Arts Leaders, hosted by Abbotsford Convent

Local Players

We warmly welcome APAM participants to Melbourne and to a special experience meeting artists in the Convent’s bucolic buildings and grounds. Meet four incredible arts leaders (All The Queen’s Men, Forest Collective, Polyglot and Yumi Umiumare) as you share lunch at the incredible Abbotsford Convent.

Abbotsford Convent is Australia’s largest multi-arts precinct. Originally a home for girls and women run by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, the Convent is now an independent arts and cultural precinct, featuring 11 unique heritage-listed buildings that house 100+ independent artists and arts and cultural organisations. The Convent brings its 31 indoor and outdoor arts venues to life all year round, by collaborating with independent and small to medium artists, collectives and organisations, and curating a significant and diverse program for children, family and adult audiences annually. The Convent reaches close to 1,000,000 audiences a year and is a unique arts venue and experience not to be missed.

In addition to meeting four respected arts leaders, you will also enjoy a 3-course lunch created by Cams Kiosk, based here at the Convent, who are famous for their commitment to fresh, local, and delicious food. We know you will love meeting our artistic partners and collaborators as you enjoy your taste of Melbourne created especially for you by the Cams team.

Date: Saturday 17 June
Time: 12:30-14:00 AEST
Venue: Abbotsford Convent, 1 St Heliers St, Abbotsford

Convent staff will meet APAM Gathering participants at the main gate.

    Featuring:

    Jo Lloyd
    Jo Lloyd is a dance artist working with choreography as a social encounter. Operating across live performance, film and often in collaboration with visual artists, Lloyd’s work frequently employs duration and circumstance to unearth unexpected behaviours and outcomes.Jo is a graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts and has performed and presented her work in galleries and theatres in Japan, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia. A commissioning artist for the 2020 Keir Choreographic Award, she recently created the film and live work Archive the Archive for the National Gallery of Australia’s Know My Name: Australian Women Artists 1900 to Now. Her work Overture, 2018–19, received three Green Room Awards and a Helpmann Award nomination. Jo has been a resident artist at The Substation since 2018.

     

     

    Forest Collective
    Forest Collective is a not-for-profit artist collective focusing on contemporary classical music, dance and innovative multi-disciplinary collaborations. Led by composer and conductor Evan J Lawson, the Collective commissions, creates and presents sound, visual, performative and digital media, giving independent artists a platform to develop their practice and reach new audiences. Forest Collective has sold out performances at Melbourne Recital Centre, National Gallery of Victoria, Burrinja Cultural Centre, Metropolis New Music Festival, Midsumma Festival and Melbourne Fringe Festival, and undertake regular developments and presentations at the Convent.

    Polyglot
    Polyglot Theatre is a world-renowned contemporary theatre company that creates playful and conceptually rigorous arts experiences for children and families. Based in Melbourne, Polygot’s work is driven by their philosophical and artistic commitment to the right of all children to access and experience growth and resilience through creative play. Their work has been seen in spaces from the world’s most prestigious theatres and festivals, to football ovals in regional Australia and expertly demonstrates how child-centred and child-led practice enable social change and community empowerment. Based at Abbotsford Convent, we are proud to present Polyglot’s annual program of new participatory works.

     

    Yumi Umiumare
    Born in Hyogo, Japan, Yumi first performed with Tokyo’s acclaimed and seminal Butoh company, DaiRakudakan. Now recognised as a pre-eminent master in her field, Yumi’s multi-award winning work includes distinctive performances that question the role of traditional forms of dance – trance, devotional and spiritual – in modern ways of living. Yumi’s work provokes visceral emotions and the representation of cultural identities through narratives, abstraction and a unique choreographic aesthetic. Her social arts practice extends to work with aboriginal communities, culturally diverse communities, women working in the sex industry and those recovering from gambling addictions. She has recently returned from an intensive cultural residency exploring the history and performance of traditional Japanese tearoom rituals, leading to a new body of work. Yumi’s work as a performer, director, teacher and conceptual artist has been seen in in dance, theatre, film and festivals around Australia, Japan, East and West Europe, New Zealand and South East Asia. She is the artistic director of ButohOUT! Festival in Melbourne and was the recipient of the 2016 Australian Council Fellowship. Yumi and her collaborators have been developing and presenting work regularly at the Convent for the past 7 years and we are tremendously proud to witness the ongoing trajectory of her work and its reflections on contemporary life.