Last month I was offered a three day photography residency to creatively document NALGAO’s annual conference. The conference focussed on “the contribution that the arts and creative industries make in building sustainable communities and supporting regeneration”.
The NALGAO conference has become a key date in the national arts calendar and is an important event for local authorities and their delegates. This annual event is held at a different venue each year, with this years being held at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool.
The aim of my NALGAO photography residency was to document a creative account of the event, including keynote speakers, breakout sessions and study tours.
NALGAO Photography Residency Gallery
All the keynote speeches were situated in the beautiful art-deco Spanish Hall which is lavishly themed with its three-dimensional frieze representing an Andalusian village. One of the highlights from the first morning session was Wayne Hemingway’s (Co-founder of Red or Dead & Hemingway Design) keynote speech.
In the afternoon there was an Open Space forum which provided an opportunity for delegates to discuss their ideas and concerns in relation to public sector cultural services.
In the early evening we all gathered for the annual AGM meeting at the Grundy Gallery which was set within a beautiful backdrop of the current exhibition from Heather & Ivan Morison entitled ‘The Opposite Of All Those Things’. After the minutes were taken, we walked towards North Pier to be taken for a tram tour of the Blackpool Illuminations.
On the second day of the NALGAO conference, there were a series of breakout sessions and a variety of tours for delegates. I chose the Blackpool Walking Tour in the afternoon and had a fantastic time learning about the heritage & history of the Winter Gardens, Tower Ballroom, Grand Theatre, Grundy Gallery and Teenage Library Space.
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As always, if you have any questions or wish to leave a comment I’d love to hear from you.