engage International Summer School 2012
Dynamic Roles: The changing positions of educators, curators and artists working with audiences
28 May-1 June, Helsinki, Finland
engage International Summer School is for experienced gallery educators, artists, curators and academics.
This peer-led event represents a significant opportunity for colleagues at a similar stage in their careers to work together to:
- Reflect on aspects of current practice in gallery education
- Review current research and political agendas
- Consider the positioning of gallery education within the cultural sector
- Learn about international contexts for gallery education
- Network with UK and international colleagues
This year's engage Summer School will be hosted by Helsinki Art Museum in Helsinki, Finland.
As well as a stimulating range of peer-led sessions and venue visits, the event will include attendance at the It's All Mediating
conference (30-31 May, Kiasma, Helsinki). This is an exciting opportunity to take part in in-depth discussion, meet colleagues from
across Europe, potentially present a case study and hear keynote speakers. Both the engage Summer School and It's All Mediating
will look at the role of educators, curators and artists working with audiences in a gallery, museum or visual arts context.
Programme
Delegates will lead or participate in peer-led sessions, visit venues and art spaces in Helsinki, meet colleagues and hear about
gallery education practice from across Europe, particularly Finland. Two days of the five-day Summer School will be spent attending
It's All Mediating, an international conference of educators and curators, hosted by The Finnish Association for Museum Education,
Pedaali; The Finnish Society for Curators, SKY; and CuMMA, Aalto University.
Summer School will explore the questions around the role of educators and curators in galleries, museums and visual arts venues,
and how both facilitate audience engagement. Questions posed will include:
- What are the specific skills of a curator or an educator?
- How (and why) do we develop professional identities?
- While specialisation may have brought focus and quality to practice, have the fields of education and curation also drifted apart from each other?
- What could this division mean for audiences, and for galleries/visual arts venues?
- How do artists contribute to engaged and participatory practice as educators, curators or artists?
We look forward to workshops, arts activities, updates on academic research and discussions facilitated by you, the participants.
It's All Mediating Conference
As part of the engage Summer School, delegates will also participate in a two-day gathering of educators and curators from across Europe,
to hear from internationally respected colleagues about their practice and debate the delineation of education and curatorial roles in
galleries, museums and visual arts venues. The programme will comprise a mix of keynotes, case study presentations and discussion groups,
and up to 200 delegates are expected to attend. This conference will provide an important context for the peer-led learning at Summer School,
giving a Europe-wide perspective. More information about the conference can be found on the pedaali website.
Summer School application process
There will be a maximum of 33 delegates at Summer School.
Summer School 2012 participants have now been selected.
Cost
The registration fees for summer school are:
- Delegates receiving Grundtvig or other funding or engage Organisational Members - £380 / 450€
- engage Personal Members (not receiving Grundtvig or other funding) – £215 / 260€
- Reduced rates are available for colleagues working/living in Finland – please contact emma.prout@engage.org for more information.
This event is open to engage members only. For further information about membership and to join, please
click here.
Non-members may apply and then join if their application is successful.
Additional information
What's included in the registration fee?
- Fee for attending the It's All Mediating conference
- Refreshments on all days
- Lunch on 28 May, 29 May and 1 June
- Evening meal on 28 May
- Any materials required for the Summer School
What isn't included?
- Airfare and transfers to/from Helsinki
- Any additional travel costs to visit galleries and art spaces (likely to be minimal cost)
- Travel insurance
- Accommodation
- Breakfast
- Lunch on 30 + 31 May, during It's All Mediating
- Three of the four evening meals
Accommodation
Accommodation is likely to cost £85-£140 per night, though delegates may wish to share rooms to reduce costs.
Reduced rates have been negotiated for delegates attending It's All Mediating – click here for details
Travel
All venues for the Summer School are situated in the centre of Helsinki, and can be reached by walking.
Helsinki airport is situated 30 minutes from the city centre. Airlines flying direct to Helsinki from the UK include
British Airways, Finnair, and Norwegian.com. Return flights from London cost from £160 upwards.
Funding sources
Grundtvig
- Successful applicants who work with adult learners and are not based in the host country may be eligible to apply for
grant funding through Grundtvig European Visits and Exchanges Programme. Applications from UK delegates must be made to
Grundtvig no later than Friday 2 March 2012. Please note that Grundtvig support can be sought for attendance at the whole
Summer School only; the It's All Mediating conference will not be listed separately on the Grundtvig training database.
- If you wish to apply to Grundtvig please let engage know when you submit your Summer School application – we will then provide
the information you need to complete your funding application.
- Non-UK members (excluding those based in Finland) will be eligible for Grundtvig funding according to the criteria set by their
national agencies. These may have different deadlines, please contact your national agency for more information. If your deadline
is earlier than the application deadline from engage, please contact emma.prout@engage.org to discuss.
- A full list of national agencies can be found here
Grants for the Arts
- Successful applicants working in England may be eligible for Grants for the Arts Funding through Arts Council England (ACE) –
please visit the Arts Council website
for more information (available to both individuals and organisations).
- Processing applications to Grants to the Arts takes a minimum of six weeks – we would therefore recommend applications are submitted
to ACE no later than Friday 13 April 2012, and ideally earlier in order that you may book travel and accommodation.
Any further questions?
Please contact Emma Prout, Operations Manager, at emma.prout@engage.org
or on 020 7729 5858.
Last year's event
Click here to read about the 2011 Summer School, New Galleries, New Audiences,
which took place in Ljubljana, Slovenia.