Contemporary Art Society launches
Professional Development Programme
Create Connections. Create Networks. Create Opportunities.
The role of the curator is changing. Keeping abreast of the prescient ideas in contemporary visual practice and theory is becoming more complex and time-consuming, but at the same time, more rewarding.We are delighted to announce the launch of our new Professional Development Programme for curators in museums and galleries nationally, as well as independent curators and cultural practitioners across the UK. This new initiative forms a strand of our new National Programmes, through which we help collecting organisations across the country to extend their collections by purchasing and commissioning new work by contemporary artists.
Designed to provide international, national and inter-regional perspectives through a tailor-made programme for contemporary art and craft curators, events include studio visits, gallery trips, major exhibitions, international events and fairs, symposia and seminars, as well as social and networking opportunities.
For a membership subscription by Direct Debit (plus VAT), the Contemporary Art Society will provide national, regional and international perspectives, encouraging independent thinking and group collaboration. Please note organisational membership costs the same as individual membership.
Subscribe now and join us at one of our forthcoming events.
Forthcoming events include:
Moving Image, London, February 2008
As more museums and galleries are interested in commissioning and collecting work in New Media, guidance about commissioning and acquiring, displaying and maintaining this form of work is becoming more urgent. This event is an opportunity to look at these areas more closely as we engage with a range of organisations that specialise in moving image. With visits to commissioning agencies such as Film and Video Umbrella and the studios of artists’ working with moving image, we will also examine the research possibilities available to curators at specialist film archives like the British Film Institute and talk to agencies and galleries that collaborate and commission video and film-based works.
Berlin Biennial, April 2008
Curated by Adam Szymczych and Elena Fillipovic, the latest Berlin biennial promises to continue its reputation as a major international art event that sets the latest trends in the art world. See the highlights of the opening events of the Biennial with the Contemporary Art Society curators. The trip will also include a selection of visits to off-site projects in galleries of the Mitte district, visits to the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (National Museums in Berlin), the collection of Bruno Brunnet at Contemporary Fine Art and visits to the studios of a selection of the artists involved in the Biennial.
Asia Triennial Manchester, May 2008
Don’t miss the UK’s first Asian Art Triennial, conceived by Shisha in partnership with Castlefield Gallery, Cornerhouse, Chinese Arts Centre, The International 3, Manchester Art Gallery and Manchester Metropolitan University. ATM08 “echoes Manchester’s strong political and social history, reflects new artistic practise, and seeks resonances between the city and Asia by exploring the notion of ‘protest’ — in its wildest sense”. During the event we will explore a variety of projects within the programme including newly commissioned work, residences, and venue-based exhibitions by artists from China, Hong Kong, India, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan. For many of the artists, it will be their UK debut.
Folkestone Sculpture Triennial and the Whitstable Biennial in Kent, June 2008
Join us for a visit to the Folkstone Sculpture Triennial and the Whitstable Biennial as they present a series of site-specific commissions in the coastal regions of Kent. This year’s projects at the Folkstone Triennial have been curated by Andrea Schleiker and will involve commissions by artists including Tracey Emin, Nathan Coley, Tacita Dean, Richard Wentworth and Richard Wilson. After spending a day viewing the sculptures at Folkstone we travel to Whitstable to view newly commissioned works for screen and performances by a number of emerging artists.
Commissions in response to our public collections, in London, July 2008
Explore the importance of public museum collections to contemporary artists in London. Talk to curators who have commissioned artists to create work in response to their collections. Details to follow in January 2008.
North America tour (including the New Orleans Biennial), November 2008
2008 will see the launch of the biggest Biennial to reach America, be there with us to witness the events as they unfold on a curator-led tour of North America. The New Orleans Biennial “Prospect1″ has been curated by Dan Cameron and will take place in a variety of venues around the city from CAC (Contemporary Arts Center) and the New Orleans Museum of Art to industrial and outdoor spaces. The hope is that the Biennial will help the city recover from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and push it forward with arts and cultural renewal. After visiting the highlights of the Biennial we will tour a number of public and private collections in the surrounding area including Dallas Art Dealers Association and the Kenny Gross Collection in Texas.
Previous events include a trip to the Lyon Biennial in September 2007 and more recently the two-day event Economies of Scale in Newcastle and Sunderland in November 2007.
Contact
To subscribe or find out more about the programme please contact Lucy Bayley, National Programmes Coordinator on lucy@contempart.org.uk or call 020 7831 3221.
The Contemporary Art Society is the national, non-profit agency that supports contemporary artists through the promotion of collection and commissioning by individuals, public and private bodies across the UK.
Contemporary Art Society
11-15 Emerald Street
London WC1N 3QL
T +44 (0)20 7831 1243
F +44 (0)20 7831 1214
Contemporary Art Society is a company limited by guarantee
Registered in England and Wales no 255486
Charity Registration no 208178