Arts Activated 2014 Conference Program
Day 1 – Tuesday 28 October, 2014
8:00–9:00am
Conference Registration (Level 1 foyer)
9:00–10:30am
Conference Opening and Keynote Session (Concert Hall)
MC: Andrew Buchanan, Deputy Chair, Accessible Arts
Welcome to Country and Conference Opening
 Allen Madden, Gadigal Elder
 Sharman Pretty, Chairperson, Accessible Arts
 The Hon Susan Ryan, Acting Disability Commissioner
 Frank Panucci, Executive Director of the Grants Implementation Taskforce,
Australia Council for the Arts, Principal Sponsor
 Sancha Donald, CEO, Accessible Arts
Unlimited and Beyond
 Jo Verrent, Senior Producer, Unlimited UK
10:30–11:00am
Morning Tea (Level 1 and 2 foyers)
11:00–12:30pm
Plenary Session and Performance (Concert Hall)
International agenda: experiences and challenges on the global stage
Curated by British Council
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Caroline Bowditch, Performance artist, Choreographer & Provocateur
(Australia/Scotland)
Carole McFadden, Theatre & Dance Programme Manager, British Council,
Middle East, North Africa, Australia & East Asia. (UK)
Sawang Srisom, Composer & Former chairperson of the Network of Music and
Arts of Persons with Disabilities (Thailand)
Dance Duet Performance
 Matthew Massaria
 Selina Te Hira
12:30–1:30pm
Lunch (Level 1 and 2 Foyers)
1:30–2:20pm
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NDIS Session
Prepared and ready for sector change
 Emma Barrance, Creative Director, Arthur Creative
 Jenna Rathegeber, Artist
Creative Access and the NDIS
 Christina Robberds, Director, Octapod
 Justine Potter, Community Access Officer, Octapod
Media Matters Session
The power of media for social change
 Sarah Barton, CEO, Disability Media and Fertile Films
‘Making Airwaves’ radio broadcasts
 Catherine Maitland, Program Coordinator, Windgap Foundation/Eastside Radio
 Steven Cooke, Windgap Foundation Australian Disability Enterprise
Disability-led Practice Session 1
Duo Performed Paper: Improclusivity
 Melinda Smith, Consultant Artist
 Dianne Reid, Dance Artist and Filmmaker
A Collaborative Approach
 Michelle Ryan, Artistic Director, Restless Dance Theatre
 Lorcan Hopper, Dancer, Restless Dance Theatre
International Collaborations Session 1
Scholarships and Collaboration – Panel Session
 Emma Bennison, CEO, Arts Access Australia
Australia Council for the Arts Executive Leadership Grant
 Sarah-Vyne Vassallo, Choreographer, Creative Producer
Winston Churchill Fellow
 Karen Kyriakou, Music
Winston Churchill Fellow
Creative Practice Session 1
'stArts with D' Performance Ensemble's new short film
 Jenine Mackay, CEO, Incite Arts Inc
 Tiffany Malthouse, Emerging Artist with Disability
 Kat Worth, Emerging Artist with Disability
 Brandon Williams, Emerging Artist with Disability
Creating diversity in the theatre landscape one child at a time
 Alex Walker, Associate Director, St Martins Youth Arts Centre
 Katrine Gabb, Access Officer, St Martins Youth Arts Centre
2:20–2:30pm
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Move to next session
2:30–3:30pm
Power of Policy Session
Arts and disability – enriching daily life for all
 Tony Grybowski, CEO, Australia Council for the Arts
NSW Arts and Disability Partnership 2012 to 2014: Results
 Nea Cahill, Project Officer Strategic Initiatives, NSW Trade and Investment: Arts
NSW
Audience Development Session 1
Finding the right words: audio describing the arts
 Lara Torr, Board Member and Audio Describer, Access2Arts
Access to Arts: Seeing Through Senses
 Abigail Hirsch, Artist Educator and Curator
Disability-led Practice Session 2
This session is a forum for people with disability to meet and learn from each other
as people with disability, therefore this session is not open to people without a
disability. We appreciate your understanding and respect of the importance of a
disability only session.
Creating Our Futures
 Amanda Tink, Program Officer, Arts Access Australia
Rebus theatre - mixed ability forum theatre educating workplaces and
communities
• Robin Davidson, Artistic Director, Rebus Theatre
• Cara Matthews, Co-ordinator, Rebus Theatre
Creative Practice Session 2
Unfinished Business – Concept to Exhibition (25 minutes)
 Belinda Mason, Director, Belinda Mason Photography
 Gayle Kennedy, Author
Blue Rose
 Phillip Crawford, Illawarra Projects Worker, Beyond Empathy
 Joanne Sutherland, Beyond Empathy
 Gemma Parsons, Beyond Empathy
3:30–4:00pm
Afternoon Tea (Level 1 and 2 Foyers)
4:00–5:00pm
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Plenary Session
MC: Andrew Buchanan, Deputy Chair, Accessible Arts
Discrimination: the good, the bad, the ugly!
 Arts Access Australia
5:00–6:00pm
Twelve + 3 Exhibition and Evening Reception (The Art Space, Lower Ground)
Twelve + 3
 Peter Wood, CEO, Arts Northern Rivers
 Julie Barratt, North Coast Manager, Accessible Arts
 Zoe Robinson-Kennedy
Day 2 – Wednesday 29 October, 2014
7:30–8:30am
Networking Breakfast
8:00–9:00am
Conference Registration in Level 1 Foyer
9:00–10:30am
Keynote Session
MC: Andrew Buchanan, Deputy Chair, Accessible Arts
Tate's Programmes for Disabled Visitors
 Marcus Dickey Horley, Curator of Special Projects at Tate Gallery, UK
Plenary Session and Performance
Disability Arts Partnerships Projects: Exploring the social impact of cultural
participation in the arts
 Jenny Green, Senior Lecturer, University of Technology Sydney
 Simon Darcy, Professor, University of Technology Sydney
Reading Excerpt from Me, Antman and Fleabag
“Take one woman, her partner Antman and their dog Fleabag, pack up the car, turn
up the country music and you've got one spirited road trip 'makin room for all the
good things in life, like family, laughin, travellin and, best of all, love”.
 Gayle Kennedy
10:30–11:00am
Morning Tea in Level 1 and 2 Foyers
11:00–12:30pm
International Collaborations Session 2
The MOST projekt, it’s a long way, when you wanna rock and roll
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Zeb Schultz, Artists Director/President, RealArtWorks Inc - The Bridge
Mike Smith, Vice President, RealArtWorks Inc - The Bridge
Speed of Life
 Alison Richardson, Creative Director, Riverside Theatres – Beyond the Square
 Dean Walsh
Audience Development Session 2
Influencing inclusive thinking
 Catherine Flanagan, Associate Producer – Sydney New Year’s Eve, City of
Sydney
 Dee Jones, Project Coordinator – Sydney New Year’s Eve, City of Sydney
Autism-friendly – ‘The King and I’: a giant step towards inclusion
 Jenny Spinak, Accessibility Manager, Sydney Opera House
 Anke Timm, Community Partnerships Manager, Opera Australia
 Vanessa Lucas, Music Therapist, Giant Steps Sydney, Limited
The Bella Program: A Person Centred Approach at MCA
 Susannah Thorne, Bella Program Coordinator, Museum of Contemporary Art
Australia
 Artist Educator, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia
Disability-led Practice Session 3
Writing out of Silence: On Creativity, Craft and Promotion as a Deaf Author
 Jessica White
Accessibility – Pushing the boundaries of Literature Readings
 Gaele Sobott
 Gayle Kennedy
 Amanda Yeo
 Georgia Cranko
Access Through Technology Session 1
This House is Mine
 Maree Freeman, CEO/Artistic Director, Milk Crate Theatre
 Sarah Emery, Associate Director, Milk Crate Theatre
Accessible Animation
 Philip Relf, Outreach Program Coordinator, Pine Street Creative Arts Centre
 Jane Caveney, Outreach Tutor, Pine Street Creative Arts Centre
Imagine Me – from Analog to Digital in my Community Cultural Development
Practice
 Sue Murray, Lead Artist Facilitator, Imagine Me
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Community Connections Session 1
Wobbly Hub and Double Spokes Project
 Angela Dew, Post Doctoral Research Associate, University of Sydney
Public Displays of Affection
 Cathy Horsley, Community Cultural Development Officer, City of Port Phillip
Allowing Disruptive Information
 Jenelle Becker, Marketing and Promotions Leader, IDEAS
 Scott Howie, Regional Arts Development Officer, Eastern Riverina Arts
12:30–1:30pm
Lunch in Level 1 and 2 Foyers
1:30–2:20pm
International Collaborations Session 3
PERFECT (im)PERFECTIONS – creating dance art with performers with and without
disability
 Philip Channells, Creative Director, Dance Integrated Australia
 Tone Pernille Ostern, DansiT Chair, Inclusive Dance Company
Audience Development Session 3
Collection Made Possible
 Jude McBean, Gallery Director, Clarence Valley Council
Digital Accessibility – Where do we start?
 Caine Chennatt, Digital Engagement Coordinator, University of Western
Australia Cultural Precinct
Disability-led Practice Session 4
That’s Why The Lady Needs a Ramp
 Kate Hood
“Propelled”: From the Page to the Stage
 Douglas Robins
Access Through Technology Session 2
stARTSPEAK – sensory touchpad artspeak
 Simone Flavelle, Manager stARTSPEAK Project, DADAA
 Patrick Carter, Artist, DADAA
Phenomenological Art for Awareness
 Erin Stewart, Doctoral Candidate, University of Wollongong
Community Connections Session 2
Moving from Paper to Puppetry
 Gabrielle Mordy, Artistic Director, Studio ARTES Northside Inc
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Greg Sindel, Studio Artist, Studio ARTES
Scott Wright, Co Founder and Artistic Director of Erth
Live And Loud – an inclusive arts concept
 Steven Burchill, Coordinator Creative Arts and Life Skills, The Mai-Wel Group
 Stephanie Bridges, Arts Facilitator, The Mai-Wel Group
2:20–2:30pm
Move to next session
2:30–3:30pm
International Collaborations Session 4
Long-term relationships versus short-term engagement
Curated by British Council
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Sunethra Bandaranaike, Chair of Sunera Foundation (Sri Lanka)
Lisette Wesseling, Soprano & Braille Awareness Consultant (New Zealand)
Jo Verrent, Senior Producer Unlimited (UK)
Audience Development Session 4
Accessibility at Sydney Festival
 Christopher Tooher, Executive Director, Sydney Festival
Access at the National Folk Festival
 Pam Merrigan, Director, National Folk Festival
Walsh Bay Sculpture Walk App
 Sophie Clausen, Access Development Manager, Accessible Arts
Disability-led Practice Session 5
This session is forum for people with disability to meet and learn from each other as
people with disability, therefore this session is not open to people without a disability.
We appreciate your understanding and respect of the importance of a disability only
session.
Creating Our Futures
 Amanda Tink, Program Officer, Arts Access Australia
Creative Connections Session
Creative Connections – Panel Session
 John Demos and Lucas Ihlein
 Pure and Peter Stevenson
 Andrew Hewitt
Community Connections Session 3
Creating Connections
 Julie Barratt, North Coast Manager, Accessible Arts
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HEREandNOW13: A best practice mentoring project for artists
 Catherine Peattie, Manager of Strategic Arts, DADAA
 Natalie Georgeff, Research and Evaluation Coordinator, DADAA
 Julian Poon, Artist
3:30–4:00pm
Afternoon Tea in Level 1 and 2 Foyers
4:00–5:00pm
Plenary Session, Conference Close and Performance
MC: Andrew Buchanan, Deputy Chair, Accessible Arts
Art@Work: Working Together to Session Employment of Artists with Disability
 Fiona Cook, Arts Manager, Arts Access Victoria
 Caitlin McMorrow, Program Officer, Arts Access Australia
Conference Close
 Emma Bennison, CEO, Arts Access Australia
 Sharman Pretty, Chairperson, Accessible Arts
Opera Performance
 Richard Lane, Heldentenor
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