ISPA has released the full schedule of speakers for its 100th congress, which begins in Montréal in 11 days’ time. It is hosted under the theme ‘Identities’, as delegates debate the ways in which art brings different cultures and ideas together. The congress runs from 23 – 27 May.
Marc Blondeau, CEO at host venue Place des Arts, will give the welcoming address, alongside Mary Lou Aleskie (board chair, ISPA) and David Baile (CEO, ISPA).
The main programme then kicks off with a keynote address from Canadian playwright Michel Marc Bouchard. Known for his play Lilies, which deals with the conflicts between homosexuality and societal norms, Bouchard is among Canada’s most admired writers and an ideal candidate for the ‘Identities’ theme.
Other speakers on day one include poet Ahmed ‘Knowmadic’ Ali, artist Elisapie Isaac and artist Charles Koroneho.
The first session on day two is ‘Production: New Practices to Cross Borders’ featuring multimedia designer René Barsalo (Métalab, Canada) among others, followed by ‘In Search of an Audience: Are all Stories Universal?’ with a panel that includes Gaurav Kripalani (Singapore International Festival of Arts).
Day three features two sessions: ‘Education, Outreach and Inclusion: Projects that Create Identity’ and ‘Funding Models: Embracing Diversity and Identity’. Speakers include Phloeun Prim (Cambodian Living Arts, Cambodia), Simon Brault (Canada Council for the Arts, Canada), Jane Chu (National Endowment for the Arts, USA) and Henriëtte Post (Performing Arts Fund NL, Netherlands).
The final session on day four is ‘Identities: Growth through Meeting People from Different’ with Dean Kriellaars (Health Sciences at University of Manitoba, Canada) and Stéphane Lavoie (TOHU, Canada).