The Historic Dockyard at Chatham once again provided a fitting backdrop for the 2025 Kent Arts Conference, where artists, educators, and creative professionals gathered from July 15-18 to explore the theme “Art to Be.” This year, we were hosted by the amazing Medway School of Arts.
2025 Schools Art Competition (July 15)
Organised as part of KArtsCon2025, this year’s art competition saw participants from various schools around Kent. The theme of course is centred around “Art to Be”. It was heartening to see so much thought from students about how they consider ‘art to be’.
Former Mayor and Medway Council’s Portfolio Holder for Heritage, Culture and Leisure, Cllr Nina Gurung, was on hand to inspire the attendees and their families with a short speech and to give away the prizes to the winners. All participants received a gift bag, regardless.
Parents and other family members who attended the event were right proud of their children’s works. Congratulations to all our winners! Well-done!
Day One: Foundations (July 16)
The conference opened with a welcome from KArtsCon Director and Founder, Dr. Julian Ng and Clare Roach, the Creative Arts HE Centre Lead for Medway School of Arts, promising an intimate yet intellectually rigorous exploration of creative practice. Bryan Hawkins kicked off the first session with a fascinating exploration of locatedness and ‘being’, in relation to times past and the archaeological work at Julliberrie’s Grave. This was followed by Regina Apigo’s heartfelt discourse on how art can help rediscover self. Urs Hauenstein then stripped away romantic notions of artistic creation to reveal the methodical, often challenging reality behind meaningful creative work.
After a short break, Michi Masumi challenged stereotypes and counternarratives with an impassioned presentation. This transitioned into practical application as Tamsin Fox-Davies led an intensive workshop aimed at making art commercially viable, sharing concrete strategies for productisation without compromising artistic integrity. The workshop energised delegates for a group photo before lunch.
The afternoon brought two distinctly different but equally captivating presentations. Cas Holmes wowed the audience with her Romani heritage, weaving together personal narrative and broader artistic philosophy to help navigate around crises. Pamela Hatton provided a thought-provoking philosophical and existential look at art, and argued that the question isn’t whether art should exist, but rather how we define and value artistic practice.
The day concluded with a Short Film Festival that showcased emerging talent and experimental works. The diversity of voices and techniques on display served as a powerful reminder of the medium’s continued evolution and students’ capacity to capture the zeitgeist of contemporary creative expression.
Day Two: Identity and Innovation (July 17)
Original Stuckist, Bill Lewis, opened proceedings with performative readings of his poetry, rattle and all. Mădălina Neagoe struck a chord with delegates with her heartfelt exploration of artistry as a form of creative self-discovery from young age all the way through adulthood. KArtsCon co-director, Dr. David Stokes ramped up the energy levels with his enthusiastic presentation on the benefits of social proscribing as an effective tool for community health and wellbeing.
Jasmine Ng’s dynamic presentation proved that you can visualise success and turn it into practice with the right techniques and theoretical frameworks. All delegates who participated in the workshop enjoyed themselves. Ellen Brown’s offered a masterclass in how legendary artists (Zandra Rhodes) continue to influence contemporary practice while helping the next generation of creatives to develop themselves and their talent.
The afternoon session featured Simon Gregory Partridge’s scholarly “Art to Be: An Exegesis,” which provided theoretical grounding for many of the conference’s practical explorations using Hamlet, among others, to make his points. Dr Stella Bolaki and Lindsey Zelvin explored how technology is reshaping artistic collaboration and audience engagement. Their interactive approach demonstrated the potential for digital platforms to create meaningful connections between artists and communities.
Elizabeth Sillo’s workshop on “The Kodály Approach” to music brought a much-needed audience participation with her practical exercises which bridged musical education and broader creative development. Neurologist Dr Nick Tsarouchas explained the effect of music on the brain and its development, before Elizabeth closed the workshop with a live rendition of Puccini’s ‘O Mio Babbino Caro‘.
Bowen Tan and Echo Cui closed the event with an exciting XR session which allowed delegates to virtually decorate an empty room with whatever objects or furniture they wish to draw while everyone watched in real time. The pair had also invented a jigsaw puzzle based on this which some delegates enjoyed trying to put together.
Day Three: Healing and Belonging (July 18)
Friday’s final day embraced themes of art to be, cultural healing and community connection. Ermal Kovaci and Krisilda Kastrati started the day talking about art yet to be, from the perspective of architecture and the built environment. They cited the power of design in evoking emotion, form, and other aspects. Bill Lewis got everyone on their feet with his workshop on poetry-writing and we were impressed by what transpired from people’s creative minds.
Dr Julian Ng talked about the 16th century dramatist Christopher Marlowe and how his works contributed to modern literature, language and theatre. Madoka Davis’s demonstration of food cutting transformed the conference space into a kitchen laboratory with simple techniques of beautifying food with meaning.
The afternoon featured a collaborative presentation by Albanian educators Dallendyshe Metalia, Elva Tobli, and Mentor Kovaci on the importance of integrating art in schools. Akiko Nagafuji looked at the power of yoga and stillness of mind for creative development. Using the very chairs the delegates sat on, she conducted a workshop of gentle synchro yoga exercises.
The conference concluded with Great K Minor strumming his guitar and singing to everyone’s surprise. A workshop then ensued with delegates singing, emphasising the mental and emotional foundations of creative practice over technical skills alone.
A Transformative Conference
The 2025 Kent Arts Conference succeeded in fostering a community of practice that extended beyond the historic dockyard walls. The intimate setting allowed for genuine dialogue between presenters and participants, while the diverse programming ensured that every delegate found both challenge and inspiration.
As certificates were presented on Friday afternoon, the sense of collective accomplishment was palpable. The conference had not merely explored what it means for art “to be,” but had demonstrated how artistic practice continues to evolve, adapt, and thrive in contemporary contexts. The connections forged and insights shared will undoubtedly continue to influence creative practice long.
Assorted Photos of KArtsCon2025
Thank You
Huge thanks to the Medway School of Arts for hosting us (Clare, Ben, Steve, Babs, Hailey, et al). Thanks to David and the team from Nucleus Arts and the Halpern Charitable Foundation.
We are grateful to the following volunteers for helping to make KArtsCon2025 run smoothly: Regina Apigo, Riya Francis, Andrew Hopson and Dr Jasmine Ng.
Thank you also to Zoe Young, Siesta Canterbury and other sponsors for the prizes for the schools art competition.