Women entrepreneurs in Scotland: Surviving the Pandemic and its Aftermath – Tuesday 19 October 2021, 1-2pm

Women who run their own businesses have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Join us for this talk with Prof Norin Arshed (University of Dundee) to find out more about her study with focus groups with women across Scotland. 

Norin’s work involves informing and influencing policy regarding women’s entrepreneurship in the current pandemic. This study aims to ensure effective policy is developed to support women entrepreneurs, especially in these challenging times. 

This free event will take place online via Microsoft Teams. Booking essential.

Curious Creatives: Art from a Child’s Perspective – 18 October 2021

There is growing concern that creative subjects such as art, music and drama are being side-lined in schools in favour of other subjects. However, creative education is also seen as a crucial step in developing skills in young children. This is especially relevant in the city of Dundee, where skilled creative people are needed to support our growing creative industries.

So how do we make sure arts education is delivered in a way that benefits children’s development?

Dr Anna Robb from the University of Dundee, joined us at Dundee Arts Café to discuss including the voices of primary school children when developing school lessons and careers advice for the future. This presentation draws on research focused on young children’s experiences of visual art in the home and at school, as well as in the local community and across the city. Anna gave examples of how our relationships with school subjects, such as art, inform our identities from an early age.

You can read more on this study from Anna and colleagues in the research paper

Art in my world: Exploring the visual art experiences in the everyday lives of young children and their impact on cultural capital

Dundee Arts Cafe returns in October 2021

Dundee Arts Cafe is delighted to return during the Festival of the Future 2021.

Curious Creatives: Art from a Child’s Perspective will take place on Tuesday 5 October at 1-2pm. This online talk with Dr Anna Robb will explore how our relationships with school subjects, such as art, inform our identities from an early age.

We will also be joined by Professor Norin Arshed on Tuesday 19 October at 1-2pm with an online talk entitled Women entrepreneurs in Scotland: Surviving the Pandemic and its Aftermath.

Keep an eye on this page for more details and booking links on each event coming soon.

Dundee Arts Cafe Series 2019/2020

Due to the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we have unfortunately had to cancel the remaining events in this year’s Dundee Arts Cafe series.  These were due to to take place as follows:

Tuesday 14 April – Curious Creatives: Art from a Child’s Perspective

Tuesday 2 June – What do Women Entrepreneurs Want?

Those who had already booked tickets via Eventbrite for our event on 14 April will have received a notification of cancellation and to those who may still have been thinking about coming along, we apologise for any inconvenience, and hope that you understand.

We will keep you all updated by email and via our Dundee Arts Cafe website once we have new dates. In the meantime we would just like to say a big thank you for all your support and we very much hope to see you back for Dundee Arts Cafe again soon.

Best wishes,
Dundee Arts Cafe team

Postponed: Curious Creatives: Art from a Child’s Perspective – Tuesday 14 April 2020, 6pm

Due to unforeseen circumstances, we are postponing this Dundee Arts Café event. Many apologies for the inconvenience this may cause. We shall be in touch in due course.

There is growing concern that creative subjects such as art, music and drama are being side-lined in schools in favour of other subjects. However, creative education is also seen as a crucial step in developing skills in young children. This is especially relevant in the city of Dundee, where skilled creative people are needed to support our growing creative industries.

So how do we make sure arts education is delivered in a way that benefits children’s development?

Join us at Dundee Arts Café as Dr Anna Robb from the University of Dundee, explores including the voices of primary school children, when developing school lessons and careers advice for the future. This presentation will draw on research focused on young children’s experiences of visual art in the home and at school, as well as in the local community and across the city. Anna will give examples of how our relationships with school subjects, such as art, inform our identities from an early age.

Dealing with Human Rights Abuses in Conflict – Tuesday 4 February 2020, 6pm

The international community has developed many laws, norms and institutions to address violent conflict and violations of human rights. Yet, concrete action to protect people in war zones and conflicts frequently fails to live up expectations.

This talk draws on years of study of humanitarian action, military intervention and international criminal justice to explore this failure.

Everyone is welcome to this free event. Doors open at 5.15pm. Due to the popularity of recent events Dundee Arts Café is now a ticketed event. Places are limited so please arrive early to avoid disappointment.

Please book free tickets in advance at Eventbrite by clicking here.

Guns, Violence and Toxic Masculinity in the USA – Tuesday 1st October 2019, 6pm

Frequently, the reports that reach our shores from the other side of the Atlantic tell the story of a country dealing with the aftermath of a tragic mass shooting. The USA’s complex relationship with guns can be traced back to the Empire, the fight for independence and the American constitution.

But there are many reasons why after 200 years, the number of people killed by guns in the US is larger than in any other country.

Historian, Dr Matthew Ward (University of Dundee) has studied how guns and violence were depicted in the culture and mass media of the time. These images and stories were linked closely with ideas of masculinity, influencing the way men acted and the roles they played in society. Today these traditional views on what it means to be a man are still commonplace and this toxic masculinity is harmful to men and society.

At this event Dr Ward shared his insights on the links from the past to present day, and what we can learn about guns, violence and masculinity in today’s troubled America.

 

Changing Stop and Search in Police Scotland – Tuesday 4 June 2019, 6pm


The police practice of stop and search in Scotland was at one time being conducted at a rate about seven times higher than that of the London Metropolitan Police. It was unaccountable, largely unrecorded and mostly ‘ignored’ by political leaders and the media.

That all changed with findings from PhD research in Edinburgh in 2014. Since then, Police Scotland and the academic community have travelled a long, and at times, very bumpy journey of consultation, evaluation, reform and governance. Once the model of what ‘not’ to do in times of challenge, Police Scotland now actively engage with others to develop policy and practice from a stronger evidence base and can serve as a model to other police forces in this regard.

Dr Megan O’Neill as she discussed her role in the stop and search journey in Scotland and explores how researchers can actually change our daily lives.

Russian Politics under Putin – Tuesday 16 April 2019, 6pm

Many observers of Russian politics have been perplexed by the high levels of popular support which President Putin has been able to command. This is despite the fact the he has centralised power in the Kremlin, reduced the powers of the parliament and the opposition, and led an assault on democratic freedoms and civil liberties.

This talk will discuss the sources of support and opposition to Putin’s regime and assess the possible dangers that lie ahead during Putin’s fourth term in office.

Everyone is welcome. This event is free and non-bookable. Places are limited so please arrive early to avoid disappointment. Doors open at 5pm.

Random Access Memories: Nostalgia and Video Games – Tuesday 5 February 2019, 6pm

Many of us today have fond memories of
playing video games in our childhood, and continue to be video games fans to this day. The sights, sounds, and styles of classic games such as Space Invaders, Super Mario Bros. or Doom have impacted on everything from graphic design and fashion to music and film. But perhaps fewer of us have considered the extent to which video games engage more widely with collective and cultural memory.

In this talk, Dr Robin Sloan from Abertay University will discuss “nostalgia games” – video games that generate great appeal through their referencing of past games, films, music, technology, and shared memories of days gone by.

Everyone is welcome. This event is free and non-bookable. Places are limited so please arrive early to avoid disappointment. Doors open at 5pm.