SAVE THE DATE: Meeting Place 2019

Arts Access Australia is pleased to announce that Meeting Place 2019 will run from 1 to 3 December in Canberra, ACT, with the support of hosts Belconnen Arts Centre.

Meeting Place is the leading event for arts and disability in Australia, and the only disability-led event of its kind. It brings together local, national and international arts and cultural leaders, arts workers and artists to present, perform, discuss and debate the latest in access and inclusion in the arts.

This year’s theme, developed in consultation with key stakeholders in Canberra, is Disability Leadership, Identity and Pride.

Canberra aspires to lead the way for access and inclusion in the arts, striving to be the most inclusive city in Australia. This aspiration is celebrated throughout the three-day Meeting Place program, which begins with a series of pre-forum events and activities on Sunday 1 December.

On Monday 2 December the two-day industry forum kicks off, with thought-provoking speakers taking the stage to share their experiences and ideas in a series of panel discussions, along with a diverse mix of professional development workshops made possible with the support of our key partners.

The program will culminate with the first AAA Industry Awards event on the evening of the International Day of People with Disability, Tuesday 3 December, presented in partnership with the Australia Council for the Arts.

AAA’s CEO Meagan Shand said she was very excited to be bringing the annual event to Canberra for the first time.

“We have hosted the forum in most of the state capitals in Australia, as well as regionally, in Alice Springs, and internationally, in Berlin, Germany. But this is the first time we are bringing the forum to Canberra,” Ms Shand said. “It’s the perfect location for this year’s forum, because what better place to discuss our theme of leadership than in our nation’s capital city?”

Ms Shand adds that the opportunity to showcase access and inclusion in the arts to ministers and politicians was a huge incentive for holding the forum in Canberra.

“It’s about bringing artists and art-lovers with disability to the forefront of the political agenda,” Ms Shand said.

Register your interest now to keep up to date with the latest information about Meeting Place 2019, including information about Travel Grants and access to early-bird tickets.

*Article updated on 6 August 2019. Following thoughtful feedback from the community and our stakeholders, we decided to shorten the length of our Meeting Place 2019 program. Instead of running across five days as this article initially stated, the program will now run over three days, from 1-3 December. The events and activities from the previously proposed Arts & Disability Showcase will be incorporated into our new three-day program to deliver maximum impact.