Future/Forward is a two-day summit that will bring together arts practitioners, academics and industry professionals to engage in discussions about the current state of the visual arts in Australia and to imagine new possibilities for developing contemporary practice.
Future/Forward will present a diverse range of speakers, both local and international, including:
• Vernon Ah Kee, artist
• Julian Burnside AO QC, barrister, human rights and refugee advocate and author
• Franchesca Cubillo, curator
• Rhana Devenport, Director of Auckland Art Gallery, New Zealand
• Pippa Dickson, designer and creative consultant
• Andrew Frost, arts blogger and broadcaster
• Professor Ghassan Hage, art theorist and academic at the School of Social and Political Sciences University of Melbourne
• Dr Julie Gough, artist, curator and writer
• Lisa Havilah, Director of Carriageworks
• Barry Keldoulis, Director of Sydney Contemporary and Melbourne Art Fair
• Liz Ann Macgregor OBE, Director of Museum of Contemporary Art
• Professor Nikos Papastergiadis, theorist and academic at School of Culture and Communication, University of Melbourne
• Professor David Throsby AO, arts economist and academic, Department of Economics, Macquarie University
Tamara Winikoff, NAVA’s Executive Director says, “This is the first visual arts summit to be held in Australia. It will provide a great opportunity for speakers and delegates to grapple with important issues around which there are conflicting views. We look forward to enabling the sector to engage publicly with some of the hard things that matter to all of us.”
Brianna Munting, NAVA’s Deputy Director says, “The summit is designed to enable robust discussions on the issues facing artists and the arts industry and to develop strategies and networks for strengthening the sector to make significant changes needed for the future.”
Topics for discussion during the two-day program include:
• When is censorship justified?
• What is the impact of art structures on contemporary practice?
• What is the current state of Australian art critique?
• What are the environmental and social tipping points for contemporary arts practice?
• How can the arts sector be its own best advocate?
Support for this national dialogue is offered through travel bursaries in several states made available to art practitioners to attend the summit from around Australia. The bursaries will cover flights, accommodation, per diems and summit registration fees.