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--- Conference Programmer, engage/enquire, South Coast
£3,500 including VAT, plus £200 expenses

Programmer brief
engage/enquire wish to commission a Programmer to develop the concept for the engage/enquire conference taking place in Brighton in early November 2008 and programme this important annual event.

The Programmer will work closely with the engage Director, enquire Programme Director, and with engage colleagues in developing their ideas for the conference and submit the final programme by 16 June 2008. engage/enquire also plans to appoint a Coordinator for the conference who will implement the programme, dealing with logistics and bookings of venues, catering, transport, etc. The Programmer may also work with a consultant CPD coordinator, who will be taking an overview of engage’s programme of CPD.

Background
engage is the lead professional association promoting understanding and enjoyment of the visual arts through advocacy, professional development, research and projects: including envision – exploring good practice with young people; enquire – researching effective learning in galleries; explore - disabled and deaf people working with galleries and Watch This Space - professional development for teachers, artists and gallery educators.

engage has a membership of c.1200, including c.350 galleries, museums and arts centres across the UK and in 15 countries internationally. For more details visit www.engage.org

engage is core funded by Arts Council England, with project funders including Scottish Arts Council and Arts Council of Wales.

The enquire programme is managed by engage in association with Arts Council England. enquire is funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Children, Schools and Families as part of the Strategic Commissioning Museums and Galleries Education Programme, and by the Foyle Foundation.

The engage conference has become a major annual event that brings together c.250 gallery educators, artists, teachers, academics and curators, from the United Kingdom and other countries. In 2008 engage and enquire will collaborate on a joint conference. engage conference aims to stimulate debate about gallery education and issues affecting practice, to inform delegates about current cultural and educational policies and developments in the visual arts, to assist in raising the status of gallery education and to enable networking amongst engage members and other delegates.

Conference 2008
The proposed theme is artists and issue based practice, participation and education. The conference will take place in tandem with the Brighton Photo Biennial, which takes place in Brighton and the surrounding area (see attached press release). The theme of the Biennial is the representation of conflict in lens based work and many of the exhibits/commissions deal with the representation of war.

The Biennial’s commissions and associated education programme will provide both a context for the conference, and exhibitions and projects to visit. For more details about the Brighton Photo Biennial please visit www.bpb.org.uk

The conference theme will also need to link with the theme of enquire; understanding the learning benefits to young people of engaging with contemporary art, galleries and artists and the conditions that enable that learning.

engage and enquire are now seeking a Programmer who will work with engage and enquire colleagues to:

• develop an overall concept for the conference within the broad theme of artists and issue based work, participation, practice and education
• define the areas to be debated
• identify key speakers and their role in the conference
• devise other activities that enable discussion and participation
• consider relevant venues and exhibitions to visit, in liaison with the Coordinator
• develop a programme that satisfies the interests of gallery educators and associated colleagues, at different stages of their careers
• invite speakers, workshop / session leaders, facilitators and chairs
• discuss contributions and brief identified speakers, workshop / session leaders, facilitators and chairs
• attend conference
• liaise with the Coordinator on the detailed planning and delivery of the conference
• work with the Coordinator to a conference budget established by engage/enquire
• work with the Coordinator, engage staff and the Advisory group to evaluate the conference

Person specification
• Experience of programming visual arts events
• Knowledge of contemporary visual art in an international context
• Knowledge of gallery education and or visual arts education

Application Process
Please send a CV and a letter (no more that two pages) to Clare Charles clare.charles@engage.org by 12 noon on Thursday 8 May explaining how you will approach this brief. Interviews will take place on Wednesday 14 May in the afternoon.

If you have any queries or to discuss the brief further please contact Jane Sillis, engage Director on 0207 490 4690.

Timeframe:
May
Appoint Coordinator
Appoint Programmer

Mid May – mid June
Programmer and Coordinator agree break down of budget with engage/enquire colleagues
Programmer develops conference programme
Coordinator takes practical steps to implement conference programme e.g. books venues, accommodation and catering and researches transport for delegates between venues
Initial publicity for conference with dates, venues and theme sent to engage members by email and posted on website by mid June

Mid June – late July
Programmer produces detailed conference programme to be agreed by engage and enquire colleagues
Publicity for conference produced with engage staff and distributed (July/August)
Programmer confirms speakers, facilitators, workshop leaders and chair
Programmer briefs contributors

August – October
Delegate bookings taken by engage staff
Programmer liaises with contributors
engage staff put together delegate packs with Coordinator, including a programme, delegates list, contributor’s details, maps and an evaluation form

Early November
Programmer and Coordinator attend conference

November / December
Programmer, Coordinator, engage/enquire colleagues and Advisory Group evaluate conference.
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