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Access to Festivals
Accessible Arts works in partnership with a number of festivals each year to enable access for audience members with disabilities and disability content to be included in festival programs.
The outcomes will have a long-lasting effect on increased access to creative and cultural experiences for people with a disability across Australia through work with arts venues, corporate bodies and disability organisations.
It will increase recognition within the arts industry and established festival audiences for the quality of artworks, films and performances that are by, or about, people with disabilities. Eventually, each festival will take on board access as a core element of their planning, programming and budgeting processes.
Sculpture by the Sea
Sculpture by the Sea is one of Australia’s best-known free annual outdoor sculptural exhibitions, presented on the coastline from Tamarama Beach to Bondi Beach in the eastern suburbs of Sydney NSW. With humble beginnings on a shoestring budget in 1997, Sculpture by the Sea has grown into an international exhibition showcasing over 100 sculptures by artists from across the world.
Accessible Arts began a three-year partnership with Sculpture by the Sea in 2009 to provide assistance and guidance in the areas of education and training, access information, self-guided touch tours, and developing education programs for people of varying abilities. Access initiatives will continue to expand throughout this partnership.
- 19/11/2009 - Sculpture by the Sea adds touch to its tours
- 22/10/2009 - Tours and Information improve access to Sculpture by the Sea 2009
Sydney Film Festival
Sydney Film Festival is the New South Wales pre-eminent showcase for contemporary cinema from Australia and around the world. Established in 1954, Sydney Film Festival is a major cultural event and one of the world's longest running film festivals. In 2008, the Sydney Film Festival became the only competition Film Festival in Australia, boosting it into the same league as Cannes and other international film festivals.
Accessible Arts works in partnership with the Sydney Film Festival to deliver the Accessible Cinema strand. This partnership was formed in 2007 and is growing with momentum each year. The Sydney Film Festival have been particularly proactive in working on long and short-term initiatives to raise the profile of access through the festival. Access information is developed and promoted for all selected venues.
- 17/06/2010 - Captions at Dendy Awards applauded by filmmaker
- 03/06/2010 - Accessing the 2010 Sydney Film Festival
Sydney Writers Festival
The Sydney Writers' Festival is an annual literary festival at the main precinct in Walsh Bay, Sydney. The festival began in 1997 and has rapidly expanded over this time. The event runs for approximately one week in May each year, and plays host to more than three hundred authors from around Australia and the world. More than 65,000 people attend each year and the program is largely free to the public.
Accessible Arts works in partnership with the Sydney Writers Festival in the delivery and implementation of access services at the festival.
This partnership began in 2008 and saw the Sydney Writers' Festival incorporating access symbols into the program and providing wheelchair accessible shuttle buses from Circular Quay to Walsh Bay. In 2009, the Sydney Writers' Festival continued to deliver those fundamentals and as well as include Auslan interpretation into their International Voices event, a special closing event at the festival.
- 29/04/2010 - Accessing the Sydney Writers Festival
Biennale of Sydney
Held every two years, Australia's largest contemporary visual arts event takes over various Sydney venues for a three month exhibition, with a program of artist talks, performances, forums, film screenings, family events, guided tours and other special events, mostly free to the public. Access initiatives at the Biennale of Sydney have included the Lord Mayor community access days, presented by the Biennale of Sydney, The City of Sydney, various participating venues and Accessible Arts. This initiative continues to promote inclusion, create new audiences and increase opportunities for people with disability to experience innovative and challenging contemporary art from Australia and around the world.
- 10/06/2010 - Biennale of Sydney Audio Described Tour at Cockatoo Island
- 29/04/2010 - Lord Mayor Community Access Days throughout 17th Biennale of Sydney
The Festivalists
The Festivalists are a not-for-profit company that showcase the talents of under-represented filmmakers and develop audiences for this work. Accessible Arts provided access guidance and advice to The Festivalists in 2007 to assist with the coordination of the first fully accessible screening of a film in Sydney, at Chauvel Cinema Paddington. Who Loves the Sun was open captioned, and audio described by Vision Australia volunteers. This screening was in celebration of International Day of People with a Disability and was financially supported by the Department of Ageing Disability and Homecare. The Festivalists have continued to consider access and are working to make a broader range of their initiatives such as professional development opportunities inclusive of people with disabilities.
Electrofringe
Electrofringe is a year round program and festival of experimental electronic arts and culture dedicated to skills development and artistic exchange.
- 24/09/2009 - Electrofringe puts access on the program
Further information
If you are interested in increasing access to your arts festival, please contact Sophie Clausen, Access Coordinator tel: (02) 9251 6499 (ext. 107) or ac@aarts.net.au.