Review of Spotlight On Working for Free in the Arts
in partnership with
Spotlight On Working for Free in the Arts took place on Tuesday 15th December 2009 at Contact in Manchester. The event was run in partnership with Contact and with Redeye, the photography network, and was attended by 31 participants.
The panel at Spotlight On Working for Free in the Arts.
The event kicked off with a practical information session and discussion about the pros and cons of working for free in the arts, led by our panel of guest speakers:
- Paul Herrmann – Director of Redeye, the photography network for the North West.
- Holly Ball – Freelance young people’s theatre facilitator, Creative Breaks placement and Changemakers Young Advocate for PANDA.
- Rose Durbin – Music technology tutor at The Manchester College and board member for National Skills Academy for Creative and Cultural Skills (NSA).
- David Corden – Actor and Chair of Equity North West of England General Branch.
The audience really engaged with the discussion, proving that working for low or no pay in the arts is an emotive and very relevant issue in today's climate. As with previous Spotlight On events, the feature that participants picked out as being the best thing about the panel session was the range of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives from the guest speakers.
Read the notes from Spotight On Working for Free in the Arts.
After the panel session we ran two optional taster workshops, organised to make the most of this coming together of performing arts practitioners and photographers.
There was a Meet the Photographer session, where participants got the chance to meet the sought-after music and performing arts photographer, Ian Tilton. This informal Q&A session was a fascinating insight into the career of an award-winning professional and a great opportunity for participants to get first hand advice on their own situations.
There was also an workshop on Presenting Yourself for photographers, run by Janet Harrison from Creative Academy. Like the other workshop, the feedback from this session was extremely positive, with many participants stating that they would have liked more!
See the biographies of the speakers and workshop leaders.
Overall the feedback from Spotlight On Working for Free in the Arts was positive, with 70% of respondents finding the event useful or very useful and 100% saying they would come to another and recommend it to a friend.
"It was excellent, refreshing and reassuring to hear experienced representatives of the creative industy speak so frankly and honestly about the industry." Participant
If you have any further feedback about the event or would like to suggest a topic for future Spotlight On events, please get in touch with Rachel Morton, Network Manager on 0161 274 0626 or email rachel@panda-arts.org.uk.
If you have any technical or access issues downloading any of the documents on this page contact Rachel Morton, Network Manager, on 0161 274 0626 or email rachel@panda-arts.org.uk.
Coming up in 2010
This year, our Spotlight On programme will visit venues across the North West, starting with an event in Lancashire in March, run in partnership with Nuffield Theatre, Lancaster. Keep watching the PANDA website and PANDA Network Newsletter for details as they are announced.
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