Battersea Arts Centre and the Institute of Ideas as part of the Wandsworth
Arts Festival present:

'Can the arts create an urban renaissance?'

Date:  Wednesday 14 November, 7.30pm
Venue:  Battersea Arts Centre, Lavender Hill, London
Tickets: £5/£7 020 7269 9220
Convened by: Munira Mirza

In 19th century Britain, town halls, public libraries and galleries
reflected a civic pride in booming industrial cities across the UK. Today,
the government is investing millions in the development of public arts
buildings across the UK - Tate Modern at Bankside, the Lowry Centre in
Salford Quays, the Walsall Art Gallery, Baltic Flour Mills in Newcastle and
Peckham Library to name but a few. Like their European counterparts, such
as the Guggenheim in Bilbao, these British arts spaces are designed to
regenerate decaying cities. But what is meant by regeneration? Public arts
spaces are seen not as engines for economic growth, but as catalysts for
cultural renewal. Museums, galleries, theatres and arts centres bring
people together and raise their spirits, and this is seen as the key to
building stronger communities and more vibrant cities. Is this a viable
urban strategy? Is there a danger that pushing the arts too hard to relate
to and regenerate community will rob them of their magic?

Speakers: Neil Cooper, theatre critic, the Herald
Dolan Cummings,  Institute of Ideas
Chris Westwood coordinator, Lansbury Festival
Councillor Michael Keith Centre for Urban and Community Research,
Goldsmiths College, chair, Thames Gateway London Partnership
Chair:  Claire Fox director, Institute of Ideas

This event is part of a month long series of discussions on culture and
society called 'Pieties or Policies?', organised by the Institute of Ideas,
in partnership with the Tate Modern, the British Museum, the Museums
Association, the Hayward Gallery and many other cultural institutions.
Outside London, discussions will also take place at the Belfast and Dublin
festivals, as well as in Manchester, Birmingham and Oxford.

For more information about 'Can the arts create an urban renaissance?'
please contact [log in to unmask]

For more information about 'Pieties or Policies?' please visit
www.instituteofideas.com or contact Tiffany Jenkins, Arts Director on 020
7269 9227 or [log in to unmask]

Regards,
Munira Mirza