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The following arrived today

Knowledge Co-Creation between Organisations and the Public
Call for Participation in the XXX Workshop which will be held on [Date] in YYYY

Inspired by concepts such as collective intelligence, citizen science, citizen journalism and crowdsourcing, diverse types of organisations are aiming to increase engagement with the public, collect localised knowledge, or leverage human cognition and creativity. In supporting these approaches, organisations are often provoked to make their data and processes more open, and to be inclusive of differing motivations and perspectives from inside and outside the organisation. In doing so, they raise new questions for both designers and organisations:

How are systems designed to manage data, attribute work, or draw boundaries between  ”official” and externally generated knowledge? How can openness support collaborations across organisations as well as with the public where there are shared interests?

How can the professional framed context and metadata standards be connected with the just-in-time, emergent nature of amateur online collection and curation? Is the role of the professional changed by these innovations?

How can systems be designed to leverage complementary or differing motivations, and how do we conceptualise these in design? How to prompt amateurs’ contributions that may be of value for institutions and users?

Any offers on what it means?

The email attached to it ended '... one of the most relevant conferences on social computing. Hope you will find it of interest!' Um ...

Colne valley sculpture trail

What a gem: someone has produced a leaflet on a sculpture trail of artistic interventions.

The leaflet details the real life route of a three mile walk featuring 12 highlights such as an abandoned bath in a field, a derelict house and a collapsed wall, which have been attributed to fictional artists.

The abandoned bath is supposedly a piece called Wash Behind the Ears and is described as dealing with the "contradictory concepts of filth and cleanliness, typically by placing a familiar bathroom item in a countryside setting".

See more on the BBC website

Guerilla writing

The attached recently came through our e-letter box:

Not a formal training day but if you can spare an hour or so to get down to XXX where YYY  will be on hand to discuss the hugely successful community engagement programme undertaken at the gallery over the last five years. Guerilla training as well as guerilla writing!

WHO MIGHT YOU MEET?

Five Go Guerilla at the XXX … 5 writers will be in residence at the XXX  for just one day of guerilla writing activity.

They’ll be writing about the art and the Romans, meeting the public, versifying in the amphitheatre and generally celebrating 5 years of community creative engagement that has taken place at XXX.

The event marks the end of two important youth projects, Colouring the Canvas and ReHang:Reachout, which have both provided opportunities for members of ReHang, XXX's young curators group, to build skills and provide peer group activity for other young people.

It also signals the promise of more to come…

Since 2008, XXX  has seen an exciting programme of youth and community engagement that has gone from strength to strength. From a programme of youth film making and conferences, the gallery’s work with young people and community group has developed to include the launch of ReHang (gallery youth panel), Dr Who screening with writer Q&A, sport events and live gladiatorial combat.

There are music, theatre and poetry performances, family days, photography and youth artfilm installations, political debates, swing dance and glamour evenings, and, recently, the launch of the Who Might You Meet? blog and an ever-growing and successful late night events programme.

The XX Art Gallery is fast becoming one of the most innovative galleries in the city in terms of seeking to engage people of all ages and abilities through a wide range of creative interaction and public events.

So, if you want to come down to the gallery to partake of a bit of guerilla writing activity, and be part of all of this good stuff by getting your writing posted to the youth and community arts blog, drop by on ... find the 5 writers in the gallery, and join them.

And to cap it all, there will be an informal sharing of the work of the 5 writers, followed by a Q&A somewhere in the gallery…

The CVs of the five writers are also illuminating: 

One is described as a spoken word artist, photography enthusiast, poet, performer, writer and educator and  co-curator of the very popular spoken word showcase

Another is said to hail from a land between spoken word, hip-hop, and theatre. With an eye for the often overlooked in the everyday, his work is entertaining and accessible but remains rooted in a love of the craft of writing.

Another is a poet and artist who works in video and visible verse, spoken word, hip hop and live art. Her work is street, visual, emotive and rhythmical. She is a published poet, a SlamBASSADOR UK Champion and a member of various writing and performance collectives.

No one could accuse the writer of over-statement. Suddenly we feel very old. To think that a poet might not also be a performer.

Artistic flair?

An invitation arrives ...

'An international leader in his field. His work concerns the integration of art with contemporary ecological thinking and real world issues.'

'... is an artist whose work is informed by net art, distributed networks, healing, protocols and curating. ... 2013 sees the next phase of her ... which takes net art to rural locations.'

What does all of this actually mean? Where is the communication? It contains lots of words but we are struggling to find any sense. Is it us or is it, just possibly, them?

New artwork

News from afar ... this pewter slab recently appeared in a square in Falmouth (It is the small shiny square in the middle foreground). This is a funded 'low-key intervention' by Melanie Guy with which we can interact. Each shoe impression will leave its mark as we pass - not if it has a rubber sole, according to passers-by.

Self-serving spin?

A website called Culture Geek* recently carried an article which said:

'Concerned, as they are, with history and permanence, museums are not generally in the business of shaking things up. The idea of new blood – a youthful, invigorating force that can re-imagine an organisation – is not usually high on the Trustee agenda at established and venerable institutions. Big changes are often slow, perhaps almost generational, yet these same institutions are perpetually charged with attracting new and different types of audiences.

'In fact, one of the most consistent themes of the past decade or so of museum funding, at least in the UK, has been the push for audience development: how to reach groups that have been underrepresented amongst museum visitors.'

It went on to describe an initiative with young people in Amsterdam.

It is difficult to know how to react to much that is in this piece: it is so contentious. Of course museums are concerned with history: that is what they do. Museums are absolutely about permanence in the sense of preservation for posterity but not in the sense the article suggests: as stasis of interpretation, of unchanging displays or thinking.

'New blood is ... not usually high on Trustees' agendas'. Hardly true given the many training courses for museum staff.

'... a youthful, invigorating force that can re-imagine an organisation' ... try me. Why is 'youthful' the only solution?

'...yet these same institutions are perpetually charged with attracting new and different types of audiences ... how to reach groups that have been underrepresented amongst museum visitors'. Then we reach the nub of the issue and one that is worth talking about in a less emotional, objective and more cooperative manner.

* Culture Geek's mission espouses a lovely piece of puffery: The digital revolution is transforming the world around us, industries are shifting, companies are falling (sic: perhaps they meant 'failing') and keeping up with these changes and how they effect your organisation is a full time job. This seems to be coming from the same stable as one of our earlier postings.

Let's have some courage and conviction

OK, so you say we have not been very positive lately. Here is a really uplifting thought from Nick Poole, the chief executive of the Collections Trust.

Writing on his website, he commented on the connection with the past made in the Olympics opening ceremony. It showed that Britain truly understood the links between a proud heritage and the fabric of daily life, he said. 'Our culture is playful, inclusive and grandiose precisely because we celebrate our past as the story of our present. That is the unique thing that museums do, in every community, in every village, town and city for people of every age.'

He goes on to argue that politicians and funders still required evidence about value and impact, but also needed courage and conviction. 'Without intrinsic belief in the value of a strong museum sector, no amount of measurement will ever make up for a nagging lack of conviction.' It was time to celebrate everything that was great about Britain’s museums and galleries. 'From our venues, which inspire, educate and amaze millions of people very year, to our collections and the rich, creative online resources we provide, our dazzling cultural offer is the envy of nations worldwide.'

Well said Nick: less of the tedious measurement statistics and bit more courage and conviction.

Takeover Day

Kids in Museums is encouraging museums to register their interest for this year’s Takeover Day on 23 November, when museums and galleries invite young people to take on meaningful roles in the running of their institutions.

Oh joy! I am so glad you have included the word meaningful this year. Let me think ... you can be in charge of health and safety for the day; and for signing contracts; and how about doing some staff appraisals; or answering some customer complaints? And could you let me have a draft of the corporate plan before the end of the day?

What do you mean those are not the sort of meaningful roles you meant?

Science Lottery funding anyone?

The report in the paper that great minds believe that Maths should be a compulsory subject up to the age of 16 prompts another thought.

Lottery money is distributed for Heritage, Arts, Awards for All and Big Lottery projects. Why do we not have a Science and Technology Lottery Fund? Nesta is the nearest we have to it but that is not targeted at the mass market.

Why not a Science and Technology Lottery Fund giving money for the advancement of these subjects? Then those of us that deal with design technology could help support this initiative. And we mean real design in the sense of making real thought-through innovations and not just things that look pretty.

Projects would have to have real technical or scientific application and/or involve learning. It would help to fund the many science centres which struggle for funding and it would meet the ambitions of the great minds to keep a knowledge and understanding of maths, physics, chemistry, biology ... alive above basic levels.

The recent launch of the boat in the Boat Project was all about the look of its hull. No one mentioned the technology behind the creation of the boat, its hydro-dynamic shape, its materials or its performance specification (no one mentioned what is going to happen to it now that it has been built at vast expense either, but that is another story).

We cannot think that Germany's economic miracle was founded on the back of a contemporary art programme.

Another (little) word

We do not want to seem derogatory about enthusiasm which is a quality we admire greatly but just occasionally it does not stand up to the harsh glare of reality.

The latest example to catch our eye is the group Action for Children's Arts. who appear to consist of a group of enthusiasts. In a recent conference, they argued that as children up to the age of 12 made up 15% of the country's population, so 15% should be adopted as a benchmark for their fair share of public funding of the arts.

It is hard to disagree with the proposal that children should be recognised in cultural programming. But let's unpack the proposal in a bit more detail. Is childhood not a time when the balance between learning and doing should be tipped in favour of the former? Producing or showing works which appeal to, and/or are comprehensible to children, is one thing but the small print suggests that '15% of the total budget on performance or exhibition of original work by children'.

Ouch! This goes further than the original proposition. Yet again, one tiny word suggests a different agenda: one of setting a stage for children to show off their skills and receive notice and praise, rather than offering something for them to experience or admire.

No doubt arts providers will now have to fill in yet another form quantifying the level of provision for and by children, taking valuable time away from 'doing' things for all audiences. And help me out, how do we quantify what is 'for children' when one produces something for a general or family market? Is Harry Potter a children's book or a family story?

We look forward to the National Gallery and British Museum devoting 15% of their budgets to works by children. That will set a good example for us all to follow.

And at least they did not talk about 'kids'.

Write or Wrong?

An announcement in the Western Morning News:
'... museum is celebrating after being awarded £21,500 from Arts Council England to fund a special project ... a year-long initiative which will see writer-in-residence ... work with community groups, helping them to connect with the museum through the medium of writing.'

That sounds like a nice way to earn a salary. Why is 'connecting with a museum through the medium of writing' something so important? Come to that, what does it mean? Does it start with 'Dear Museum ...'

Why do I wish that the money had been given directly to the museum to spend as they saw fit: perhaps on providing more exhibitions for more people; or on staying open. It sounds like yet another example of money being given to move deckchairs on a doomed ocean liner. Which suggests another thought ...

One word

Reading through the conditions for a recent grant application, we came across the following:
To receive a grant your project must help people to learn about their own and other people’s heritage. Your project must also do either or both of the following:

• conserve the UK’s diverse heritage for present and future generations to experience and enjoy.
• help more people, and a wider range of people, to take an active part in and make decisions about heritage.

Regular readers of this blog will have spotted the tiny little word already: the 'and' in the last line. It is not 'or', it is 'and' as in 'and make decisions about heritage'. So this funding body too has fallen for the cult of engagement. It is no longer sufficient to inform, enthral or inspire our audiences, we must now allow them to 'take decisions'.

What form are these decisions to take? Is this 'wider range of people' to be allowed to take decisions about what is and what is not collected or displayed, perhaps in preference to the 'narrower' range of people who just perhaps might know more the answers to those questions? We are old-fashioned enough to trust heritage managers to know about their subject and to make recommendations or to interpret those collections to us. This is now heresy.

Whatever happened to that old adage that we will preserve what we love; love what we understand; understand what we know about and know about things we have explored. Now, it seems, we must ask a wider range of people - perhaps uninformed - to take decisions on what we preserve, without exploration, knowledge or understanding.

And how do we 'evidence' - a horrible verbal use of the word - the 'making decisions'? That is another question.

Contemporary artists revolutionise museums?

To return to another theme: the way that 'contemporary artists' are transforming museums (not!). Be warned: there is more to come on this subject in later posts.

Contemporary artists are helping museums unlock the potential of their collections and reach new audiences read the headline of an article in the Museums Journal by the usually reliable Simon Stephens. He managed to knit together a disparate set of projects to support the case including: 

• Nottingham where 1000 young artists are working in the New Art Exchange and Nottingham Contemporary Galleries taking part in Young Artists. Might there be a hint here about the word gallery and artists? The title of the project is hardly inspiring but it probably does what it says
• 10 artists matched with 10 museums and galleries for a range of after hours events in museums. We have mentioned this before. Ten of them; hardly a widespread welcome by the museums 
• The Haywood gallery will become a 'school run by artists'. Not surprising in a gallery
• Grayson Perry at the British Museum. This was obviously a terrific success but people with large budgets and lots of spare space like the BM can indulge such projects
• The Museum of London worked with artists to produce four artworks, opening out the debate ... a bonus point for additional jargon  about 'opening a debate'
• Snibston colliery site
• National Trust Trust New Art which was run at five properties
• Alchemy at Manchester Museum
• Welcome Museum
• New Expressions which we mentioned in an earlier posting 

This does not sound as though projects are nearly as widespread as the headline suggests. One would expect galleries to work with artists and large sites like Snibston and the National Trust have spaces ready made for art of one form or another. Most museums are probably quietly jealous of them as good quality narrative art can help to bring spaces alive and give an edge to large spaces. What none of these suggest is that artists were engaged in helping tell the original stories of the objects.

Simon goes on to speak of the 'ability of artists to look at collections in fresh and innovative ways which appeals to curators.'

This sounds like a big love-in which has little core motivation. There is an overtone of misunderstanding, alienation, jealousy of knowledge between artists and historians: a theme that was explored so well in John Fowles' short story Poor Koko in his Ebony Tower collection. A burglar ties up a man in a lonely cottage and then burns his books in front of him because he cannot stand the thought of others having knowledge which is inaccessible to him.

A diary piece in the same issue of MJ took the Mick out of the same thought. Asked what  museums were for, a hapless and fictional museum director replied 'to serve the public' and was told 'No, they are there for artistic excellence'. They were then taken off for re-education.I used to study history. Now I explore art.

Artistic intervention

Just occasionally something comes along which you feel meets your definition of artistic delight. Years of travelling on the District Line in SW London never produced such joy as this flashmob in Copenhagen.

If you are also inspired then search out their other inspired intervention or installation
at Copenhagen station.

You can keep your contemporary artists barging in to tell us how to do our work. This is art and exactly what music should be about: joyous.

Artists' bonfire II

Do you remember our posting from February in which the Arts Council was providing money to artists to burn their works. Now it seems, an Italian gallery director is burning artworks in protest at funding cuts. Italian museum burns artworks in protest at cuts

Why did he not simply ask for a grant, we wonder.

European money II

A follow up to our previous post about the university project looking at shared cultures in fishing communities ... news reaches us that Penlee House in Penzance and the National Maritime Museum Cornwall are engaged in a joint project with Brittany celebrating the culture of the two fishing communities. Their combined budget, I am told, is somewhere around £25,000.

The original university project said 'Plans include photographic exhibitions exploring life in fishing communities and a demonstration project of fishing heritage-led regeneration at the fishing village of Arnemuiden, in The Netherlands.'

So that's the photographic (and art) exhibitions done for them free of charge. They can now spend all of the their Euros 4.6m over four years on the 'demonstration project'.

European money

Another press release lands on my desk and I am once again staggered to see the amount of money that universities seem able to be extract from funders. Can you see anything in the following which suggests either that they know anything about the subject or that they are actually going to do something practical? Oh yes,'Plans include photographic exhibitions exploring life in fishing communities and a demonstration project of fishing heritage-led regeneration at the fishing village of Arnemuiden, in The Netherlands.’

Geography of Inshore Fishing and Sustainability
Researchers at the University of Greenwich are leading a €4.6 million INTEREGG 4a 2 Seas Programme three-year project helping to regenerate coastal fishing communities on both sides of the English Channel and the southern North Sea.

Focussing on towns and villages with traditional small scale fishing fleets, they will look at the ways local inshore fishing contributes to the identity of places and their communities, as well as seeking new sustainable opportunities to boost regeneration and economic growth.

Sounds good so far.

Dr X says: “Inshore marine fishing is at the heart of so many places, whether they have just a few small fishing boats pulled up on a shingle beach or a harbour that is the centre of activity for a larger fishing fleet. You cannot think about places like Whitstable, Brixham or Newlyn without recalling fishing and local seafood. Inshore marine fishing is central to their identity as communities and places.” Let's ignore, for a moment the fact that Newlyn houses rather more than a 'traditional fishing fleet'.

Project leader Dr Y says: “We will be building on valuable research we have already been doing in fishing communities. Working with researchers in France and Flanders gives us a cross-cultural perspective and opportunities to share ideas and solutions to common problems – not least how the sense of identity within fishing communities can make a significant contribution to regeneration and sustainable economic growth.
"Our findings will help to provide the information people need to develop new activities on the ground to regenerate their communities and feed into policy decisions which will ensure a sustainable future. We are hoping to help to create a sense of shared identity in fishing places across the region.” I am not sure you could teach an East Coast fisherman anything about 'shared identity' with a fisherman from the Netherlands. Is a 'shared identity' something that can be created in this way? And it helps how?

Plans include photographic exhibitions exploring life in fishing communities and a demonstration project of fishing heritage-led regeneration at the fishing village of Arnemuiden, in The Netherlands.

At this level of expenditure I would be hoping for rather more than a 'demonstration project' (what is this and why only one when it is a cross-border project?) and a photographic exhibition. Anyone who is following Monty Halls' exploits in Cadgwith will, I am sure, feel that the fishermen there will be delighted to know about photographic exhibition and the amount of money it has cost. They might, however, prefer a new boat which could be paid for from this bid's petty cash.

The way forward?

A recent proposal said:

The project acknowledges the breadth and complexity of knowledge and opinion that helps us make sense of a profoundly changing world and our increasingly uncertain place in it. While scientific knowledge underpins our understanding of the systems upon which life depends, how we must change in response to that knowledge is a profoundly cultural question.

We particularly like the the idea in the last sentence: that science may have defined the problem and have a mechanism for how it works but the solution is 'profoundly cultural'. So (see last posting) that is the film and dance about climate change then. Phew, I thought we might have to do something.

Cultural Education looks up

Another gem of art vs museums:

Government announces £15m for cultural education in England

The Henley Review of Cultural Education was published on 28 February, along with the Government’s response and an announcement of £15m funding from the Department for Education (DfE) to pump prime cultural education initiatives.  Darren Henley made 24 recommendations that he said would make England's cultural education 'the envy of the world'.  The Government responded accepting most of the recommendations and said (some of) those it would address immediately are:

• A new National Youth Dance Company to provide opportunities for 30 young people every year (£600,000 each from ACE and DfE over 3 years); I make that £1.2m or £40k each over three years for 30 very lucky students. It is good to see them workingw ith so many
• A new film academy, led by the BFI to support film education for all children and young people (£3m over 3 years); while film gets a new £3m over 3 years
• Heritage Schools - English Heritage will work with schools to encourage them to explore historical sites in their local area (£2.7m funding over 3 years); and they did not already do this? This is probably the money that was cut off their budget at the last budget being given back to them (after lots of deductions for bureaucracy)
• Training and mentoring for new teachers and continuing professional development for experienced teachers to improve the quality of cultural education in schools (£300,000 over 3 years, supported by non-departmental public bodies); and what is anyone going to be able to do with £100k a year for the whole country?
• National Art & Design Saturday Clubs (£395,000 over 3 years); another tiny sum for the whole country
• Museums education – to encourage and facilitate more school visits to museums and art galleries; OK chaps, more of the same please: no new money  
• The Bridge Network bringing heritage and film as well as arts, museums and libraries closer to every school; no resources it seems

It is clear that culture has little to do with museums and much more to do with dance and film. Carry on museums and galleries (where cultural products are stored and displayed), you chaps are doing a splendid job. 

STEAM not STEM

What am I meant to make of this ministerial announcement:

STEAM not STEM - Minister recognises importance of arts and humanities research

Universities and Science Minister David Willetts MP emphasised the importance of arts, humanities and social science research in the UK’s overall research base in a speech at the Policy Exchange on 4 January.  Declaring that he would not be shifting the balance of funding between the main disciplines, Mr Willetts described the UK's research community as "the most productive in the world…This broad research base emphatically includes the arts, humanities and social sciences. They are all part of the science and research ring fence." The Minister said he was attracted to the idea that "instead of just thinking about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths), we should add the Arts so it becomes STEAM."

There seems to be some confusion about the difference between Science and Arts. Oh yes, of course, Art is the new Science. Roll on the first nuclear power station, mobile phone, space rocket installation ... now what dance shall we do ...