Wednesday 15 March
St George’s Bristol and Watershed, Bristol
10am Registration & Coffee, event 10.30am-5.30pm
Over 30 speakers confirmed for this major cross-artform event exploring age, diversity and inclusion in family arts.
Chief Executive of Arts Council England, Darren Henley will join us to welcome arts professionals from across the UK to learn and share best practice in working with families.
Including speakers from a wide range of organisations including Arnolfini, Town Hall Symphony Hall Birmingham, Z-arts, and Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
The day includes chances to network with family-friendly venues, programmers and touring companies. You can view the delegate list here.
Schedule
10am Registration and coffee
10.30am Morning sessions: new insights on arts-based approaches to inclusion and diversity
Deputy Mayor of Bristol Cllr Estella Tincknell will speak on the role of arts in diverse and socio-economically disparate cities.
Bristol Family Arts Network, organisers of the large-scale Bristol Family Arts Festival, on diversity and inclusion at the heart of Bristol’s cultural provision. Keynote from Clare Karslake from Arnolfini, Roseanna Dias from Watershed, and Amy Harrison from The Architecture Centre.
UK & international perspectives on welcoming older people as part of the family experience from Kate Organ, expert on arts and ageing and former consultant for Baring Foundation, Heidi Wiley from Art of Aging (European Theatre Convention), and Gabbi Mesters from European initiative Long Live Arts.
1pm Lunch with a performance from St George’s
1.55pm Breakout sessions
Working with older people and families: panel session with Emma Robinson from Age Cymru and its Gwanwyn Festival, Jill Rezzano from New Vic Stoke and its Ages and Stages programme, and Fergus Early from Green Candle Dance Company. Chaired by Charlotte Jones from Independent Theatre Council.
Marketing to families: a panel session with Sharna Jackson, Children’s Content Creator, Sara Lock the Associate Editor of CultureHive, Kate Mroczkowski from Spektrix as well marketing teams from leading UK family arts organisations, discussing innovative approaches to reaching families.
Developing diversity in family audiences: panel session with Liz O’Neill from Z-arts, Emma Spencer fromYorkshire Sculpture Park, Rachel Clarke from Knowle West Media Centre, Nikki Locke from East Durham Creates, and Sarah Bird and Rowan Hoban, Directors of Wild Rumpus and Just So Festival
A family-friendly workplace: how family-friendly is the arts sector to its employees? Panel session with Anna Ehnold-Danailov and Cassie Raine, co-founders of Parents in Performing Arts (PIPA), and Nicola Smith, Founder of We Are Resident, who provide international residency opportunities for parents working as artists.
3.15pm Afternoon sessions: approaches to access, research findings and future activity
Approaches to access: panel session including Chris Proctor from Town Hall Symphony Hall Birmingham, Karen Townsend from ATG, Victoria Grant from Manchester Meseums as well as contributions from Stagetext.
Keynote: Leo Sharrock, Director of Data Platforms at The Audience Agency and Jonathon Blackburn, Senior Policy and Research Officer at Arts Council England, present findings from new research on family audiences and participation.
Darren Henley, Chief Executive of Arts Council England, on the past, present and future of family arts and its importance to Arts Council England’s strategic plan.
Family Arts Campaign Manager Jenny Daly on new initiatives and ways to engage with the Family Arts Campaign.
5.30-6.30pm Networking drinks reception
Tuesday 14th March 5.30pm, Circomedia, Portland Square, Bristol
All conference delegates are invited to a pre-conference celebration and networking event on the evening preceding the conference. As spaces are limited, we ask that you please book your place in advance if you would like to attend this event.
“So many interesting things: hearing about a range of offers for families was very useful.”
“It allowed time to think and understand how families perceive our offer – lots of food for thought.”
“I will keep this inspiration with me when looking at my own upcoming collaborations.”
– Delegates, 2015 Family Arts Conference
The Family Arts Conference is sponsored by Spektrix and Supercool.
Family Arts Campaign is supported using public funding from Arts Council England.
The Albany, Deptford 