Welcome

QUICK LINKS

Access the Junction 2010 E-Archive

Download the conference schedule

Download the festival program

View the conference TV spot

Junction 2010 Official Blog

Welcome to Junction 2010

This winter saw Regional Arts Australia and Tasmanian Regional Arts invite hundreds of delegates from all over Australia and the world to Launceston to celebrate community, culture and the arts.

From 26 - 29 August, over 700 people from around Australia gathered in the beautiful city of Launceston, Tasmania to rethink and re-imagine what the future of the arts in Australia can be. 

Bringing together artists, art workers, volunteers, policy makers and those passionate to learn how the arts can connect communities to a vibrant future, the seventh Regional Arts Australia national conference was one of the biggest and most significant arts gatherings to be held in regional Australia this year. 

Enveloping and intersecting with the conference was the incredibly successful  Junction Arts Festival, an exuberant show case of wonderful art encompassing theatre, dance, opera, visual arts, writing, installation and more. Plus a great program of music, cabaret and variety in a genuinely cool festival club.

Keep an eye on these pages for updates and photos - and of course don't forget to join Regional Arts Australia in 2012 as the Conference and Festival move to the riverport of Goolwa South Australia.

Connecting the future

Junc roomJunction 2010 had an action packed conference program with internationally renowned speakers, inspiring sessions and workshops covering topics like ‘the role of arts in bushfire recovery', an interactive workshop ‘dance like a man', ‘the top five disruptive technologies' and a hands on stream including indigenous weaving, speed meeting and walking tours.

The IBSA twilight sessions of PechaKucha IBSA and the open space forum ensured optimum delegate interaction, encouraged networking and germinated critical conversations. Other highlights included a breakfast session hosted by Robyn Archer and Elizabeth Ann Macgregor, and the conference dinner curated by celebrity chef Fiona Hoskin.

Coming together for the first time at a Regional Arts Australia national conference were three of the world's leading community development thinkers: Francois Matarasso from the UK, an independent researcher and writer specialising in community cultural practice, Italian born Ernesto Sirolli, a noted authority in the field of social enterprise and sustainable economic development and Mike White, a UK authority on the role of the arts in health promotion and community health.

Joining them were prominent Australians Mark Pesce - internationally recognised as the man who brought virtual reality into the World Wide Web, Marcus Westbury - broadcaster, writer, media maker and festival director and Jane Bennett - the ABC Radio Australian Rural Woman of the Year (1997) and Regional Development category winner, Young Australian of the Year awards (1998). Other speakers included Brain Ritchie, Lola Greeno, Christine Jeffries-Stokes, Moya Sayer-Jones, Deborah Conway, Elizabeth Walsh, Jane Haley and a rich array of practicing artists, academics, researchers, philosophers, philanthropists, poets, arts enthusiasts and community developers.

Surrounding and intersecting the conference was the Junction Arts Festival, an exuberant show case of wonderful art encompassing theatre, dance, opera, visual arts, writing, installation and more.  With mostly free and participatory events which invited and encouraged public interaction and involvement, the festival was a celebration of our vibrant local community.

The festival club The Junc Room set in the heart of the Launceston CBD, was the hit of the festival. Open to public every evening it featured a terrific music program ranging from surf pop to hip hop, and a selection of eclectic cabaret and theatre works from across Australia. Fanning out from the club was a constellation of free events which welcomed public participation.


 

Subscribe

Themes

Junction 2010 involve leading thinkers and practitioners from the arts and other sectors exploring a range of questions, issues and ideas under the conference themes of footprints, threads, resilience and momentum. 

 

Experience Pure Tasmania

You can still discover all our island's most spectacular locations and experiences with Pure Tasmania, delivering quality accommodation and authentic experiences. Together with properties such as The Wilderness Gallery and The Henry Jones Art Hotel you'll experience the art of food and wine, nature and history in the iconic destinations of Strahan, Freycinet, Cradle Mountain, Hobart and Launceston. To find out more click here.