Engaging Students with Disability Forum Presented by Sydney Opera House and Museum of Contemporary Art Australia 14 15 September 2018 Explore new ways to connect, engage and inspire students with disability in this practical, artist-led two day forum for teachers and support providers. Over a series of interactive workshops and sessions led by guest artists Prue Stevenson and Emily Dash, artist educators from the highly regarded MCA Bella Program and Sydney Opera House teaching artists, delve into the idea of collaboration and discover a range of creative strategies to create collaborative and inclusive classroom practice. This is the forum for those passionate about working with students with disability or for teachers who want to learn some tried and tested technique. My approach with my Special Needs Students has been revolutionised. I have been given a whole new outlook and the tools to create meaningful, exciting and all-inclusive experiences for my students. Cindy Dignum, Wauchope Public School Engaging Students with Disability 0
Program Day 1: Friday 14 September at Museum of Contemporary Art Australia 9.00am 9.45am 10.30am 11.00am 12.00pm Introduction and Welcome The theme for the 2018 Engaging Students with Disability forum is process. Our combined MCA and Sydney Opera House team will be exploring this theme across both days, and engaging with artists to explore creative process. Opening Presentation: Prue Stevenson Melbourne artist Prue Stevenson will open the forum with a presentation about her practice. This will be followed by a Q & A with the artist. "My process is directly linked to my identity and lived experience as an Autistic Person. My process begins by asking lots of questions and when selecting a medium, asking myself why that medium, why that behaviour? In being Autistic I choose to manage myself to be able to be integrated into mainstream society. Taekwondo is one of the many mediums I use, which allows me to self-regulate as a form of stimming in a socially acceptable way, to help me manage my levels of energy and emotions". Prue Stevenson Morning Tea Prue Stevenson presents Expend Prue Stevenson will enact her serial performance piece, Expend, showcasing a powerful combination of canvas, black paint, bare feet and a black belt in Taekwondo. Utilising artistic process as a way of managing the excess energy and anxiety associated with autism, Prue will create this work on site at MCA. Expend will quite literally kick off the day, with opportunity for observation of this high energy work in process. Artist Educator led response to Expend MCA Artist Educator Brook Morgan will lead a group response to Expend in a workshop informed by key themes of the work and the artist s creative process. This session will close with a facilitated group discussion and a Q & A with the artist. Lunch Engaging Students with Disability 1
12.45pm 1.45pm 3.15pm 4.00pm Interactive MCA Gallery Tour Join MCA Artist Educators and SOH Artists on a gallery tour that is all about touch and engaging our multiple senses. In this session you will participate in hands-on activities that focus on how using tactile objects and other resources can facilitate multi-sensory engagement with contemporary art. MCA Bella Room Commission Workshop Join Lara Merrett for an artist-led experience of her 2018 Bella Room commission, Paint me in. Connect directly with the artist and work alongside MCA Artist Educators in a processed-based workshop that responds to Lara s art practice and your experience of engaging with her artwork. Each year the MCA commissions an artist to create an interactive and multisensory artwork in the Bella Room for access audiences. Reflection on practice Finish the day by engaging in creative activities that facilitate reflection, and play with the possibilities for incorporating points of learning into your teaching practice. Day one concludes Engaging Students with Disability 2
Program Day 2: Saturday 15 September at Sydney Opera House 10.30am 11.15am 11.45am 12.45pm 1.30pm 2.30pm Keynote by Emily Dash Using concrete examples from personal experience and her journey as an artist, writer and performer with disability Emily Dash will discuss the benefits of inclusive arts practice and how it can open up possibilities for empowerment. Looking at what defines best practice and how to make the creative process inclusive, she will offer an insight into the approaches she found most supportive and impactful. In particular, she will reflect upon the value of good collaboration - and building trusting relationships with high expectations, allowing people to grow and learn. Morning Tea Workshop with Emily Dash This practical workshop will bring to life the ideas discussed in the keynote. Along with her frequent collaborator Alyson Evans, Emily Dash will offer provocations and demonstrate her own approach to inclusive arts practice in a multi-art form context. You will be able to take a deeper look at how you might establish an effective working relationship, and what this can achieve. Lunch Bella in the House Tour Join Sydney Opera House artists as they lead you on an interactive performative tour of the nooks and crannies and grand spaces of the Sydney Opera House. In this session you get physical, learning in various strategies that utilise the fun spaces found in any building as a starting point to develop theatrical and visual responses. Questions that will emerge from this session will focus on how can a school be used as a cultural site? Bella in the House Workshop Back in the Utzon Room you will take the ideas that have been sparked from the tour and give these shape as you further explore creative learning strategies that emerge from responding to place. This session will be joyful and physical and will extend thinking around the school as a cultural site. Engaging Students with Disability 3
3.15pm 4.00pm Reflection on practice Finish the day by engaging in creative activities that facilitate reflection, and play with the possibilities for incorporating points of learning into your teaching practice. Day two concludes Engaging Students with Disability 4
Industry Experts Sydney Opera House Teaching Artists Sydney Opera House Teaching Artists bring a depth of performing arts experience to our Creative Learning program. They are artists, educators, theatre makers and artistic directors. Teaching Artists support the Creative Learning program through teaching resources, presenting interactive Q&A sessions and working closely with schools participating in the Creative Leadership in Learning program. MCA Artist Educators MCA Artist Educators are responsible for developing programs across all learning areas at MCA. They are practicing artists, who also have a formal or informal background in education and creative learning. The dedicated team of Bella Artist Educators tailor all Bella and accessible programs so that every program is responsive to the access needs of people participating. Engaging Students with Disability 5
Pricing and Registration Two Day Package Single Day Package Early bird* $175 $95 Standard $200 $100 Pre-service Teacher $120 $60 *Early bird price expired 3 August 2018 To book, fill out the registration form online at sydneyoperahouse.com and a member of the Sydney Opera House Creative Learning will contact you to process payment and confirm your booking. For enquiries and more information contact Sydney Opera House Creative Learning creativelearning@sydneyoperahouse.com 02 9250 7770 Engaging Students with Disability 6