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Developmental Process |
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Week Seven | |
On 26 September 2007 a visual arts project titled Showing: Expectations opened to public audiences. The project involved extending an invitation to six Leeds-based community groups, (who are identified on educational and organisational databases as being under-represented in higher education and the creative sectors), to participate in and curate their own art exhibition. The community groups who accepted the invitation to become involved were; Workers’ Educational Association, St Anne’s Resource Centre & Open Learning, Gypsy Roma Traveller Achievement Service Leeds, Emmaus – Leeds Community, South Leeds Health for All Asian Elders and St George’s Crypt.
The contributory and curatorial concept for Showing: Expectations was given a skeletal frame rather than a structured form. This was based around a seven-week process, during which, voluntary participants from each of the community groups involved, contributed something to the exhibition that was meaningful to their lives and also curated another person’s meaningful contribution. This website documents those contributions that were made to the Showing: Expectations exhibition process, and presents transcribed statements given by individual participants. But what might be the expected possible outcomes, or perhaps, which historical, social, pedagogical, aesthetic and curatorial frames might be challenged, (and why might this be so), when members of community groups accept an invitation to participate in and curate their own art exhibition? Contributors were not taught about art and neither were curatorial concepts explained. There was no example or instruction given on what might be submitted to the exhibition and the majority of the participants had never previously met. These issues are raised, discussed and explored in the essays and transcripts included on this website, which presents some of the expectations that were exposed in relation to the actualities of what happened, during the process of realising the Showing: Expectations project. |
Although the Showing: Expectations
exhibition ended in 2007, the process continues, both through this website and also through a book we published documenting the project and presenting the participants' contributions. The book includes essays, transcripts and critical responses to the project. IF YOU ARE ASSOCIATED WITH AN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION, ARTS ORGANISATION OR ARE INVOLVED WITH COMMUNITY ARTS AND WOULD LIKE A FREE COPY OF THE BOOK FOR YOUR LIBRARY THEN PLEASE CONTACT US.
Links to .PDF files containing transcripts from the discussion events, 'Critical Art and Pedagogical Practices/Widening Participation' and 'In Conversation With the Participants' are situated in the 'Critical Reflections' section of the website, as is a transcribed conversation about the project, held between Francesco Ventrella (PhD student, curator, and art historian) and Leonor da Silva (PhD student, artist, and project co-organiser). Also in this section are three essays that were produced in response to the project, written by; Andrew Warstat (PhD student, artist, & educator), Dr Sue Wilks (independent artist, researcher & project co-organiser) and Francesco Ventrella.
Project co-organisers:
Leonor da Silva & Sue Wilks
Website construction: Sue Wilks
