Opportunities to explore the exhibitions with the artists and the Festival's curator.

What is the Good of Public Art?
A panel discussion and public debate at Wirksworth Festival
Friday 25th September, 6.30pm - 8.00pm
The Red Lion, Market Place, Wirksworth

FREE TALK with Ghislaine Howard
Sunday 27th September, 10.30am – 11.30am, St Mary’s Church

The UK's leading rural festival of contemporary art returns to this picturesque Derbyshire market town, with support for their programme of site-specific work from re:place.

The twin themes of Modernism/Architecture and lllumination/Animation are the focus for an exciting range of visual arts in traditional and new media. Work in gallery spaces and around the town by featured artists
including: Michael Branthwaite, Raphael Daden, Alec Finlay, Kate Genever, Maxine Hall, Matthew Houlding, Ghislaine Howard, Charles Monkhouse, Ben Cove, Martyn Blundell and Lorenzo Madge, plus a retrospective of local artist Peter Hoon.

FREE TALKS and EVENTS:

What is the Good of Public Art? A panel discussion and public debate at Wirksworth Festival

6.30 - 8.00pm, Friday, 25th September 2009, The Red Lion, Market Place, Wirksworth, Derbyshire 

Doors open 6.15pm - Admission free, advisable to reserve as places are limited

Public art seems to be everywhere these days – admired, controversial, loved and ignored. It’s expected to change the image of run-down places or give identity to new ones, to attract tourists or reduce antisocial behaviour. But what value does it really bring to people’s lives? Why do some things become local landmarks while others struggle even to get noticed?

This panel discussion is an opportunity to ask not just what is public art good for, but what makes it good – and for whom.

Panellists include

Mike Johnson, Artist | Andrew Brown, Arts Council England | Jennie Syson, Hinterland | Chair: François Matarasso

This programme is being led by Opun (Architecture Centre for the East Midlands) with funding from Arts Council England. To reserve a place email:

lindsay@regenerationem.co.uk or tel: 0115 9792333

Ghislaine Howard - Artist Talk

Sunday 27^th September, 10.30am – 11.30am, St Mary’s Church

Ghislaine Howard was named as a ‘Woman of The Year 2008-9’ for her contribution to art and society. She is a nationally acclaimed artist whose paintings deal with the human figure, charting and recording our shared human experience. The Stations of the Cross / The Captive Figure sequence is the result of ten years sustained exploration of a powerful subject which is at once religious and secular in character. Join Ghislaine for a talk on the exhibition and what inspires her work.

No booking required for free talks.