Inaugural ACT/UJ conference aims to share knowledge

Under the theme "The Art of the Creative Economy", the Arts and Culture Trust (ACT), in partnership with the UJ Arts and Culture Centre at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), will present a conference that sets the stage for representatives from national entities, major funding agencies and corporate sponsors of the arts, arts activists and luminaries from various genres across the sector, to come together to share their knowledge and insights with conference delegates with a view to empowering the sector towards its increased economic participation, recognition and support.

Local and international thought leaders

The two-day conference brings together local and international thought leaders and will incorporate the following:

• Policies, plans and strategies to stimulate the creative economy across all sectors
  
• Findings from key industry research conducted over the past five years, much of which remains little known to practitioners and administrators
  
• Overviews of the state of the various sectors within the arts and offer case studies on commercial successes
  
• Insights into funding of the arts and provide constructive guidelines to improve access to funding avenues and opportunities.

In addition to looking at the "state of the nation" and the "state of the sectors", discussion themes will include the world as a creative economy, art as the new frontier of leadership, art for art or art for audiences, and art and performance in the digital age.

Focus on delivering constructive outcomes

The conference leaders will be focused on delivering constructive outcomes from these presentations and conversations. Plans will be created for practitioners and administrators to remain abreast of developments and industry thought-leadership within the sector.

"This is a most exciting time for the arts and culture sector," said Trish Downing, member of the conference content team. "Never before has the potential of the creative sector in stimulating economies received such strategic attention, locally and internationally, as evidenced in South Africa by the sizeable increase in state funding that is being made available to this sector. We are being taken seriously - and we need to understand what this means for us and how to capitalise on this shift. Through this conference, we hope to address the divide that exists between policymakers and practitioners, by creating a space in which these important conversations can happen."

Speaker line-up

The line-up of speakers and panellists includes Dr Wally Mongane Serote, Avril Joffe, Andries Oliphant, Ismail Mahomed, Andre le Roux, Deon Opperman, Mfundi Vundla, Monica Newton, Mpho Molepo, Michelle Constant, Janet Watts, Mandie van der Spuy, Germaine Gamiet and Erika Elk.

The conference programme is put together by Trish Downing, Brenda Devar and Mpho Molepo, all of whom bring with them a wealth of experience in various positions in the industry, with guidance from Avril Joffe and André le Roux. Devar is the current chairman of the Arts and Culture Trust (ACT); Downing, also a trustee on the ACT board and a member of the National Film and Video Foundation Council, has an in-depth working knowledge of both the creative and the commercial sectors; and Molepo has contributed to the industry as an actor, activist, administrator and producer, and as a founding member of the South African Theatre Initiative. He is also a trustee on the ACT Board.

Up-to-date database of industry stakeholders

One of the key deliverables of the conference will be the first publication of and distribution of the new ACT/UJ SA Arts and Culture Listing, an up-to-date national database of industry stakeholders, which promises to become an invaluable industry resource.

"In order to ensure that as many stakeholders as possible are able to attend this important industry event," said Brenda Devar, ACT chairman, "we have kept the conference registration fee to a very affordable R500, which includes the conference pack, all catering and the conference cocktail event."

Conference registration is now open, and more information is available, through www.act.org.za. A limited number of sponsored registrations will be made available to arts, culture and heritage practitioners. Applications for sponsored registrations close on 2 April, and conference registrations close on 10 May.