Leading International artists lined up for Arts Council annual conference

30/10/2007

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland today unveiled a line up of internationally renowned speakers who will explore the theme of socially and politically engaged art at its one-day Art at the Heart conference, taking place on Thursday 8th November at the Grand Opera House, Belfast.

Pictured (L-R): Noirin McKinney, Arts Development Director at the Arts Council
of Northern Ireland and BBC journalist and broadcaster Seamus McKee unveiling the
line up of internationally renowned speakers for their conference Art at the Heart.

Legendary Irish novelist Edna O’Brien will be in conversation with Northern Ireland author, Glenn Patterson. She will be joined by Feargal Sharkey, musician and former Chairman of the Live Music Forum, political playwright David Edgar and Turner Prize Nominee Nathan Coley.

“We are delighted to announce such an inspirational line-up of speakers for this year’s conference”, said Noirin McKinney, Arts Development Director at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. “Today when artists have diversified to meet the increasingly wide-ranging demands of a changing society, there is even greater need to promote the work they do in transforming how we think, act and grow as citizens, as individuals, in families and communities’’.

Workshops with actor and director Dan Gordon and educationalist Dr. Lawrence Riccio, will explore the benefits of educating young minds through the arts. There will also be opportunities for networking and debating the news of the moment, the disappointing draft budget for the arts in Northern Ireland.