AXIS Art and Music Debate

Between 2.30 and 5pm today, (Wednesday, 30th April, 2008) I will be holed up in the Film Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, where I will be a panelist on the Axis Festival big arts debate, an edited version of which will be broadcast on Stoke 87.7 fm on Saturday, 3rd May at 12.15pm or via www.gkradio.co.uk you can listen in on the internet.
The following issues will be raised:
How can music and the arts play a vital role in the regeneration of a city?
What is the role of the local authority and public funders in this process?
What are the benefits and draw backs of arts projects?
Who should be consulted in the process and delivery of projects, and why?

The Chair will be Professor Mick Temple

And other guests include:

Mike Wolfe former mayor of Stoke on Trent City Council

Mark Meredith Current Mayor of Stoke on Trent City Council

Phil Rawle Axis Festival director and designer
Rachel Davis from Klarity

There will also be interviews with:

Phil Jones (who was a close personal friend of Tony Wilson and very involved in the Hacienda, he instigated and ran the Boddingtons Festival is founding director of Manchester Food and Drink Festival, and the non classical booker of the Bridgewater Hall)

and Tom Godfrey - Moot Gallery in Nottingham

Looking forward to a lively debate, where I hope to raise some issues on what is and is not happening in the city, and talk about the great position we are in as a city 10 years behind most other post-industrial cities in terms of the regeneration process - we can learn what to do and what not to do in terms of integrating arts and culture.
Tune into 87.7 to listen or go to http://www.axisfestival.co.uk/radio to listen in live - I will report back later on what happens if you miss it.

Thanks to Colin from Axis Festival for the Images.

Anyone interested in the issues raised by the debate or artists interested in the processes and issues resulting from working in the public realm should check out a brilliant new publication called 'Artists and Places: Engaging Creative Minds in Regeneration' (2008) which has just been published - the publication is a result of a 2 year research project looking at 6 case studies, and finds that involving artists in various publicly funded schemes improves their quality. The entire 68 page publication is available for free download here.