The process of working with the artists on this exhibition was a large part of the exhibition developing the way that it did and how we as curators understood the way that they wanted their works to be shown. A key part of the brief was knowledge production around the works in the Universities Art Collection, namely Winnie Herbstein’s films. And for my group, a key part to the  project was working and communicating with the artists. This part of the project came with a lot of ups and downs. As we worked with the artists, such as Joey Simons and Keira McLean, they influenced decisions such as the idea for a zine becoming a workbook. They participated in the installation of the exhibition, helping it materialize. Communication with Lucas Priest was essential in the planning for advertising the School of Pedestrian Culture walk, how his brand had physical representation communicated in the style of poster. As well as in the placement of his work in the Travelling Gallery, it was essential as there was limited space and we wanted to be sure the work was highlighted appropriately. Working with Winnie Herbstein was central as she is the artist that the group show was built around, and we wanted to stay true to her art. In addition, she was the only artist not able to participate in the install of the exhibition or visit in person as she is based outside of the country. All of this made it especially important to understand how she wanted her work to be presented. The topic of communication, in particular, came up just a few weeks before install, when we sent her the text for the workbook a few weeks before printing, also just a few weeks ahead of install. Winnie Herbstein found a few phrases of the text where she suggested changing the wording to better convey the message. Due to the short notice it was a bit stressful, but left us reflecting on creating better working communication. While that was a hectic moment, it was also a learning moment on how important communication is when working with artists from a curator’s role.

Component 1.5 (Part Four): Communication / Margaret Jensen / Guided Research Placement by blogadmin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 3.0