engage - engage International Conference 2011

engage in the
visual arts

engage/enquire International Conference
14-16 November 2011
Turner Contemporary and the Winter Gardens, Margate

Starts 6pm on 14 November
Ends 5pm on 16 November

Work in Progress
artists, education and participation

"[It was] great to discuss current sector thinking, and brought up lots of interesting points on participation and the institution that I will take back to the team" Delegate

Read conference blogs by Alicia Bruce and Emily Druiff.

The engage/enquire International Conference is a major annual event that brings together over 200 arts and education professionals from the UK and other countries.

engage/enquire International Conference 2011

Photography: Rich Tervet

Theme

During a decade of increased investment, the number and visibility of artists working with participants has grown rapidly. Posts and activities have flourished in this changing cultural landscape. A curatorial interest in artists' projects that actively engage the public has led to much discussion in the sector.

'Work in Progress' explored and reflected on artists' participatory practices and considered strategies for working in the visual arts and learning in a restricted economic climate.

How does artists' practice provide opportunities for participation?
Who are educators and artists collaborating with, and to what end?
What do participants want and expect from engagement?
Are we getting culture in, or getting culture out?
Are our arts organisations sites of reception or sites of production?
Do we all – educators, curators, artists and participants – have a shared understanding of what participation is?

Programme

With a range of international speakers and a new round-table format providing increased opportunities for lively discussion and debate, the event was a chance for delegates to refocus, network with colleagues and bring fresh ideas to their practice.

Click here for the final programme.

Click here for the further reading list.

Conference Programmer: Johnny Gailey.

Resources

Notes, presentations, photos and videos will be posted here in due course.

Speakers

Speakers and contributors include:

'Generate' artist Ian Bottle and Jonathan Barnes, Senior Lecturer and researcher in education at Canterbury Christ Church University, discussed what happens when artists and children work together as equals

Artist Alice Briggs and researcher Eirwen Malin on supporting older people's participation in the visual arts, with evidence from engage Cymru's groundbreaking programme.

Artist/facilitator Chris Jenkins and artist Tim Johnson highlighted Quay Arts' work with short stay schools in the context of the development of a Gallery Education programme on the Isle of Wight.

Laura Davison, Learning Officer at firstsite and artist Cinzia Cremona presented the firstsite project Home Art, and explored the relationship between Social Pedagogy and a creative practice.

Helen Davies, Assistant Curator of Interpretation and Learning, Arnolfini, Bristol, and Penny Evans, Assistant Director, Knowle West Media Centre, and Project Director, presented the University of Local Knowledge, a large-scale project which takes its approach from considering community as an asset.

Rineke Dijkstra, artist, and Abigail Christenson, Learning Curator at Tate Liverpool, on participation and issues of representation in Dijkstra's recent work.

Karen Eslea, Head of Learning at Turner Contemporary, on developing the gallery's learning programme.

Pauline Hadaway, Director of Belfast Exposed and Elizabeth Lynch, former Director of Roundhouse Studios discussed 'meaningful' experiences in engaged and participatory practices, comparing the context of the visual arts to that of theatre.

Andrea Hawkins, Executive Director of Lanternhouse, talked about creating a democratic space for artists and communities, and the value of working together.

Joli Jensen, Professor of Communication at the University of Tulsa asked "is art good for us?".

Susan Jones, Director of a-n, The Artists Information Company, and artist and educator Dr Mitra Memarzia explored current contexts for innovation in engagement-based practices.

Delegates explored their understandings of 'participation', in a philosophical inquiry facilitated by Ayisha de Lanerolle of The Conversation Agency.

Sheila McGregor, Chief Executive of Axis and Daniel Baker, Education Director, Cubitt, asked 'Why should artists work in schools?'

Artist collective microsillons on positioning gallery education as a possible site for a critical discourse to take place inside the institution.

Katie Orr, Participation Programme Coordinator, Gasworks and artist Albert Potrony discussed Even Better Together, a rolling participatory programme that instigates ongoing collaborations between local residents, Gasworks and international and London-based artists.

Emily Pethick, Director of The Showroom, London and artist Emma Smith discussed Communal Knowledge, The Showroom's three-year programme of collaborative projects, and its impact on the whole organisation.

Dan Thompson, artist and Director of Empty Shops Network, on DIY culture, organising without organisations and public participation: from #emptyshops to #riotcleanup.

Artist Fiona Whelan, on her long-term involvement with young people in Rialto, Dublin.

Dr. Mick Wilson, Artist/Educator/Writer, Dublin, on the 'Educational Turn' in curating.

Claudia Zeiske, Director of Deveron Arts, presented her recent book ARTocracy, outlining the town is the venue methodology which informs the organisation's work in Huntly, Aberdeenshire. The session featured the work of artist Norma D Hunter, Deveron Arts' Arts Visitor.

Participants

Click here to see who attended.

Venues

Turner Contemporary, Images © Richard Bryant/Arcaidimages.com

Work in Progress was hosted in partnership with Turner Contemporary, and set against the background of the regeneration of Margate, in which this new gallery plays a critical role. Sessions were held at Margate's Winter Gardens.

Nothing in the World But Youth

Turner Contemporary, 17 September 2011-8 January 2012

Delegates were able to engage with Turner Contemporary's new exhibition Nothing in the World But Youth which encompasses the excitement, energy and creativity of young people, bringing together over 200 works by 94 artists. The exhibition reflects and examines the complex picture of teenage lives and the differing views society has of its young people since the end of the nineteenth century. It includes works by artists including Henry Moore, Peter Blake, Sarah Lucas, Andy Warhol, Mark Leckey, Jim Lambie and David Hockney. Read Karen Eslea's blog post about Turner Contemporary's intergenerational project 'Time of Our Lives' and the inspiration behind the exhibition here.

Online activity

Whether you were able to make it to conference or not, there's still plenty to get involved with online. Follow us on Twitter @engagevisualart and search for Tweets using the hashtag #eng11.

Axis: the leading online resource for contemporary art in the UK was the engage Conference's Media Partner, for the third year running.

Whether you can make it to conference or not, you are invited to get involved online: share your thoughts and observations during and after the conference.

Visit the Axis webzine to keep connected to the conference:

Catch up with the #eng11 Twitter feed and tweet using the hashtag #eng11.
Read blogs by conference delegates Emily Druiff and Alicia Bruce.
Watch film interviews with curator and art teacher Andrew Stooke and artist Sophie Bower as they discuss their experiences with artists in schools.
Artists respond to Axis Chief Executive Sheila McGregor's questions about the role of artists in formal education ahead of the ‘Artists Working in Schools' breakout session with Daniel Baker, Education Director, Cubitt at 2pm on Tuesday 15 November.
Curator Helen Kaplinsky and Maurice Carlin, artist and member of Islington Mill Art Academy, question the role of academies in the contemporary art world.
Got something to add? Use the ‘add a comment' function at the bottom of each article and get involved.

Marsh Awards

Delegates attended a drinks reception and presentation of the inaugural Marsh Awards for Excellence in Gallery Education on 15 November. The Marsh Awards for Excellence in Gallery Education are new annual awards aiming to recognise those working in Gallery Education who have shown dedication or innovation in their work. Nominations were judged by a panel of experts from the sector and Brian Marsh, Chair of the Marsh Christian Trust earlier this year. Four exceptional individuals were recognised for their dedication to making the visual arts more accessible: