The Urbanism Hour: Festival
This festive Urbanism Hour will explore the impact and significance of festivals and major cultural / arts events on their host towns
The Urbanism Hours are virtual lunch time events that explore a given theme within the built environment.
December's Urbanism Hour will be a panel discussion with three panelists from three different 'festival' backgrounds, to explore the impact on their urban surroundings and sense of place.
The final Urbanism Hour of 2023, focused on the seasonal theme of 'festival', will look at the impact and significance of festivals and social, arts, and cultural events on the urban areas that host them.
Two of our panelists come from previous Urbanism Awards finalists - Sarah Barley-McMullen from Pride in Belper (Belper, Great Town Finalist 2023) and Nicky Chance-Thompson from The Piece Hall Trust (The Piece Hall, Great Place Winner 2022) - and our third is AoU Academician Vestalia Chilton, whose 20 year career in public art is complemented by her studies in Urbanism Planning and Resilience.
Panelists:
Sarah Barley-McMullen
Sarah, former University Diversity and Inclusion Lead, and Senior Lecturer, retired in March 2022 due to Long COVID. Founder of 'Be Longing for Change,' her inclusion consultancy, Sarah is now an Associate of the National Youth Agency, and a team member of the charity Long Covid SOS.
Living with Long COVID, Sarah navigates challenges with a solution focused attitude, advocating fiercely for others in her charity and trustee roles. Stonewall Role Model, and founder of the award winning Pride in Belper, Sarah, along with her wife Helen are huge advocates for real community inclusion and celebration of identity. A passionate advocate for justice and cultural change, Sarah makes an impact by igniting a sense of belonging in all who she works with.
Vestalia Chilton AoU
Vestalia is the Co-Founder and Director of Kensington + Chelsea Art Week and the first Public Art Trail in West London, both in their 7th editions. Over 1 million people engage with Public Art Trail per week with 150 partners opening their doors to visitors with 200 events held by partners across Kensington & Chelsea during the 10 days of the summer festival.
Her career in Public Art started at Sotheby’s in Bond Street and led to refocus her attention on lobbying for culture and the arts to be at the forefront of Placemaking and Urban Planning. Previously, she developed and delivered the Art Programme for Marrakech Biennale, BritWeek in Los Angeles and Miami, Fine Art Sails marking the 2012 London Olympics, The Croydon Mural Project, pushing for more creative use of meanwhile spaces and empty stores.
She is currently studying Urban Planning and Resilience Masters at the University of Kent.
This event is virtual and will take place via Zoom. Please check your booking confirmation for the log-in info.
Thumbnail photo by Patrick Perkins via Unsplash.