Talks

Esme Young with grey bobbed hair, red lipstick, and glasses speaks while seated. She wears a blue striped shirt, large beaded necklaces, and a headset microphone. A red spiral design is visible in the background.

The Festival’s Talks strand incorporates intimate artist talks, celebrity in-conversations and an industry-focussed conference day. 

Each talk is curated within the programme to provide insight and provoke conversation; whether about artist residency experiences, themes connected to the wider Festival programme, or topical conversations taking place in the cultural industries including strategy and policy.

We work in partnership with Creative Lancashire to deliver the programme and host leading and innovative speakers each year.

Industry Day

Launching the Festival is the National Festival or Making x Creative Lancashire Conversations in Creativity event, which takes place on the Friday of festival weekend. Each year this sees a series of bold and ambitious talks centered on a theme, with past provocations including ‘How can we achieve mutually beneficial outcomes when artists collaborate with academia, arts organisations, or commercial enterprises?’ and ‘What is the potential for place-based arts & culture to affect long-term and effective change in communities’.

Speakers and panellists have included Artangel Director Mariam Zulfiqar, Art critic and writer Elizabeth Fullerton, founding member of Assemble Anthony Engi Meacock and artist Hetain Patel.

A seated audience listens to Hetain Patel and Mariam Zulfiqar speaking onstage in an art gallery, surrounded by paintings and two large screens displaying outdoor scenes.
Hannah Leighton-Boyce holds a microphone and speaks to a group of people indoors. She stands against a softly blurred background while the audience listens attentively, mostly seen from behind.

Artist Talks

Taking place in-situ within exhibition spaces, current Season Art in Manufacturing artists deliver ‘In Conversation’ talks. These short, intimate events invite audiences to delve into the residency experiences, learn more about an artist’s practice, and gain a deeper understanding of the work presented.

These talks last approximately half an hour with no booking required.

Guest Celebrity Speaker

Well-known celebrity makers have featured in hugely popular talks during the headline Conversations in Creativity event with Creative Lancashire.

Often humorous, always insightful, past guests have included Potter and Judge on The Great Pottery Throw Down, Keith Brymer-Jones; Architect and Television Host, George Clarke; Fashion Designer, Esme Young in conversation with fellow The Great British Sewing Bee judge, Patrick Grant; and Designer and Festival of Making Board Member and Co-Founder, Wayne Hemingway MBE.

This event is ticketed and highly sought after.

Patrick Grant and Keith Brymer Jones sit on stage in front of an audience during a live talk. Behind them are bright banners reading Conversations in Creativity Exploration Inspiration. The event is held in a large cathedral with wooden seating.