Stimulating curiosity for 21 years
Ramp Festival is the new name for the former Spark International Festival of Music, Media, Arts and Design. Ramp Festival Director, Megan Lyon says this innovative, annual event curated by Wintec’s School of Media Arts has been stimulating curiosity for 21 years. “We have speakers with careers in music performance, communication, design and contemporary art arriving to our city campus from New Zealand and all around the world.” says Megan.
The festival is free for students, alumni and the public to engage with and experience the creative arts.
The festival’s new name ensures a closer connection to the School of Media Arts’ well-established art gallery, Ramp Gallery, which has been operating at Wintec for more than 20 years. “We saw an opportunity to bring these well-known Hamilton city arts spaces and activities under the same banner,” says Ramp Gallery Curator, Wendy Richdale. “As educators on a central city campus, we have a really close connection to the city and the arts community here. It’s an exciting time for Hamilton as we grow and mature into our own as a city.” Ramp now combines all the events, workshops, performances and exhibitions offered at Wintec’s School of Media Arts under one umbrella.
In addition to Ramp Festival and Ramp Gallery, regular events throughout the year will include Ramp Talks, Ramp Workshops and Ramp Live (a live music series). “These joint creative experiences are important learning tools and real opportunities,” says Wendy. “It’s like we can pull back the curtain and provide real understanding of what is going on in the sector currently – as well as giving invaluable opportunities to connect directly with world-class creatives.”
Find out more about the speakers and opportunities in this year’s Ramp Festival at Wintec from 23 – 26 July. Keep up to date with Ramp events on The School of Media Arts social media pages, on Facebook Instagram and Twitter. Follow #wintecrampfestival
This article is an extract from a story written by Wintec Bachelor of Media Arts, Communication student, Hollie Blanchard.
