Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre Media release     6 April 2011 City of design talkfest In the years leading up to the 2013 Canberra centenary Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre presents an annual program, Designing a Capital: Crafting a City, that probes and explores the design and crafting of our nation’s capital. The final event for our 2011 program is City of design talkfest on Friday 8 April 2011. A series of presentations by innovators, creative thinkers and cultural entrepreneurs who will speak on the role of craft and design in building creative capital and ways forward for the 21st Century. This will be followed by a dynamic panel discussion between urban planners, architects, artists and cultural entrepreneurs as they come together to draw out the conversation on how trans-disciplinary collaborations can benefit the cultural, social and economic wealth of Canberra. Pamille Berg, Pamille Berg Consulting and Johnathan Efkarpidis, Director, Molonglo Group are two of the presenters in Session 1 on Friday. Johnathan Efkarpidis will address NewActon’s sustainability credentials and the active cultural programming which he has initiated. Pamille Berg will outline her philosophy and approach to the involvement of artists, craftspeople, and designer-makers in the actual making and conceptualising of the buildings and landscape as part of taking responsibility for the “making of the city” in our time. Rebecca Eggleston, Urban and Creative Strategy, FORM Western Australia will discuss the underpinnings of FORM’s work which advocates the importance of creativity in shaping city environments, based on contemporary thinking about cities. Eggleston explains that "FORM seeks to contribute to enhanced environments in metropolitan Perth, Midland, regional towns and remote art centres by operating at the nexus of creativity, community and place across a range of programming." At the opening of Embracing innovation, the exhibition held in associtaion with the program, Helen O'Neil, Advisor to the Minister for the Arts, Mr Simon Crean MP, summarised Designing a Capital: Crafting a City in saying, "[Craft ACT:] Craft and Design Centre [is] providing a forum for conversations and knowledge sharing around the artistic necessity of making a connection between creativity and people." What: City of design talkfest When: Friday 8 April 2011 1.00pm - 3.20pm: Session 1 3.50pm - 5.00pm: Session 2 5.30pm: Embracing innovation viewing and networking For more information on City of design talkfest visit the events page on our website. Avi Amesbury, Executive Director For information Media contact: Amy Kerr, Communications and Program Manager Telephone: (02) 6262 9333 Email: amy.kerr@craftact.org.au Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre - Level 1, North Building, 180 London Circuit, Canberra ACT Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre is supported by the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy - an initiative of the Australian, State and Territory Governments. Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre is also supported by the ACT Government and the Australia Council for the Arts, the Australian Government's arts funding and advisory body.