Magnus Linklater to Discuss the Future of the Arts in Scotland -
Crisis or Confidence?
Dr. Magnus Linklater, Chairman of the Scottish Arts Council will close the major series, Talking Scots, organised by the University of Aberdeen to mark the new Millennium, with a discussion on the future of the arts in Scotland next week (Tuesday, May 9th).
Dr. Linklater’s lecture, Culture: Crisis or Confidence?” will ask how far does culture in Scotland echo the new political mood of the nation.
Is there a crisis of identity, a fundamental uncertainty about the arts, even a “frozen and disabled earth” as the composer James Macmillan has claimed?
Dr. Linklater will address these questions and argue that in contrast there is a radical change in the way creative artists see their role and that they are making their presence felt in ways that could change the whole function of the arts in Scottish society.
The six-part series of Talking Scots includes lectures by some of Scotland’s most distinguished thinkers, who will share their views on Scotland’s future. The lecture by Dr. Magnus Linklater will be the last in the series.
Talking Scots was organised to bring together six of Scotland’s most respected voices for a wide-ranging and thought provoking series to illuminate the distinctiveness of Scottish life and explore its prospects for the 21st century.
The leading Scottish historian Professor Tom Devine, followed by Professor Sir Stewart Sutherland, Principal and Vice Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, the Very Rev Gilleasbuig Macmillan, the Minister of St. Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh, the Rt. Hon. Lord Rodger of Earlsferry, Lord President of the Court of Session and Lord Justice General of Scotland, and Sir Ian Wood, Chairman of Scottish Enterprise delivered the first five lectures in the series to capacity audiences of more than 240 people.
The lecture will take place on Tuesday, May 9th, at 7:00 pm in King’s College Conference Centre. It will be followed by a wine reception.
Admission is free, but tickets must be obtained from the Public Relations Office on (01224) 272014, or by e-mail on talkingscots@abdn.ac.uk
A special website carries full details of the series on www.abdn.ac.uk/talkingscots
Biographical Note:
Dr. Magnus Linklater is Chairman of the Scottish Arts Council. He is a journalist, broadcaster and columnist for The Times and Scotland on Sunday. Over the past 30 years, he has held a number of senior journalistic appointments. He has worked on the London Evening Standard, The Sunday Times and The Observer, and was Editor of The Scotsman from 1988 to 1994. He has written several books on current affairs and Scottish history, and holds honorary degrees from Aberdeen and Napier universities.