Members of the public are invited to experience some of the exciting work being done by staff and students in the faculty at a series of lectures, concerts, film screenings and masterclasses running from Tuesday 18 to Thursday 20 October.

There will be the chance to learn more about the Penguin Archive, held by the University through the bequest of the Bristol-born founder of Penguin books, Sir Allen Lane; to attend a music masterclass led by composer Professor John Pickard and hear a performance of one of his compositions by the University’s Ensemble-in-Residence, The Brodowski Quartet; and to participate in a reading group with local author Tania Hershman. 

Other events include three keynote lectures exploring The Creative Imagination.  Dr Emma Hornby will explore the power of medieval music, Professor Daniel Karlin will ask whether The Beatles and Bob Dylan should be studied alongside Keats and T. S. Eliot, and Professor Michael Basker will consider how poetry helps us confront death, drawing on examples from English, French and Russian literature.

The festival culminates in an opportunity to have your say in Art for art’s sake?, a public discussion at the Watershed which will consider the role the arts and humanities can play in the UK’s economic recovery and whether they should be valued differently to science and business.

Professor Charles Martindale, Dean of the Faculty of Arts said: “These are challenging times for universities as for the country as a whole.  It has never been more vital to demonstrate how the arts and humanities matter.  We hope that visitors to InsideArts will enjoy a taste of the exceptional work being done by staff and students throughout Bristol’s Faculty of Arts and gain a wider appreciation of the important role arts and humanities play in society.”

All InsideArts events are free and everyone is welcome.