Part of ‘Doing the Work’, an online CPD workshop series co-produced by the Contemporary Art Society and the Decolonising Arts Institute (University of the Arts London). Read more.
This first workshop in our Doing the Work series will focus on curation and display in museums and galleries. Questions for discussion may include:
What curatorial strategies might be considered decolonial or anti-racist in approach? What questions, approaches and behaviours should curators be embedding into their day-to-day practices? How can an anti-racist or decolonial approach be developed in relation to collections that are ethnically diverse, and conversely, in relation to collections that are not? Should artworks depicting violent colonial histories ever be included in exhibitions and displays, and if so, why/how? What curatorial models can be used when displaying work by artists whose biographies and attitudes are deemed problematic/racist/colonial? How can anti-racist and/or decolonial curatorial approaches be developed in contexts where such approaches are resisted or even discouraged?
This workshop will be kick-started by a discussion between Renée Mussai (Senior Curator and Head of Curatorial & Collections, Autograph ABP), Nikita Gill (Iniva Curatorial Trainee, Manchester Art Gallery), and Kate Jesson (Modern and Contemporary Curator, Manchester Art Gallery), moderated by Professor Paul Goodwin (Chair of Contemporary Art and Urbanism, University of the Arts London). Click here for participant biographies.
The format of each workshop will be small, comprising 25-30 participants who will break out into smaller groups for more in-depth discussion. In the breakout rooms the participants will discuss a particular issue or challenge they are each grappling with, or strategy that they have been testing, carefully listening to and responding to one another. The participants will then discuss possible tools/methods/initiatives/solutions to the issues raised and which they intend to test back in the workplace. It is crucial that each participant come ready to discuss specific examples that they have encountered or been involved in, to enable an open and productive discussion.
To book your place at this workshop please email rsvp@contemporaryartsociety.org before 15 January 2021.
