Our 2020 Annual Debate examines the cultural bonds between the United Kingdom’s four nations, and the role that the arts can play in building social cohesion across the British Isles.
Normally this takes place in central London but this year we are going virtual, and we have space for up to 100 people to join us live on Zoom and participate in the Q&A after our panel discussion. Zoom registrations for the Debate are now full, if you have not yet registered, we will also be streaming the event on this webpage and on Facebook.
What will we be discussing?
With ‘Brexit’ looming, regional devolved powers demonstrating their assertiveness amidst the pandemic, and renewed calls for Scottish independence and Irish unification, many people increasingly feel that the unity of the United Kingdom is at stake.
Convened in partnership with Goodenough College, London, our discussion focuses on:
- How national identities are expressed within the rich cultural heritage of the UK
- The role of the arts in building bridges within and across communities
- How the power of the arts might be harnessed to unite the four nations across boundaries.
Speakers
This year’s four guest panellists represent each of the four nations and come from a range of senior positions in the arts. Our guest panellists for this event will be:
- Lucy Callen - Composer and Assistant Conductor, Horsham Symphony Orchestra
- Roisin McDonough - Chief Executive, Arts Council of Northern Ireland
- Briana Pegado - Executive Director, Creative Edinburgh
- Professor Sue Williams - Course Director of Fine Art: Studio Site & Context, Swansea College of Art
The panel discussion and question-and-answer session will be chaired by our Chair of Trustees, the Rt Hon the Baroness Prashar of Runnymede.
How to join
This Cumberland Lodge Debate takes place at 6pm on Thursday 5 November 2020, live on Zoom.
Please register in advance to take part as a non-video participant and submit questions in our live Q&A: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/85493653017
We will also be live-streaming the discussions on our Facebook page and on this webpage, and live-tweeting at #clDebate.
Video and audio recordings will be published shortly after the event on our Read, Watch, Listen webpages and our SoundCloud channel.