The Historic Dockyard at Chatham once again provided a fitting backdrop for the 2026 Kent Arts Conference (KArtsCon2026), where artists, educators, and creative professionals gathered to engage in dialogue, explore creative practice, and examine the evolving boundaries of the arts. Hosted at the Medway School of Arts campus, this year’s conference brought together an international cohort of speakers, practitioners, and community members via the theme of “Art: Starting a Conversation“.
2026 Schools Art Competition (July 14)
Organised as part of KArtsCon2026, the annual Schools Art Competition brought together participating students from schools across Kent. Shortlisted work was displayed around the room for everyone to admire. Conference Director Dr. Julian Ng delivered the Official Welcome to kick off the evening’s celebration of youth creativity. Medway Deputy Mayor, Cr Sharon Jackson and her consort were present, with Her Worship delivering an inspiring speech.
Following this, the winning students were presented with their certificates and prizes by the Deputy Mayor. It was a wonderful opportunity to recognise the young artists whose works demonstrated impressive depth, imagination, and artistic potential.
Day One: Technology, Somatic Practice & Conversations (July 15)
- Technology vs Human Systems: Artificial Intelligence (AI) was topic du jour. Michi Masumi explored the boundaries of machine generation while Karthiga Ratnam expanded on this ontologically. A BuildingVids presentation showcased how learning architecture can be made more interactive (in 5 different languages).
- Somatic & Visual Explorations: Clare Dash led an experiential somatic drawing workshop while Sophia Newton got everyone moving and listening to their bodies. Sumita Chauhan demonstrated her research with older adults suffering from dementia using mobile camera-based visual transformation. Olubunmi Elizabeth Ebisemiju explained how visualart therapy works.
- Conversations: Deirdre Kashdan explored art’s systemic role as a conversational catalyst, broaching often difficult topics. Dr. David Stokes was passionate about community development through the arts, while Benjamin Ross showcased the importance of ongoing conversations before Bryan Hawkins wrapped up the day by asking how small movements can start meaningful conversations and support artistic practice.
Kit the Musical: Participants who had booked to see the world premiere of Kit the Musical by Dr. Julian Ng gathered at The Spotlites Theatre in Chatham.
Day Two: Storytelling, More Conversations and Well-being (July 16)
Day Two continued the conference theme and opened up with more performance-based conversations.
- Changing Narratives: Luz Arriaga & Mariano Gilmore began by showing how a museum and the arts can initiate conversations and engagement with the local communities even if it appears there is nothing in common. Tom Grey fanned more flames of discussion with his take on AI and whether or not it can ‘make’ art. Julian Ng challenged traditional narratives once again by addressing the Shakespeare Authorship question.
- Art in Practice: Umar Abdulrasheed looked at the relationship between land, agriculture and art through the medium ceramic pottery. Adeniyi Olusola Morolahun commanded attention with his masterful performances while examining the intersection of drama and rhetoric. Samuel Ogundapo ran an interactive music workshop focused on non-verbal dialogue, while Maxyne Ryan made everyone sing their hearts out in a well-being empowerment workshop.
- Short Films and Authors: A screening of short films featuring Waleed Yahya Mirza’s Echoes of the Mind: Empowering Silence, Amplifying Voices and Hassam Qureshi’s Even Dreams Require Blood. was held before the day concluded with a collective Café Book Reading from Dr Sumaya Frick, Bill Lewis, Julian Ng and Aimee Riddell, and certificate presentation.
Day Three: Cultural Heritage & Narrative Journeys (July 17)
The final day focused on culture and heritage preservation, creative expression and narrative building.
- Culture and Heritage: Olutayo Rawa opened the proceedings with insight on Nigerian Adire Batik, demonstrating how traditional textile techniques engage modern culture. Oladimeji Sodeke reframed conversation around difficult and potentially explosive topics and narratives around culture, race and politics.
- Cross-Communication: Juhi Rathi asked if we could start conversations without words, while Dr Pamela Hatton Bowen contrasted the ‘art of’ vs ‘the art in’ starting conversations. Bowen Tan followed with an analysis and implementation of a university’s efforts to better engage with its students creatively.
- World-Building: Nadia Perrotta explored world-building mechanisms by embodying and performing as Murphy from her comic book series “Murphy’s Adventures.” Artist and Stuckist Bill Lewis led the conference’s final masterclass, taking delegates through the structural phases of “The Hero’s Journey.”
A Transformative Gathering
The 2026 Kent Arts Conference successfully fostered an inclusive community of practice, linking traditional technique with contemporary technology and expressive therapies. As final closing remarks were delivered and certificates were presented on Friday afternoon, delegates celebrated a shared week of creative inquiry, collaborative learning, and meaningful exchange.
Day One kicked off with an official welcome from co-directors Dr. Julian Ng and Dr. David Stokes, as well as Clare Roach, the director of Medway School of Arts. Proceedings were characterised by three key areas:
- Technology vs Human Systems: Artificial Intelligence (AI) was topic du jour. Michi Masumi explored the boundaries of machine generation while Karthiga Ratnam expanded on this ontologically. A BuildingVids presentation showcased how learning architecture can be made more interactive (in 5 different languages).
- Somatic & Visual Explorations: Clare Dash led an experiential somatic drawing workshop while Sophia Newton got everyone moving and listening to their bodies. Sumita Chauhan demonstrated her research with older adults suffering from dementia using mobile camera-based visual transformation. Olubunmi Elizabeth Ebisemiju explained how visualart therapy works.
- Conversations: Deirdre Kashdan explored art’s systemic role as a conversational catalyst, broaching often difficult topics. Dr. David Stokes was passionate about community development through the arts, while Benjamin Ross showcased the importance of ongoing conversations before Bryan Hawkins wrapped up the day by asking how small movements can start meaningful conversations and support artistic practice.
Kit the Musical: Participants who had booked to see the world premiere of Kit the Musical by Dr. Julian Ng gathered at The Spotlites Theatre in Chatham.
Day Two: Storytelling, More Conversations and Well-being (July 16)
Day Two continued the conference theme and opened up with more performance-based conversations.
- Changing Narratives: Luz Arriaga & Mariano Gilmore began by showing how a museum and the arts can initiate conversations and engagement with the local communities even if it appears there is nothing in common. Tom Grey fanned more flames of discussion with his take on AI and whether or not it can ‘make’ art. Julian Ng challenged traditional narratives once again by addressing the Shakespeare Authorship question.
- Art in Practice: Umar Abdulrasheed looked at the relationship between land, agriculture and art through the medium ceramic pottery. Adeniyi Olusola Morolahun commanded attention with his masterful performances while examining the intersection of drama and rhetoric. Samuel Ogundapo ran an interactive music workshop focused on non-verbal dialogue, while Maxyne Ryan made everyone sing their hearts out in a well-being empowerment workshop.
- Short Films and Authors: A screening of short films featuring Waleed Yahya Mirza’s Echoes of the Mind: Empowering Silence, Amplifying Voices and Hassam Qureshi’s Even Dreams Require Blood. was held before the day concluded with a collective Café Book Reading from Dr Sumaya Frick, Bill Lewis, Julian Ng and Aimee Riddell, and certificate presentation.
Day Three: Cultural Heritage & Narrative Journeys (July 17)
The final day focused on culture and heritage preservation, creative expression and narrative building.
- Culture and Heritage: Olutayo Rawa opened the proceedings with insight on Nigerian Adire Batik, demonstrating how traditional textile techniques engage modern culture. Oladimeji Sodeke reframed conversation around difficult and potentially explosive topics and narratives around culture, race and politics.
- Cross-Communication: Juhi Rathi asked if we could start conversations without words, while Dr Pamela Hatton Bowen contrasted the ‘art of’ vs ‘the art in’ starting conversations. Bowen Tan followed with an analysis and implementation of a university’s efforts to better engage with its students creatively.
- World-Building: Nadia Perrotta explored world-building mechanisms by embodying and performing as Murphy from her comic book series “Murphy’s Adventures.” Artist and Stuckist Bill Lewis led the conference’s final masterclass, taking delegates through the structural phases of “The Hero’s Journey.”
A Transformative Gathering
The 2026 Kent Arts Conference successfully fostered an inclusive community of practice, linking traditional technique with contemporary technology and expressive therapies. As final closing remarks were delivered and certificates were presented on Friday afternoon, delegates celebrated a shared week of creative inquiry, collaborative learning, and meaningful exchange.