Featuring Imagine case studies from the Philippines, Australia and the UK, this online session looks at the work of organisations and initiatives that use literature, art, theatre and history to combat racism by promoting equity, diversity, and cultural empowerment. They champion Indigenous expressions, challenge social norms, and celebrate the rich heritage of marginalised artists and communities, inspiring change and fostering understanding in society.
DATE: Tuesday 9th July 2024
TIME: 6pm-7.30pm AEST (4pm-5.30pm Manila, PH. 9am-10.30am, London UK)
SPEAKERS:
- Görkem Acaroğlu from Metanoia Theatre, Australia
- Kristian Cordero from The Savage Mind Bookshop and Kamarin Art Gallery, Philippines
- Lisa Anderson from Black Cultural Archives, UK
MODERATOR: Scientia Associate Professor, Dr Sukhmani Khorana (School of the Arts and Media, Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, UNSW)
The Imagine Project by Diversity Arts Australia is proudly supported by Creative Australia and the British Council as part of the Creative Equity Toolkit
Panellists:
Lisa Anderson
Lisa Anderson is a leader in the culture and heritage sector, passionate about visual arts and dance. With a background in human rights, she uses culture to champion social justice and racial equity. Since 2021, she has been the Managing Director at the Black Cultural Archives, promoting Black British history. As an independent curator, she advocates for African Diaspora art, having established @blackbritishart in 2016. In 2019, she launched an art advisory service and recently curated Soulscapes for Dulwich Picture Gallery. Lisa contributes to academic dialogue on arts, culture and heritage, and advises Addis Fine Art and Uchenna Dance.
Kristian Sendon Cordero
Kristian Sendon Cordero is a poet, fictionist, translator, and filmmaker based in the Bikol region. In 2017, he represented the Philippines in the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa. Consequently, he was also appointed artist-in-residence by the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 2018 and in the 2022 Stellenbosch Institute of Advanced Study in South Africa. In 2019, he received the Southeast Asian Writers Prize (SEAWRITE) in Bangkok, Thailand, from the Thai monarchy. He serves as director of the Ateneo de Naga University Press and runs an independent bookshop and art space, The Savage Mind, since 2018. The bookshop has been called the creative heart of Bikol, a bastion of free thinking, and the soul of a community.
Dr Görkem Acaroğlu Training Consultant
Dr Görkem Acaroğlu is a Creative Director, Mentor and Educator with over 20 years experience in programming, producing, teaching and artistic practice. Görkem has specialist expertise in cross-cultural engagement and working with diverse stakeholders. She provides vision and practical expertise to the realisation of multiple projects from the ground up and has worked in a range of arts and creative roles, including currently as Creative Director, Metanoia Theatre, as Arts Participation Manager at the City of Melbourne, and Program Producer at Federation Square. Gorkem was an inaugural Sidney Myer Creative Fellow and was awarded a PhD in 2015 for examining the capacity for technological actors to perform competently with human actors on stage.
Dr Sukhmani Khorana
Sukhmani Khorana is a Scientia Associate Professor in the School of the Arts and Media, UNSW Sydney. She is interested in media and migration and her research focuses on multi-platform refugee narratives, the politics of food, the role of emotions in social change, cultural diversity in media and culture, and self-representation by young people of colour. Through her research, Sukhmani aims to create broader awareness about the lives of asylum seekers and refugees and contribute to the capacity-building of disadvantaged migrant communities. She is the author of 2 books, co-editor of 2 edited collections, and has published dozens of academic and non-academic articles.
