#CreativeUprising Timetable Announced

#CreativeUprising will be a proactive, interactive and stimulating experience for all Art Education delegates.

The Arts & Culture Trust (ACT) and the University of Johannesburg (UJ) Arts & Culture (a division of FADA) in partnership with The SAMRO Foundation are pleased announce its dynamic two day #CreativeUprising Conference programme.  The programme will run from the 27th – 28th of July 2017 at The University of Johannesburg’s Arts Centre situated on Kingsway Campus in Auckland Park.

“We have been workshopping ideas around arts education and arts in education by consulting industry experts as well as active practitioners in the arts and culture industry for the past ten months to ensure that the ACT | UJ #CreativeUprising Conference speaks to all its delegates” says Conference Project Manager, Anastasia Pather. Since the fall of the Rhodes Statue in April 2015 and the rise of #RhodesMustFall movements, a nationwide call for a transformed and decolonised curricula has risen. In response to this, the #CreativeUprising programme has been designed to ensure that it is accessible, relevant and proactive in its approach towards arts education and arts in education. “In order to do this we have also ensured that there is a space for the conversation to take place before the conference on our Conference Website, Facebook and Twitter pages as well as a space for post-conference engagement in the form of an exciting publication” says Storm Jade Brown Marketing and Fundraising Coordinator at ACT.

This year’s two day programme is a single stream yet jam-packed experience. Delegates attending the first day of the conference will see presentations and performances by key experts, practitioners, educators and researchers in arts education. The line-up on day one includes presentations by Donna Kukama, Dr Graham Dampier, Professor David Andrew, Professor Kennedy Chinyowa and Nandie Mnyani. Key issues such as the role of community arts centres, the importance of monitoring and evaluation, African insights and policy will be addressed.

The second day of the #CreativeUprising Conference focuses on arts in education and has a strong focus on arts educators. Ashraf Jamal and Dr Alison Kearney critically examine colonial instruction. Female powerhouses Puleng Plessie and Genevieve Louw of Siyafundasana reject Western educational terminology whilst creative siblings Thuli and Asher Gamdeze question the way we look at and talk about art. There will also be several conference recaps from organisations such as ASSITEJ and NEPAD.

The wide assortment of performative presentations over the two days will explore how culture must be considered in designing inclusive educational programmes. There will also be a selection of workshops curated to offer skills development for educators and emerging creatives.

“We have also taken teachers and educators schedules into consideration and have therefore designed the conference programme in such a way that they will be able to attend after school and during breaks,” says Pather. “The recent nationwide protests that the education sector has experienced, have clearly demonstrated the power of the student voice. Therefore, The ACT | UJ Creative Conference is thrilled to announce that this year we will be partnering with Drama For Life (DFL) to run The Student Experience,” says Pather. This two-day experience will run concurrently to the conference programme and works directly with students to consider barriers to social change and education by investigating what education could look like if different arts and arts-based teaching methods are considered. The Drama For Life Theatre Company will power The Student Experience with performances, workshops and dialogues. This experience has specifically been designed for Grade 9 learners and will run daily from 09h00-15h00. For more information about the Student Experience powered by Drama For Life or to find out how your school could get involved please email Anastasia Pather at [email protected].

Click here for the full programme.

By Andrew Germishuys

Founder of SAMDB | Actor | Armourer | Tech Enthusiast With over two decades in the film industry, I'm a seasoned actor and skilled armourer. I hold numerous certifications in acting and filmmaking, complemented by degrees and diplomas in IT and technology, giving me a unique blend of creative and technical expertise. When I'm not on set or in the workshop, you'll find me immersed in the world of gaming and VR, fuelling my passion for cutting-edge technology. Connect with me: X / Twitter Facebook Instagram Mastodon Threads Explore my work on SAMDB IMDb