engage International Conference
'Like Nothing Else': experiment, risk and
gallery education
16 - 19 November 2005
Main Venue: Arnolfini, Bristol
Supporting Venues: At-Bristol, Bristol Old Vic, British Empire and
Commonwealth Museum, Creative Partnerships Bristol, Hareclive School, Plan 9,
Spike Island, SS Great Britain.
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Breakout Sessions
Delegates had the opportunity to attend two of a wide range of breakout
sessions including discussion groups, case study sessions and practical
workshops. It was also an opportunity to see some of the other arts and
cultural venues in Bristol. Below is a description of each breakout that took
place together with notes from the session, where available.
Thursday 17 November 2005
(A) The Contemporary Gallery Education Learning Framework
Session leader: Emily Pringle, researcher and evaluator
Venue: Education Suite, SS Great Britain
The session focused on the recent paper Emily completed for ACE, which includes
a survey of literature regarding the nature of the learning and teaching
experience in the gallery and a review of various learning models/frameworks
(including the 'Generic Learning Outcomes' (GLO) model) that have been
developed to assess learning in cultural centres and other sites. Outlined in
the text is a specific 'Contemporary Gallery Education Learning Framework' that
draws on the literature and models explored in the paper and which can be used
to research, map and 'assess' the nature of learning in the gallery.
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(B) Artist led participatory projects
Session leaders: Jane Sillis, Kate Squires and Anna Lucas
Venue: Plan 9
A discussion session with artist Anna Lucas, Kate Squires, Education and Public
Events Co-ordinator, Whitechapel Gallery and Jane Sillis, Director,
engage. Using a film project at Whitechapel Gallery with a group of
vulnerable people from Look Ahead Housing and Care and Crisis Skylight as
starting point, this session explored some of the challenges of artist-led
participatory projects in galleries such as: artistic lead; exhibitions as a
stimulus for projects; agreeing, sharing and realising ideas; ownership;
quality; presenting outcomes.
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Notes from the session:
The following key questions were posed at the start of the session and used as
a focus for small discussion groups later on:
-
What is the perfect structure for a partnership project which will allow
participants to realise their creative potential?
- How can we create a
structure in which artists are able to bring their creative practice to a
project?
- How can we develop a structure for arts organisations and partners to
work effectively together?
Jane, Kate and Anna described how the project came about and how it worked.
This was a collaborative project involving a range of partners and agendas. The
participants were vulnerable adults who were involved via their connections
with Look Ahead Housing and Crisis Skylight. The Whitechapel Gallery community
education programme employed two artists to work with the group alongside an
exhibition about Polish propaganda films.
The aim of the project was to involve local people and to encourage them to
continue using the gallery in the future.
The project took place over 5-6 days; initial research and planning took place
before this time. The participants were encouraged to think of their own
responses to the phrases - I love..., I labour for., I long for.. . The
participants made their own films which were combined into a final film and
screened for other members of the community and the general public.
There were some questions from members of the group about how the project
worked and various issues. The group then split into three and discussed the
three questions mentioned at the beginning
(C) Magic Moments
Session leader: Anna Harding, Space
Venue: British Empire and Commonwealth Museum
This session looked at the Magic Moments publication which focuses on art
projects that have engaged creatively with young people, showing how artists
have promoted situations in which creative freedom is nurtured. The book spans
from the 1950s and 60s to the present day in order to learn lessons for the
present and future. The book demonstrates that many artists consider working
with young people as central to their practice.
See Read More database for more
details.
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(D) Embracing Failure
Session leader: Richard Dedomenici, artist
Venue: Light Studio, Arnolfini
With the aid of an overhead projector, Richard Dedomenici gave a lecture
presenting examples of creative failure from his life from 1989 to the present
day. Highlights included an effort to scale the walls of Cardiff Prison;
attempting to turn coal into diamonds for the Wellcome Trust; and trying to aim
the guns of HMS Belfast at his mother's house in Watford.
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(E) Doing Business- an exploration of the stakeholder dimension in education
agendas for the arts
Session leader: Christine Kapteijn, James Hockey Gallery
Venue: Dark Studio, Arnolfini
This presentation reviewed how education agendas for the arts are voiced and
explored how stakeholder dimensions are incorporated, while offering
recommendations for an alternative approach.
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Notes from the session:
A challenging discussion followed Christine's presentation covering issues such
as business sponsorship of the arts; cultural tourism; relationship/ tension
between educators and curators and the influence of one practice on the other;
mission of the gallery to bring in new audiences; 'popular' work and artists
versus the 'cutting edge' -who decides what is cutting edge? gallery education
as a forum for debate and discussion; influence of contemporary art on public
life (fashion, advertisements etc.); public accountability of art institutions;
diversity of board members in art institutions; political worth of job titles.
(F) Hareclive Room 13
Session leaders: Shannon Coombs, Amy Bryant, Shani Ali and Paul Bradley,
Hareclive School
Venue: Room 13, Hareclive School
Young people from Room 13 gave an introduction to their democratically run arts
studio at Hareclive Primary School. The young people ran a workshop based upon
a film made by Room 13 artists while on a residency at the Irish Museum of
Modern Art. The Room 13 art studios are managed autonomously by the students of
the school who employ and work alongside an adult artist in residence. Room 13
has grown to become a network of ten studios worldwide (Scotland, England,
Nepal, India and South Africa) and host to a growing international movement of
young artists.
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(G) The Art of Science
Session leader/s: Ben Barker, At-Bristol
Venue: Education Studio, At-Bristol
Delegates visited the award winning hands-on science centre At-Bristol and
discovered new ways of engaging visitors in science, citizenship and technology
related areas. Learning Officers from At-Bristol provided insights and examples
of successful art/science projects using photography, drawing and multi-media.
Participants had the chance to reflect on their own practice and try new skills
- including taking part in the new interactive exhibition 'Animated Adventures'
featuring Wallace and Gromit and original set pieces from 'The curse of the
were-rabbit'.
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Notes from the session:
This session explained how the museum has explored some of the connections
between Art and Science. The group reflected on some characteristics that
crossover both of these areas such as exploring, creating and manipulating
elements; and also discussed the similarities. Specific projects by At-Bristol
were then described. Some of the ideas that emerged are related to topics on
chemistry and the colour spectrum; scientific ethical issues represented
through drama, technology and filmmaking; genetics and photography; natural
history and animations. Finally, the group was invited to explore and discover
colours, figures and the scientific explanation for light refraction effects.
Overall the group had a great and interesting time!
Art & Science activity resources can be found at:
www.teachersource.com
(H) Citizens
Session leader: Cynthia Morrison-Bell, Art Circuit Touring Exhibitions
Venue: Architecture Centre
This session provided an introduction to Art Circuit Touring, with a
presentation and discussion defining democracy /experimentation/ collaboration
using 'Citizens' as a case study.
Download
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Notes from the session:
Art Circuit Touring
-
1989 Oliver Berin an artist began to explore and was particularly interested in
urban cities and environments
- Cynthia was working within the gallery
education sphere of exhibitions
- Art Circuit tour contemporary art
exhibitions with a particular focus on socially and politically engaged
practice
- Art Circuit are project funded which can be problematic; they hire out
exhibitions to museums and galleries
Citizens exhibition
-
The Citizens exhibition explored experimentation within arts practice
- It
began with Art Circuit thinking about the crisis of citizenship and what it
means especially in terms of the European Union, immigration, refugees and
asylum seekers
- They worked with a think tank in Brazil whose work focuses on
the rights of citizens
Definitions/ meanings
-
Democracy and citizenship- there are many different kinds of definitions for
these words.
- How democratic can a programme be? -can gallery education be?
Who is invited and who is excluded?
- Collaboration has some confusing
meanings as there are different cultural meanings to collaboration.
- Risk can
be understood as negative rather than a positive action.
- In being
experimental who is benefiting from this? It's ok to be experimental but what
are the outcomes and is it the outcomes that suggest that something is
experimental? Need to be clear about the benefits of being experimental and
taking risks. Who and what is benefiting from this?
- Individual has a role in
a democratic society but what does this mean? Where is the role of the
organisation? Is it that subjective and individual decisions are being made in
organisations and for whom?
- It's important to look at the opposite meanings
of words
- Is a commission automatically a collaboration?
- Objectivity -does
this exist in decision-making processes? Is it all about subjectivity?
Education/ Outreach for exhibition
-
Developed a website
- Worked with the Somali community and offered free IT
lessons but there were attendance problems especially as most of the group had
never been to an exhibition and the whole process was daunting. It seemed that
for this group art didn't speak to them and there was fear of reprisal.
- As
much as you want to include everyone this isn't always possible. Its important
not to assume that people should want to be involved in culture or the arts.
- This
is a problem for organisations - how organisations/ galleries are inclusive and
why they are being inclusive. Gallery education can come across as just about
ticking boxes and ingenuine at times.
- Transparency is the key if there is going
to be experiment
(I) Reading Group
Session leader: Andy Smith, writer, researcher and performance artist
Venue: McReady Meeting Room, Bristol Old Vic
Facilitated by artist and writer Andy Smith, this workshop was a reading and
discussion group looking to explore, interrogate and respond to ideas presented
by the conference. Source material for the workshop included short extracts of
text related to the themes of risk, collaboration and experimentation, as well
as Arnolfini's current exhibitions Starting From Zero and Playing John
Cage.
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Notes from the session:
The reading group was a space to discuss a variety of topics. Issues were
explored and questioned and it was the perfect place to discuss issues raised
in the conference in more depth. The group welcomed the opportunity for
informal conversations, some of which were provoked by the following text
extracts:
- Our world goes to pieces; we have to rebuild our world. We have to find our
strength rather than our weakness. Out of the chaos of collapse we can save the
lasting.
Anni Albers
- Investment forces us to know that performative actions always have real
consequences beyond the performance arena. That when we do these unreal things
in rooms, galleries and theatre spaces the real world will change. To me that's
the greatest ambition and truth of cultural practice -things can change, [.].
Tim Etchells
- No one is waiting anymore for the REVOLUTION, only for the ACCIDENT, the
breakdown, that will reduce this unbearable chatter to silence.
Paul Virilo
(J) Professional risk and experimental learning: the en-quire action research
programme
Session leaders: Barbara Taylor, en-quire Director and en-quire cluster members
Venue: Auditorium, Arnolfini
An outline of how the en-quire clusters of gallery educators, artists and
teachers are experimenting with gallery education methodologies and critically
developing their practice through action research. Annie Bicknell, Bow Arts
Trust, introduced artist Jared Louche who ran a series of progressive group
activities using role-play and objects to explore learning through action
research
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Friday 18 November 2005
(A) what> bag
Session leaders: Herman Labro and Rika Colpaert, de kunstbank vzw-what>,
meeting space for visual culture
Venue: Education Suite, SS Great Britain
Presentation of 'what> bag' project, an experimental pilot project. The bags
are a set of tools to develop new strategies for interpreting visual culture,
enhancing cultural participation and stimulating learning together. A bottom-up
approach is used to create exhibition projects including participatory (art)
projects.
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Notes from the session:
This was a practical and discussion based session led by Herman Labro and Rika
Colpaert. The group were asked to think about changing the room to make it less
formal and more interesting - to make it into a 'what> room'.
Participants started by blowing up piles of white balloons and then gradually
other white items were introduced e.g. ribbon, string, sellotape, cotton wool,
cup cake cases, cocktail sticks etc. and the room started to change as an
installation appeared, made from all these white things. How this was done was
totally undirected, some people worked alone and others worked together. Others
added to what other people had already done. After a while we gathered together
to discuss the process, how we had felt about it and what we had created. Then
we were given various coloured materials to add into the white
sculpture/installation. Some people did this reluctantly, others got more
involved. Again, after a short time, we stopped to discuss and reflect some
more. Herman and Rika also talked about how this related to the kind of work
they do in Belgium. The final part of the exercise was to take down what we had
created and put the room back to normal.
Many participants found it refreshing and liberating to have a more practical
and creative session as part of the conference as it made a change to the talks
and presentations. Links to the conference themes were: Herman and Rika took a
risk in setting up the workshop as they had no idea how we would respond or
what would come out of it. The lack of guidance and restrictions provided room
for experiment and risk. The relatively short times involved encouraged
creativity but stopped too much preciousness and ownership taking place.
(B) Interpretation Group
Session leaders: Participants of the Spike Island Interpretation Group
Venue: Spike Island
This section has deliberately been left blank.
* You are invited to discuss the conference, risk, and structure.
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(C) Installation Wall: Unbelievably right and unbelievably wrong
Session leaders: Frances Bossom and Sarah Rhys
Venue: Light Studio, Arnolfini
We would like to invite everyone to contribute to a leap of faith by donating
or loaning us a 2D or 3D object, which we will use to make an installation
during conference. When you arrive and sign in we hope to be there to meet you
and collect your contribution. We have no idea what you will bring but we would
like it to somehow represent your practice. For example, you could decide to
hand over a sketched diagram, a mass-produced poster or a more personal 3D
object. This is a risky enterprise. Sometimes elements of the installation will
work and at other times it will fall apart. This is partly why the piece is
called Unbelievably right and unbelievably wrong. Who knows what will emerge.
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Notes from the session:
Delegates were very generous in donating or lending objects for the wall and
the artists discussed their collaboration and compromises so far, outlining
their thinking behind the installation that they had begun to construct.
Workshop participants were then invited to work on the wall themselves in a
group collaboration, removing/ adding objects as they wished, and talking about
what they were doing and why.
We began by tracing around the objects that Sarah and Frances had already
attached to the wall and then removed them, leaving only the pencil marks
behind. This drawing was worked on in a number of ways -tracing, shading,
casting shadows with a projector and recording them on the wall with pencil-
before we returned to the objects and began returning some of them to the wall,
working them into the images we had created on the wall.
(D) Occasional Sights
Session leaders: Janice McLaren, The Photographers' Gallery and Anna Best,
artist
Venue: Dark Studio, Arnolfini
The Occasional Sights project, which spanned over 2 years, stemmed from an
invitation to the artist Anna Best to develop a project involving people and
photography that would be supported by The Photographers' Gallery through its
off-site projects programme. The project saw Anna on a year-long 'residency' on
the streets of London and led to the publication of a guidebook as well as an
event at The Photographers' Gallery and a series of tours led by contributors
to the book. This case study and group discussion will seek to address
questions of democracy, risk and how far the boundaries of education can be
pushed.
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(E) Get what you're given: Gallery education for touring exhibitions
Session leader/s: Sally Fort, freelance gallery educator
Venue: Plan 9
How can you measure the risk involved in approaching touring exhibitions? How
do you handle the possibility of relinquishing any input into the development
of an exhibition coming to your gallery? Or is the risk lower as you get a
chance to see the work in situ elsewhere and for once you can plan around
actual work instead of a description and a vision? This session looks at the
pros and cons of working with touring exhibitions and includes a practical
exercise. The session will also feed into a significant piece of research
carried out by Touring Exhibitions Group, which assesses the shape of,
opportunities for, and barriers to touring exhibitions in the UK. This research
is intended to affect change and development at ACE / MLA / DCMS levels.
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(F) The Art of Science
Session leader: Ben Barker, At-Bristol
Venue: Education Studio, At-Bristol
Visit the award winning hands-on science centre At-Bristol and discover new
ways of engaging visitors in science, citizenship and technology related areas.
Learning Officers from At-Bristol will provide insights and examples of
successful art/science projects using photography, drawing and multi-media.
Participants will have a chance to reflect on their own practice and try new
skills - including taking part in the new interactive exhibition 'Animated
Adventures' featuring Wallace and Gromit and original set pieces from 'The
curse of the were-rabbit'.
|
(G) Reading Group
Session leader: Andy Smith, writer, researcher and performance artist
Venue: Meeting Room, Creative Partnerships Bristol
Facilitated by artist and writer Andy Smith, this workshop was a reading and
discussion group that aimed to explore, interrogate and respond to ideas
presented by the conference. Source material for the workshop included short
extracts of text related to the themes of risk, collaboration and
experimentation, as well as Arnolfini's current exhibitions Starting From Zero
and Playing John Cage.
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(H) Realise Your Right to Art
Session leaders: Hilary Gresty and Peter Jenkinson, VAGA
Venue: McReady Meeting Room, Bristol Old Vic
In 2004 VAGA commissioned Demos to produce the essay A Right to Art: Making
Aspirations Reality, since then we have been working with colleagues to explore
how this might be taken forward in policy and in practice. This presentation
and discussions will introduce REALISE your right to art. This agenda for
change aims, over time, to shift the consideration of art and broader visual
culture from the margins to the heart of the national debate. As the government
enters its next comprehensive spending review, in the wake of the events of the
last July and with the Olympics on the horizon for 2012 an exploration of
policy changes, initiatives and research that could really make a difference to
changing the cultural landscape and improving lives is more than timely.
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(I) Youth Matters
Session leaders: Amber Walls, en-vision and Martin Thomas, Arts Council South
West
Venue: Auditorium, Arnolfini
A session based on the recent Government Green Paper on services for young
people. This presentation and discussion will cover: Policy context: Change for
Children agenda (Children Act, Youth Matters etc); Example of approaches on the
ground; Q&A; Break out groups looking at challenges faced by arts
organisations; How we engage with responses from young people [so far] to the
Youth Matters consultations.
Download (Powerpoint
presentation - 4.7MB)
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