John Holden, Visiting Professor, School of Arts, City University, and Demos Associate (Chair)
Bill Ivey, Director, Curb Centre for Cultural Policy (Keynote speaker)
Tony Hall, Chief Executive, the Royal Opera House and Chair of Creative and Cultural Skills
Ed Vaizey, Shadow Minister for the Arts
Baroness Lola Young of Hornsey
Samuel Jones, Demos

You are warmly invited to Demos' launch of an important collection of essays examining the role of culture and cultural policy.

As our politics, economy, and society undergo momentous change, we need spaces in which to renegotiate values, to express our beliefs, and to encounter those of others. Demos' new essay collection argues that culture and creativity are the spaces we turn to in these times of uncertainty. Yet these sectors are increasingly squeezed in the current economic climate, and we urgently need concerted policy to support them.

The collection features contributions from across the cultural spectrum, and from David Lammy, MP, John Holden, Demos Associate and Visiting Professor, City University, Andrew Missingham, Creative Consultant, Roshi Naidoo, Author of The Politics of Heritage and Celia Hannon and Peter Bradwell, Demos authors of Video Republic

At the launch, keynote speaker Bill Ivey, Director of the Curb Centre for Cultural Policy at Vanderbilt University and advisor to President Barack Obama on the transition of the federal cultural agencies, will introduce his idea of ‘the expressive life’. He argues that every citizen should enjoy the benefits of a vibrant, expressive life, but that this expressive life can flourish only after we satisfy a set of basic cultural rights. An expert panel will respond to these arguments in a discussion chaired by John Holden.

RSVP via the link above to confirm your attendance. Please note that spaces to this event are limited. We would be grateful if you could arrive 15 minutes early to allow for a prompt start; refreshments will be served from 1.30pm for a 2.00pm start. For any additional information or to inform us of any access needs, please contact events@demos.co.uk or call 0207 367 6333.

Demos is partnered in this event and publication by The Cultural Leadership Programme.