At the forefront of the current debate in the arts and policy scene in Singapore and internationally is the topic of the role of arts in society. Connecting artists and audiences is important, as is finding ways to encourage a vibrant and creative society. How could cultural activities, especially festivals, play a part in this?
Ms Robyn Archer, Creative Director of The Centenary of Canberra (2013) and Artistic Director of the The Light in Winter, Melbourne, Australia, has experience in making the arts accessible in her various festival and cultural positions. These include artistic director of major arts festivals such as the Adelaide Festival of Arts, the Melbourne International Arts Festival, Ten Days on the Island in Tasmania, two years with the European Capital of Culture and startup advisor to Luminato in Toronto.
The talk delivered by Ms Archer touched upon issues related to audiences and artists, funding in the arts, questioning elitism in the arts as well as reaching out to wide communities. The panel discussion that followed sparked questions from the audience, raising issues relevant to the local arts scene in Singapore. It was an interesting evening of lively debate.
The event was co-organised with the European Festivals Association (EFA) and LASALLE College of the Arts and was part of the ASEF supported Atelier for Young Festival Managers, an initiative of EFA.
ASEF’s contribution is with the generous support of Dr Haruhisa Handa (IFAC Chairman)
