ACT/UJ CONFERENCE FEEDBACK

The inaugural ACT |UJ Arts & Culture Conference was held from May 24 to 25, 2012, on the University of Johannesburg’s Kingsway Campus, with 300 delegates, presenters and panellists from across the creative sector considering the power and potential of the Creative Economy; with general consensus being that the bar was raised, for an inspired industry.

Pivotal industry stakeholders shared their expertise in brief presentations, before discussion was opened to the panel, and the floor, in each of seven sessions. Day 1 set the scene, with key players presenting on The State of the Nation; The Landscape of the Creative Economy; The State of the Sectors; and Funding – Facts, Figures, Future; with the second day looking ahead to An Inspired, Wired Creative Economy; and Art for Art, Art for Audiences, Art for Sponsors; before delegates engaged in distilling the conference conversation and ensuring continuity in The Way Forward.

The Acting Director General, Vusi Ndima, from the Department of Arts and Culture spoke to Mzansi’s Golden Economy Policy. Coming at the height of the ‘Spear’ controversy, the Department expressed their view which upholds the right to artists’ freedom of expression, while upholding the rights of others. Mike Muller from the National Planning Commission gave a sense of the input that has gone into the National Development Plan. Current infrastructure was interrogated at various levels, with an intelligent and inspiring presentation by Mike Freedman of Freedthinkers setting the tone for an exploration of different ways of looking at things, who suggested it was time for artists to “wake up from their slumber” and “do things better, do things differently, and do different things”.

“If it’s not artists who are going to help us re-imagine our future, who will?!” asked Prof Harry Dugmore, the Director of the Discovery Centre for Health Journalism at Rhodes University.

With “networks of opportunity” and formal and informal scenario planning for the sector a focus, this forum created a space for the industry to get together and share ideas; with creative conversations taking place within and outside the auditorium, moving into the increasingly relevant Social Media sphere, with the event even trending on Twitter.

The final session saw facilitators Avril Joffe, Monica Newton and Ismail Mahomed engaging with delegates around agency, with the formation and articulation of a set of best practice values for adoption by the sector moving forward. Members of communities were encouraged to channel support to existing structures and organisations, leaving participants with strong sentiments for a progressive future.

“Coming at a time when the arts had never had such a high profile in South Africa, the conference set the stage for the sector to capitalise on national plans and policies, towards its increased economic contribution, recognition and support,” says Trish Downing, member of the Conference Content Team.

In the spirit of fostering communication and availability of information to stakeholders in the sector, conference presentations and collateral are available for download from www.act.org.za.

Delegates are encouraged to complete the ACT | UJ Arts & Culture Conference - Survey 2012, which can be found at http://tinyurl.com/bw2qra2 or https://docs.google.com/a/act.org.za/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHg0aE1JR0U4RWRGbnRFYklvYTB1d0E6MQ#gid=0