Culture is “in the driving seat” of political change. Populist politicians are adept at manipulating the new cultural institutions, Facebook, Google, WhatsApp and Instagram. But there is growing momentum within the arts and culture to foster discourse on change, to build new, more relevant movements, and steer traditional institutions to focus on building social bridges and a more caring society. Artists might need to rethink oppositional and critical positions and take more of a lead in this movement. And the profound shake-up that Covid-19 is delivering gives us an opportunity to plan for that.
We welcome two change leaders to discuss how care might be more centrally embedded after Covid-19, and the role of the arts and culture in accelerating that change. Joon Lynn Goh is joint National Movement Lead for What Next?, a movement to reshape arts and culture. Shelagh Wright is a co-founder of Civic, a platform for models of change.
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Joon Lynn Goh is a cultural organiser and producer, currently organising with Migrants in Culture, Asia Art Activism, What Next?and producing Sex With Cancer, a online resource and sex shop for cancer patients with Brian Lobel. Joon Lynn has commissioned, curated and produced for ArtB&B, In Between Time, Arnolfini, Situations, Battersea Arts Centre, Punchdrunk, London International Festival of Theatre and has organised for Citizens UK Bristol. In 2019 she rejected an MBE for these reasons.
Shelagh Wright is a committed internationalist with extensive experience supporting creative and cultural work for progressive and just social, political as well as economic development. She is currently Vice-Chair of Compass, a facilitator of Reshape Network, coordinator for Laboratories of Care, and a founder of ThreeJohnsandShelagh. Her other current ventures research into the contribution of cultural and creative activists in the new Municipalist movement; work on donor transformation with the Engaged Donors for Global Equity (EDGE) Alliance amongst other things. Her work has included: the co-creation of Civic a globally-facing resource for the development of local civic infrastructures and tools for collective community building; co-curation of Change For A Tenner, an events programme for the London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT) and UK Ambassador to the Alternativet cultural-political party in Denmark.
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Who is it for?
This event is free and open to all. Particularly recommended for anyone in a leadership role in the arts and culture, and of course any photographers, artists and other creators, or anyone taking a long view of how the pandemic might affect things.
When?
Wednesday 6th May 2020, 6pm - 7:15pm.
Where?
Online! Booking will close on Wednesday 6th May at 2pm and we will then be in touch with everyone who has registered with the meeting code and password. You will need an internet connection and a computer, smartphone or tablet. This event will take place over Zoom, you don't need an account to join in but if you have an older browser you might find that the desktop app runs more smoothly.
Tickets
Please register for free by 2pm on Wednesday 6th May to receive your invitation to the meeting.
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