The Marcel Duchamp Festival, which took place in Herne Bay last summer, was nominated in 4 categories in the East Kent Cultural Awards. The winners were announced at an awards ceremony, which took place at the University of Kent, on 12 June. The festival took home 3 awards, including the ‘East Kent Peoples Award’, which is voted for by the general public.
Natalie Bradbeer, a student on the MA in Creative Writing, enjoyed an intensive internship with the arts festival, which offered unparalleled work experience opportunities in festival organization and management. The festival, which ran from 1 to 17 August 2013, offered an astonishing array of events including a symposium on the work of Duchamp (which welcomed internationally renowned academics), workshops, talks, screenings and exhibitions. The festival offered students, academics, locals and visitors an excellent opportunity to delve deeper Kent’s artistic and cultural legacy. As Professor Peter Brown (Head of the School of English) commented, ‘the Duchamp Festival is a model of how to recognise and celebrate the astonishing cultural resources on our very doorsteps.’