The Arts Council at 70: A history in the spotlight

A Cultural Trends & King’s College London Conference 2016

2016 marks the 70th Anniversary of Arts Council England. King’s College London are choosing to mark this anniversary with a landmark conference for everyone with an interest in the burgeoning field of the history of cultural policy on 31st May 2016.

We are bringing together key practitioners past and present to discuss and reflect on how the Arts Council has changed through the last few decades. The history of cultural policy is contradictorily full of change and stasis. Organisations are not faceless monoliths, they are made up of people with their own stories and experiences. We want to interrogate the history of the Arts Council through the voices of people who were themselves close observers or architects of policy.

The conference will take the form of three Witness Seminars followed by a keynote speech and a reception. Witness Seminars combine elements of a reunion with the research dividends of oral history.

Three events make this an ideal time to reflect: The Arts Council turns 70; the publication of the Culture White Paper (the first since 1965) and Cultural Trends turns 25 this year.

You are invited to join us for what will be a very interesting and enjoyable afternoon.

Click here for more information and to register.

31st May 2016, 13:30 – 19:00
The River Room, King’s College London
Strand
London WC2R 2LS