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Media Releases

Arts - Access - Excellence Sydney Conference delivers above expectation

19/04/2010 - Media Release

The 2010 Arts Activated conference held recently at the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, exceeded expectations of both the organisers, Accessible Arts, and the arts and disability sectors.

With over 250 delegates attending – up 30 per cent from the inaugural Arts Activated conference held in 2007 – the conference proved pivotal in opening dialogue between the sectors.  Delegates from all over Australia as well as New Zealand, the United Kingdom and America accessed a diverse two day program featuring over 80 speakers (26 of whom had a disability) across 40 breakout sessions.

The breakdown of delegates from both disability and arts was of particular interest in reading current changes within the sectors, according to Accessible Arts CEO Sancha Donald. ‘About 40 per cent of delegates were people with a disability, mostly arts practitioners and administrators with a further 40 per cent from the arts sector representing cultural institutions and events,’ said Ms Donald.  ‘The other 20 per cent were health and education workers, support staff, art therapists and local government employees.’

‘This clearly indicates a shift from people with disability being seen primarily as consumers of culture to recognition of people with disability as legitimate practitioners across all art forms’, said Ms Donald.

Highlights of the conference included:

  • Keynote address from Jenny Sealy MBE, Artistic Director of Graeae Theatre UK and Artistic Advisor to Unlimited (cultural festival in conjunction with 2012 London Olympics)
  • Panelists Rafael Bonachela (Sydney Dance Company) and Phillip Channels (Restless Dance Theatre S.A.) on directions in professional development for integrated dance in Australia.
  • The opportunity for young and emerging artists with a disability to be introduced to the disability and arts sector.  A range of young artists attended, presented and performed at the conference, including some that had recently acquired a disability. Feedback suggests these young artists found peers and were introduced to new networks and opportunities.

Initial feedback from delegates suggests that over 85 per cent of those who attended experienced the program as above average to excellent.

A selection of transcripts, podcasts and videos of performances from the 2010 Arts Activated conference will be available on the Accessible Arts website in the coming weeks.

MEDIA CONTACT: Tracylee Arestides, Marketing & Media Coordinator tel: 02 9251 6499 ext 101 Mob: 0425 208 521 Email: marketing@aarts.net.au

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