A-N Assembly: Stoke 2019.

Assembly Stoke-on-Trent focuses on activism in the arts and the artist as activist, activator and change maker. Taking place across several venues around the city, this day-long event aims to discuss and make more visible the work that artists do within this context, whilst also exploring the sometimes hidden labour associated with the making of things and with making things happen. Assembly Stoke-on-Trent will create space to talk about how we balance our lives with the work that we do.
Led by Anna Francis and Rebecca Davies from The Portland Inn Project, a series of provocations, discussions, hands on actions and social activity will raise questions and create space to explore answers together around a set of themes which include some of the most urgent issues of our time for artists and humans.

Themes and concerns include:
Environment and Sustainable Practices: What if we only work where we live?
Housing and Property: What are the best ways to tool up, educate ourselves and work together to protect what is ours? Exploring methods to create people-led, collaborative visions for the future of public ‘property’.
Living as Practice: The role of the artist in society. The responsible artist has the weight of the world on their shoulders, but this can be exhausting – how do we balance that?
Disobedience: ‘Shaking the table’ and creating space to discuss issues of equality and diversity activism in the arts.
Anna Francis and Rebecca Davies designed the format of the Assembly, and delivered workshops, talks and events and hosted the day.