A workshop, focused on the many ways in which creativity can be used to combat bigotry, led to fantastic conversations between academics, journalistics, theatre professionals and other creatives on Tuesday this week. 

We were delighted to be joined by a group of incredible and passionate thinkers and practitioners in the arts sector, looking at the ways the arts and creativity can help to combat bigotry. This discussion touched on a range of themes, including the ways in which the arts may promote affective, emotional responses, or the role different conceptions of the truth plays when looked at from an academic or artisitic perspective. 

Thanks to our attendees:

• Dante DeBono (University of SA), speaking on revisionist adaptation and creative workshops to promote critical thinking and practice.
• Vivian Gerrand (Deakin), speaking on the ways arts and social media are being used to push back against mysogyny and the 'manosphere'.
• Liz Deep-Jones (ANU), curator of the We Bleed the Same exhibition and current Freilich Fellow for media and arts activism.
• Sophie Loy-Wilson (USYD), speaking on the ways the arts are used to grapple with the legacy of racism throughout Chinese Australian history.
• Robin Davidson (Rebus Theatre) and cast, who gave us a taste of their Access All Areas forum theatre, which invites audiences to reimagine and participate in reframing the barriers faced by people with disability.
• Kasia Williams (ANU), who reflected on the 'long summer of migration' in Europe, the artistic responses to it and the community backlash.
• Charitha Dissanayake (Deakin), who spoke on the importance of community radio in amplifying minority voices in Australia and promoting cultural representation.
• Hannah Grant-Dolev (Theatre:Connect), who spoke of an international project to connect communities across the world and to combat racism and xenophobia.  

We're looking forward to continuing this conversation and developing outputs. If this is an area of interest for you, get in touch at freilich.project@anu.edu.au.