Symposium, Research Seminar, Book Launch and Party!Symposium, Research Seminar, Book Launch and Party! During AV Festival in the North East of England 5-14 March 2010 http://www.avfestival.co.uk/, CRUMB is celebrating its 10th Birthday. Put these dates in your diary, and make a party of it!

Symposium: Commissioning and Collecting Variable Media
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead
Fri 5 March, 9:00am-4:30pm
Free to Contemporary Art Society's National Network Members, £25 non-members
Tickets: www.contemporaryartsociety.org nationalprogrammes@contemporaryartsociety.org

The work of artists who use new media art, live art and other 'variable media' is increasingly being drawn into our national public collections. Excellent models exist where major works are acquired or where artists are commissioned specifically to create works for collections. This symposium offers an opportunity to learn from pioneering institutions that have worked with artists. Keynote speaker: Benjamin Weil, Chief Curator of LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial de Gijón, Spain. Other confirmed speakers include: Laura Sillars, Programmes Director, FACT; Lisa Panting, Director, Picture This; Lois Keidan, Director, Live Art Development Agency; Graham Harwood, artist.

4.30-5.30pm Book Launch. Following the symposium, join CRUMB's co-founders, Sarah Cook and Beryl Graham, to launch their new book Rethinking Curating: Art After New Media, published by MIT Press, and two new volumes of CRUMB dialogues published by The Green Box, Berlin. This launch is open to all, not just symposium delegates. See also CRUMB birthday party 12th March.

Programmed by the Contemporary Art Society's National Network in partnership with CRUMB. CRUMB is funded by the University of Sunderland and The Arts and Humanities Research Council

Research Seminar: Creative Digital Media Research Practice: Production Through Exhibition 2
Culture Lab, Newcastle
Tues 9 and Wed 10 March
10am-5pm
Free, but booking essential at http://dm.ncl.ac.uk/events/

This two-day research-training event explores current design and curating practice research, and embraces new alternate models of creative production and dissemination, in consultation with CRUMB at the University of Sunderland. With participation from Kitchen Budapest; UDK Berlin Art & Design students; Digital Economy Hub researchers; Social Inclusion through the Digital Economies activities.

A collaboration between Culture Lab and CRUMB. Funded by The Arts and Humanities Research Council, University of Sunderland, EPSRC Partnership Resource.