the 5th World Summit of Arts & Culture in October 2011, along with 500 delegates from around the globe.
Presented by IFACCA, a program of international key speakers explored the theme of Creative Intersections and the relationship between arts and culture and the wider sectors of society.
Arts Access Victoria hosted a tour for international delegates as part of the cultural program included in the Summit. A presentation at their office at Emerald Hill Inclusive Artshub in South Melbourne illuminated how access to the Arts for people with disability can be achieved through a range of projects and partnerships designed with inclusion as the first priority.
Back to Back Theatre’s world premiere production Ganesh versus the Third Reich was also part of the cultural program. This Geelong based theatre company continue to produce new forms of theatre imagined from the minds of an ensemble of actors with disabilities. With a five star performance review from the Theatre People, Julia Sutherland said,
“What I respect most about this gobsmacking piece of theatre is that it is very pointedly NOT PC, nor does it make any excuses for itself or any member of its company. It is this uncompromising honesty that defines it and renders it confronting, entertaining and unlike anything that's gone before.”
This production went on to be awarded The Age Critics Award for best new work at this year's Melbourne Festival.
Rudely Interrupted entertained delegates from around the globe over lunch on the second day of the Summit. This group of musicians with varied abilities performed the pitch perfect indie pop they are known for internationally. Footage of their performance was captured by ABC Arts and broadcast online in Outside the Comfort Zone.
Gaelle Mellis, Resident Designer, Restless Dance Theatre, Emma Bennison, Executive Officer, Arts Access Australia, Kate Larsen, CEO Arts Access Australia and Becky Llewllyn Disability Consultancy Services, presented a roundtable discussion on disability and the Arts. A small and passionate group of delegates attended the discussion and key points were taken to the final plenary. The following recommendations resulted:
‘Shift thinking – put artists first, not disability.’
From the floor of the 5th World Summit on Arts and Culture we call on IFACCA members, their governments and artists worldwide to:
Adhere to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to ensure that people with a disability have equal access and opportunity to engage in all areas of the arts and be connected to their culture, creativity and communities, through access to infrastructure; creativity and leadership.
A complete document of all recommendations from the Summit is now available online.