1. Identify your key responsibilities and list the main areas of work you have been involved in. Briefly highlight the skills and competencies that are relevant to this project/work area.

Our approach to delegating responsibility was different over the first few weeks than it was for the majority of the project. After receiving the brief, the first month was spent settling into the project, learning about each other and our group dynamic, and starting to map out our ideas and approach. We found it most effective to work together during this introductory period, rather than delineating individual roles and responsibilities.

The focus of the first month of work was to brainstorm and explore an overarching exhibition theme. I discuss this process further in my next post, but it included a visit to the Travelling Gallery, group discussions about what general themes interested us, and familiarising ourselves with the Art Collection catalogue and the works within it. From an interpersonal perspective, group communication skills were a key aspect of this process, encompassing active listening, brainstorming, and constructive critique of ideas. The ability to competently navigate the collection catalogue was also an important skill to develop, as we learned together how to efficiently search, locate, and browse for different pieces and genres of work in the catalogue.

Once we settled on a theme and began discussing more of the tangible, logistical aspects of the exhibition, it became necessary to divide roles and responsibilities. My key responsibilities and main areas of work—as well as their pertinent skills and responsibilities—were as follows:

Coordinating the design, printing, and installation of the wallpaper.

• Researching and contacting different print companies for project quotes; collating and pitching the results to my group with attention to budget, timeline, and project specifications.
• Liaising with our hired photographer and CRC staff (Julie-Ann and Anna) to coordinate a trip to the South Gyles store to photograph the rack.
• Creating design layouts and wall plans to communicate project specifications to the photographer and to the printers (ECA Reprographics).
• Measuring and trimming the printed wallpaper sheets; bundling and labelling them for efficient installation.

Coordinating the commission of the musician.

• As a group, we hired Glasgow-based musician and composer Carla Sayer to create a musical performance for our opening event. I took on the role of coordinating this process.
• Communicating with Carla on a regular basis regarding venue details and PAT testing specifications, the Scottish Sound Archive archival research process, and opening night logistics.
• Keeping an inventory of, and invoices for, all charges associated with the musical commission and relaying this information to the group for discussion and input into the budget.
  • We established Carla’s fee in accordance with the Scottish Artist’s Union Guidelines.

Ensuring the high standard of our written content and material; this included co-writing, editing, and proofreading the text for our interpretive leaflet.

• Researching and writing the “Place” section of our interpretive leaflet.
• Revising and copy-editing the four sections of our interpretive leaflet to a high standard, with a focus on unifying tone and voice, ensuring clarity and readability, and adding relevant, researched material on each work of art in the exhibition.
• Writing, copy-editing, and proofreading promotional material for the exhibition, including the text for our promotional postcard and the Facebook event for the opening night.
• In taking the lead on the interpretive leaflet, I additionally coordinated its printing, which included selecting the printing press, communicating timelines and budgets with the printers, and coordinating the pick-up and drop-off of the material.

2. Looking ahead, list your key objectives for the GRP. 3–7 SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timed) objectives should be noted with realistic timescales and focused outcomes.

Group goals:

By the end of October, to have worked as a group to generate a clear exhibition title and description, as well as a list of relevant works from the Collection.

To create and implement a program of public workshops and talks to run concurrently with the exhibition tour in mid-February.

To use this exhibition as an opportunity to evaluate public engagement with both the Travelling Gallery and the University’s Art Collection, by collecting information on engagement during the tour that can subsequently be presented as a report to the partner institutions.

Personal goals:

To develop my personal knowledge and skills of writing interpretive exhibition text, by researching this style of writing, practicing writing interpretive copy, and, by the time of the exhibition, contributing significantly to our own exhibition’s printed interpretive material.

3. Discursive self-reflection. Use this section to, 1) reflect upon the progress of the project to date (both as a whole and with regards to your own specific area/role). 2) Critically reflect upon your experience working with the group. Here you may consider your contribution so far, the value of your specific strengths and expertise, the effectiveness of group communications and your performance in group meetings. Looking ahead, how might the group enhance its performance?

Our collaborative first month of brainstorming themes and big-picture exhibition ideas as a group felt effective and productive. Working as a group (rather than individually researching different components of the collection) meant that we encouraged each other to think creatively and expansively, and to build off of one another’s ideas.

As the project progressed, we had to develop a balance between maintaining these creative group discussions and dividing tasks so as to efficiently make progress on the project. Many of our individual roles arose organically over a number of weeks as we received our budget, met with the Travelling Gallery, and worked together to create a timeline for the project, based on our individual interests, skills, and prioritization of tasks. For example, I identified near the beginning of the process that I wanted to take the lead on the interpretive text, and communicated that I was able to contribute strong writing and editing skills to written copy throughout the project. Other responsibilities, however, were picked up more fluidly as they came to light—I volunteered to coordinate the musical performance after serendipitously being able to meet Carla in person and represent our team at an event in Glasgow.

Throughout the project, our group continued to communicate clearly and effectively about the larger picture of the exhibition. However, some obstacles did arise as our working arrangements shifted to working within more specific roles and responsibilities. We had hoped to create a system wherein we would check in about our individual action items at our weekly group meetings and maintain open lines of communication. Ultimately this was only moderately successful; although some items were completed on schedule, many other tasks were repeatedly delayed to later dates. While everything was done on time in the end, we could have worked much more efficiently and calmly in advance by holding each other more accountable to the personal deadlines we had set.

On reflection, this project differed in a significant way from co-curatorial projects within paid employment environments. Although we had individual areas of responsibility, since these were not “official” positions I noticed we had a wariness of “stepping on toes” or clearly holding each other accountable to our tasks. Although our working arrangement positively facilitated a non-hierarchical, creative space to explore the project together, outlining clearer expectations for each others’ roles and feeling empowered to communicate in a more straightforward, professional manner may have helped us work more efficiently and confidently as a team.

 

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Oct 10, 2019