The Arts & Disability Forum (ADF) returns for its 4th edition from 7 to 9 October 2020, with a focus on greater inclusion in the arts through increased
access and collaborations to provide arts programmes for and by people across all abilities.
Jointly organised by the National Arts Council (NAC) and Very Special Arts Singapore [VSA(S)], ADF2020 brings together more than 10 speakers from Australia, India, Malaysia, Singapore and the United Kingdom to share their diverse experiences and best practices. The forum will provide space for learning and reflection on arts access best practices, as well as encourage more collaborations amongst the arts practitioners, social sector professionals and public agencies. With Singapore International Foundation as a programme partner and supported by the British Council, ADF2020 will be held virtually for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 300 delegates from Singapore and overseas participating and exchanging ideas on advancing inclusivity in the arts.
The theme for 2020 – “Cultivating Collaborations, Increasing Access” – is timely given the growing diversity and range of programmes and partners invested in accessible arts. ADF2020 will address the salient topics through keynote presentations, panel discussions, breakout sessions and workshops by industry’s leaders of varied backgrounds from Singapore and overseas.
The two keynote speakers for this year’s Forum are British disability arts veteran Ruth Fabby, MBE, DL, Artistic Director of Disability Arts Cymru, who will share her experience of producing work defined within disability remits and in pushing boundaries for greater inclusivity, and Australian performance artist and choreographer Caroline Bowditch, Chief Executive Officer of Arts Access Victoria, who will discuss the concept of aesthetic access, and its place in this transformative digital age.
The Forum will also present dialogues and hands-on learning activities led by experts such as Malaysian social entrepreneur Stevens Chan, who founded the social enterprise Dialogue in the Dark Malaysia and the inaugural Art Includes Festival 2019 in Kuala Lumpur; Indian photographer Partho Bhowmick, who founded Blind With Camera initiative to promote the art of photography to the visually impaired; and Singaporean social advocate Jean Loo, who co-founded ground-up inclusive arts movement Superhero Me that empowers children from diverse backgrounds through the arts, social mixing and purposeful programming. Participants will be guided and empowered to collaborate and co-create with people across diverse abilities and learn how to integrate access from the beginning to the end.
Registration for ADF2020 is now open, and participation is free. For more information, please visit www.adf2020.sg.
When: 7 - 9 Oct 2020,
By: National Arts Council (NAC)
