Whose Diversity? Conference
October 2003, Liverpool (194 participants)
engage’s annual conference in 2003 focused on diversity. Whose diversity ? started from the premise that society’s diversity comprises both the visible and the hidden, including issues of race, age and disability, and that embracing these differences is vital to contemporary life and creativity. The conference debated definitions of diversity as a concept in itself, examining and critiquing the organisational culture within galleries and museums. It explored diversity in relation to structure and staffing, programming, and education/audience development.
Keynote speakers included: Laura Knill, Roffey Park Consultancy; Zoya Kocur; Declan McGonagle, City Arts Centre, Dublin; Jude Kelly.
Breakout sessions looked at areas including: Engaging Older People, Curating Disability and Deaf Arts, Context and Legacies for Social Inclusion, How can Gallery educators play their part in building a more diverse gallery workforce?, How can Gallery educators embrace more diverse education and interpretation ?, How can Gallery educators as a profession try to make themselves more diverse ?
‘the most stimulating and useful engage conference that I have been to’
‘the most exciting and relevant conference I have been to in ages’
‘it was interesting and thought-provoking that although we were all there for the same reasons and with the same good intentions, there was still so much debate about what Cultural Diversity is/includes. It provided a good springboard for putting thoughts into action ‘back at the base’’