Happy New Year!

I’m very pleased to tell you that on Friday 14th February 2020 at the World Academy, University of Limerick, the Arts Council in partnership with the MA Festive Arts, UL will host the inaugural Change Makers festivals conference.

We will joined by festival maker, Jude Kelly, founder of the Women of the World festival (WOW), former director of the Southbank Centre and theatre creator, who will share her experiences of the impact festivals can make and their inherent value to a society. The first WOW Festival was held in London, but it now takes place across three continents forming a network in 53 countries, rooted in local stories and place, a testament to the transformative power of the festival form.

Dr Sarah Feinstein, Teaching Fellow at the School of Performance and Cultural Industries, University of Leeds, will join us a listener to reflect on the findings from the day, her research interests in the social capital of participation and the cultural production of social movements will bring rich insights into a day of discourse and debate.The conference will provide a unique and valuable opportunity for arts festivals to come together to learn from each other and share skills and knowledge. We intend to establish this day as the first in series of initiatives to support the festival sector to become resilient platforms to support artist to make and audiences to enjoy the arts.Further conference details can be found here. 

With best wishes for 2020,

Orlaith McBride

Director