Case studies
These art organizations have different commitments and working contexts:
- Creative Time:
- Commitment: Universal Human Rights + Free Expression.
- Working Context: A global community, partnering with various cultural institutions and community groups, engaging broad audiences across geographic, racial, and socioeconomic barriers.
- Artangel:
- Commitment: Responding to the environment in which we live.
- Working Context: Operating in the UK and beyond, exploring unconventional and challenging locations, maintaining an archive in the UK, and holding international open calls.
- Camelon Arts:
- Commitment: Increasing inclusion and participation, nurturing talent, and developing civic pride.
- Working Context: Focused on a town-wide community arts project in Camelon and Tamfourhill, Falkirk, exploring local history, accessibility of the canal and surrounding areas, and environmental public art.
- Jupiter Artland:
- Commitment: Believing that art is for everyone, engaging with every child in Scotland through free school visits.
- Working Context: Located in Scotland, operating as a contemporary sculpture garden, offering free school visits for children throughout the year.
Values, Vision and Aims of my curating project
As articulated by Paul O’Neill in “The Curatorial Turn: From Practice to Discourse,” the elevation of the curator’s status has led to a growing recognition of the value of curation as an artistic practice. In this sense, the curator can be viewed as a meta/artist, and exhibitions can be considered as artworks. Simultaneously, as noted by Mary Jane Jacob in “An Unfashionable Audience” there has been a shift in the perception of curatorial value, with the audience now occupying a central position in art production, resulting in the emergence of ‘public art’.
With the introduction of new public art, I aim to create an exhibition that embodies a social issue or makes a political statement, hoping to inspire change through its presence in a public setting. This is why I am particularly interested in focusing on video art for my exhibition.
“Video was distant from art histories, discourse, tradition, and, therefore, restrictions. It is rooted in its medium and not only was the medium a liberated one from the canon of art, but it also liberated women-artists, people of color, and those interested in counter-cultural agendas who were able to grow, create, and work free of the oppression existing in the realm of fine arts limitations and institutions at the time. ” (Kamla Thurtle. Curation of the Video Art Exhibition in the Museum, 2021.)
So that leads to the values, visions and aims of my curating plan:
What are my values?
- Platforming marginalized voices and perspectives.
- Encouraging critical thinking and reflection on social issues via video art, or film.
What might my vision be?
- To provide a platform for emerging artists to showcase their work and voice their perspectives.
- To spark conversation and reflection on the social issue through the medium of video.
What are my ethics when working with others, and how might I put this into practice?
- Respectful and transparent communication with artists and owners of the films.
- Giving credit and recognition to the artists and their work.
- Ensuring the safety and well-being of all participants involved in the project.
What context might I want to work in?
- A public space where diverse audiences can engage with the artworks and ideas presented.
What relationship might I want with audiences?
- Creating a space for dialogue and discussion.
- Encouraging critical thinking and reflection on social issues.
- Providing resources and educational materials to enhance audience understanding of the artworks.
What artists might I want to work with?
- Emerging artists and students.
- Artists who address social and political issues in their work.
What thematics might I want to look at, if any?
- who does micro-movies as a language to express voices and thoughts
- Social issues.
- Young people’s perspectives on society.
What form might my curatorial project take?
- A microfilm exhibition showcasing a range of emerging artists.
- A panel discussion or artist talk to deepen the audience’s understanding of the works presented.
- Educational resources to enhance audience engagement with the artworks and ideas presented.
REFERENCES
- The Curatorial Turn: From Practice to Discourse by Paul O’Neill (pp.13-24）
- Unfashionable Audiences, Mary Anne Jacob in Mapping the Terrain: New Genre Public Art Ed. Suzanne Lacy (pp.50-59)
- Kamla Thurtle. Curation of the Video Art Exhibition in the Museum, 2021.
