experimental museumprojects aam2012

Maria Mortati, Introduction & Context

Sarah Schultz, The Walker’s Open Field

Stephanie Parrish, Shine a Light at PAM

Susan Diachisin, The Center for Creative Connections at the DMA

FACEBOOK/EXPERIMENTAL MUSEUM PROJECTS COMMUNITY 1

Experimental Projects: Creating a Community of Practice

A panel for the American Associations of Museums conference, May 2012

Image copyright: please contact presenter

https://www.facebook.com/ExperimentalMuseumProjects


Maria Morta< Independent Exhibit Developer, Founder, SF Mobile Museum

Co-Presenters: Susan Diachisin, Stephanie Parrish, Sarah Schultz

AAM 2012 Tuesday, May 1, 9 am

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WHERE I’M COMING FROM & how “experimentalism” informs my prac<ce

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Center for Crea<ve Connec<ons, Dallas Museum of Art

New Interac<ve Educa<on Spaces, Bal<more Museum of Art

Fort Collins Museum of Discovery Children’s Crea<vity Museum

FORMAL

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The Giant Hand Machine Project @ The Hammer Museum

The San Francisco Mobile Museum

Desire Trails Public Program, Headlands Center for the Arts

Cri\er Salon by Phil Ross

INFORMAL

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Why We Are Gathered Here Today

Explore and share how to support, realize and engage with a variety of experimental projects

Explore a history of “socially engaged art” or experimental work

Consider needs for vocabulary, offer an Elas<c Manifesto, Manual, & Bibliography

Discuss, share and hopefully connect

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An Overview of [some] Experimental Projects

Museum hosted artist projects:

Shine a Light @ Portland Machine Project @ Hammer Critter Salon @ Hammer

Art entities doing their own thing:

Machine Project Southern Exposure

Permanent Museum Spaces that act as platforms:

C3 @ Dallas Open Field @ Walker

Hybrid projects – neither art nor non-art:

San Francisco Mobile Museum Mobile Art Project Denver Community Museum 7


New endeavors have a need for a shared language

•  For now, we’re just going to talk to the terminology but not get into it – Social art or socially engaged art – Par<cipatory vs. social engagement – Art vs. interac<ve – Plaform

…so we’ll all need to crah it 8


Except for this one: Plaforms

•  Plaforms are systems that support mul<disciplinary and inter-‐departmental projects

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We are here because we are moving from an old world order to a new world order

Old World: sealed New World: porous

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Old World: fixed New World: organic

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Why Are Museums Ripe?

•  “While there is no complete agreement as to what cons<tutes a meaningful interac<on or social engagement, what characterizes socially engaged art is its dependence on social intercourse as a factor of its existence.” – Pablo Helgura

…because we are fundamentally social en<<es

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Museum experience Museum experience

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“One of the things that is great about working at Machine is we prototype all these ideas… it’s a challenge for museums because their very core purpose is to collect, preserve, and educate visitors about things that are precious and live forever.

Something that was interes<ng about being at the Hammer for a year was it allowed things to cycle in and out. And it took some of the pressure off each individual thing. If you can’t acknowledge that what you’re trying to do might fail and sGll value what you learn from the aHempt, then you have to succeed. “ -‐ Mark Allen, Machine Project, Hammer Report

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We Made The Most Confusing Way-‐Finding Device… Ever?

-‐ Or -‐

Talking to the Hand

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h\p://vimeo.com/15612336

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http://vimeo.com/15612336

The hand is both art and way-‐finding

•  It was fun, it got people where they needed to go

•  Mul<ple purposes and contexts in a museum is very confusing…. TO STAFF & SYSTEMS

•  It was not a design solu<on

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Cri\er Salon at the Hammer (and other sites) by Phil Ross, Arist

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Who Curates the Experience?

•  They build different types of discussions, capabili<es, push on a variety of departments

•  It built rela<onships with different Affinity Groups in the region. It brought different audiences to the Museum.

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Why Do We Need A Community?

•  This is new work which means that: –  It’s not tried and true = inven<ng –  You’ll need to create that shared language for developing the work

•  We’re building a prac<ce which is different from presen<ng people/artwork –  It needs a web of rela<onships to succeed

•  It’s different work when it’s at a different museum

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A FLEXIBLE MANIFESTO Ar<sts may or may not read it

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http://mortati.com/blog/?p=319



AN INITIAL MANUAL Join us on FACEBOOK to add or edit

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BIBLIOGRAPHY Short, shareable and ready for you

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Sarah Schultz Curator of Public Prac<ce & Director of Educa<on

Walker Art Center

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Open Field Walker Art Center Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Open Field is a three-year experiment that invites the public and artists to create a cultural commons on the Walker’s green space

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inspired by the belief that creative communities are collective endeavors that thrive in a landscape of diverse ideas and practices.

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What would you do with an open field?

We began with a four-acre lawn and the question:

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This was an extension of earlier social experiments and research.

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The 4C Model: A socially conscious approach to cultural programming.

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The spectrum of civic engagement activities.

Commentary >> Dialogue >> Action >> Leadership

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Commons Theory

Participatory Culture

Artistic Practice

Open Field in Theory

This was part of a larger conversation about evolving

institutional practice. 33


Public

Artists Institution

Open Field in Practice

Open Field considers the different ways to share resources and create something together.

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Project Goals •  Resist the notion that the museum is the primary author

of content and experience.

•  Create a platform for many types of creative activity generated by both artists and non-artists.

•  Position creativity as a collective and civic endeavor.

•  Imagine a new kind of public gathering space for the city.

•  Blend social, intellectual, and creative experiences and encounters.

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Phase IV: Participation

(5000 +)

Phase III: Implementation

(150)

Phase II: Development

(50)

Phase I: Ideation & Incubation

(5)

The Open Field Project evolved in stages, from a team of 5 to a community of 5,000.

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In January 2010 we convened a group of 30 architects, artists, and designers to collaboratively propose ideas for the field. 37


They identified steps to construct a social space 38


and plotted potential interactions between artists and the public. 39


They suggested tools and amenities to make the field more inviting. 40


In spring 2010, a physical space was created adjacent to the museum 41


featuring food, shade, seating, and a large open field. 42


A Tool Shed and Drawing Club provide ongoing platforms for public engagement. 43


The public is invited to share their own creative activities with minimal mediation and modest support from the Walker. 44


An online hub provides a public calendar, documentation, and guidelines for the field. 45


The guidelines, or Field Etiquette, are outlined on the website.

walkerart.org/openfield/introducing-open-field/field-etiquette/

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In hindsight, the Open Field strategies of engagement looked like:

•  Tools for empowering participation

•  Rules for guiding participation

•  Seeding or modeling participation

•  Meeting to nurture the casual and social encounters

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Over the course of two years the public brought more than 200 activities to the field. 48


Swedish Song Session in the Turrell Suzuki Violins 49


The Public Intellectual 50


Gorilla Yogis 51


Plein Air Painting With a view of the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden

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In addition, the museum invited national artists to create projects with the public. 53


Red76: Anywhere/Anyplace Academy 54


Red76: Pop-Up Book Academy 55


Futurefarmers: A People Without a Voice Cannot Be Heard Commissioned by the Walker Art Center and Northern Lights.mn 56


Futurefarmers: Auctions Speak Louder Than Words 57


Machine Project: Summer Jubilee / Concert for the American Lawn 58


Machine Project: Summer Jubilee / Opera for Dogs 59


Machine Project: Summer Jubilee / Building an outdoor oven 60


Walker Kitchen Lab: A Mobile Hearth for Collectivist Action

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ROLU in Residence Making as thinking. Participation as performance.

Photo: Zoe Prinds-Flash 62


In the voices of Open Field participants . . .

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DiverCity and Mudboots Marching Band

“Open Field is a place where you can bring your best, creative self forward.”

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“Open Field reminded me of how removed I’ve become from play. Humor can get us through the workday, but for play, we need other people and the willingness to suspend all self-consciousness with them.”

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“For me a small group talking about a topic unrelated to artistic practice is indeed the opening of a field. There are no bounds to the conversation and people can feel free to share and understand one another.”

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Photo: Zoe Prinds-Flash

“I don’t know how to measure the success of my project. I now realize it’s not about success or failure but rather the opportunity to design new experiences. This is a shift in how I think about my work and I have Open Field in part to thank for that revelation.” 67


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Have fun. 69



Stephanie Parrish Associate Director of Educa<on & Public Programs,

Portland Art Museum

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h\p://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4BfB8sNRXk

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Shine A Light 2009-‐11

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Portland Art Museum: Shine A Light: Programming Goals (as written for 2010 & 2011)

Programming •  Situate art (producing, interpreting, enjoying, puzzling over) as a living activity

that everyone has the potential to participate in •  Encourage an atmosphere of participation between the museum, its visitors, and

artists. •  Activate gallery spaces that suggest the museum is also a “site” of art production

and practice. •  Situate the entire museum as place of multi-layered interpretations,

conversations, and unplanned directions, multiple interpretations in the galleries •  Inspire inquiry into the connections between art and everyday life. •  Have fun!

Audience •  To make the museum feel relevant to young arts-interested audiences,

especially people between 18-45 years old.

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Hannah Jickling Portland Orienteering Museum, 2010

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Ariana Jacob with Mirah Serenedes: Musical Conversa@ons Between Humans and Artworks

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Harrell Fletcher Museum Visitor Cellphone Photographs, 2009

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Ariana Jacob Art/Life Partners, 2010

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Jason Sturgill Art is Forever, 2011

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Ariana Jacob Art as Experience, Guaranteed, 2011 95


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Lexa Walsh-‐Ar<st-‐in-‐Residence

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Publishing/Sharing the Work

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Strategic Directions:

A.  Serving as a Center for Visual Art, Film, Culture

B.  Innovating to Create Compelling Audience Experiences

Serve a lab for creativity by articulating and extending promising practices from recent experiments.

C.  Engaging Diverse Communities

Build involvement of diverse communities through joint education and curatorial initiatives that are rooted in outreach and listening.

Strategic Plan Approved by Board of Trustees, December 2010

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Susan Diachisin The Kelli and Allen Questrom Director of the Center for Crea<ve Connec<ons Dallas Museum of Art [email protected] 214-‐922-‐1317

5/1/12 Center for Crea<ve Connec<ons 101



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The Center for CreaGve ConnecGons is an experimental learning environment that provides interacGve encounters with works of art and arGsts. It is designed to s<mulate curiosity, inquiry, and reflec<on in visitors of all ages and learning styles. The Center will serve as a bridge between our everyday experiences of looking and the transforma<onal experiences of seeing, crea<ng, and connec<ng deeply with works of art.

C3 Mission Statement

5/1/12 Center for Crea<ve Connec<ons


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Gallery

Spaces

Community

Partnerships

MulG-‐generaGonal

Programs

12,000 sq. feet 11,000 visitors per month

Changes every 6 months 300+

arGsts per year


ExhibiGon space with works of art from the collec<on


ExhibiGon space with works of art from the collec<on Par<cipatory components with the works of art


Exhibits designed with mul<-‐genera<onal visitors in mind


A Making Bar promotes crea<ve ac<vity


Theater for film, performance, lecture and installa<on


Art Studio for workshops, classes, open studio

Tech Lab where art and technology meet


Arturo’s Nest for children 4 and under Young Learners zone for children 5-‐8 years old


OUR VALUES, AND HOW THEY RELATE TO EXPERIMENTAL PROJECTS

See Bibliography for more details



Our Founding Values

 Visitor Centric   Experimenta<on

 Collabora<on  Crea<ve Process  Community



What a “Community Partner Response Installa<on” Can Look Like


Team Structure in Rela<on to Community Partners

C3 staff

Exhibi<ons Director,

Coordinator Exhibi<ons Graphics

Designer

Registrar

Director Preparators

Community Partner

PR

Educa<on

Director & Partnership

Staff


C3 gave Community Partners a high-‐profile area and crea<ve freedom


TRIAL RUN: GROUP AS COMMUNITY PARTNER

University of Texas at Arlington

School of Architecture & Interior Design



University of Texas at Arlington School of Architecture and Interior Design



•  Visitors loved it •  Visitors didn’t dis<nguish always between the collec<on art and

student work


Installa<on

UTA as Community Partner: results & impacts


2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Tech Lab Program

2009 Install 2008

Tech Lab Partner 2012

Evaluation Subject Spring 2011

Young Learners

Install Fall 2011

Grant letter of support

Fall 2010


ACHIEVING PARTICIPATORY DIVERSITY THROUGH COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP

With Ar<st Lesli Robertson



Reaching all cons<tuencies in our community


Ar<st Lesli Robertson included the work of 580 par<cipants



The installa<on also included visitor par<cipa<on components on site



Installa<on

Ar<st as Community Partner: results & impacts


2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Weaving Demo 2009

Gallery Talk 2008

Staff Recomme

ndation 2012

Bonnie’s Book 2010

Letters of support 2010, 2011, 2012

Workshop 2010

Evaluation Subject Spring 2011

Bark cloth exhibition advisor 2011

16 Workshops

2009

Workshop 2011


BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH GROUP AS COMMUNITY PARTNER

Southern Methodist University



SMU Project Loca<on


Interes<ng Invite, Complex Dynamics:

•  5 Working Ar<st Faculty members •  2 Alumni Ar<sts •  + Very complex installa<on


Difficulty balancing the ar<sts’ inten<ons with museum aesthe<c and objects (nearby)


Plus Side: Programming livened the installa<on


Installa<on

Impact of SMU as Community Partner


2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Panel 2011

Improv in gallery

Robotics 2012

SMU Advisory

Team 2011

Gallery Talks 2011

7 Work- shops

2011,2012

Kids Teaching

Kids 2011

Young Learners

Install Fall 2011

Late Night Program

2011

Teen Program

s 2011,201

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Tech Lab Advisory

2011, 2012

Rapid Artists 2011, 2012

Intern 2012



These projects have a genera<ve impact on the community and museum



Experimental Partner Installa<ons are crea<ve and they build community


Q+A

•  Why do this? How do you sustain this work? •  Ar<sts are ar<sts. •  Where does the crea<ve spark for theses projects come from?

•  Does it always have to be ar<sts or at art museums? •  Is this work messy? How can it be good AND messy? •  Why do we need allies? •  What didn’t work? Where are the train wrecks? •  What’s the big deal about DOCUMENTATION? Why is it so important?

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Susan Diachisin Kelli and Allen Questrom Director of the Center for Creative Connections Dallas Museum of Art— dallasmuseumofart.org/C3 [email protected]

Maria Mortati Independent exhibit developer & project planner Founder, San Francisco Mobile Museum [email protected]

Sarah Schultz Director of Education and Curator of Public Practice Walker Art Center—walkerart.org [email protected]

Stephanie Parrish Associate Director of Education and Public Programs Portland Art Museum—pam.org [email protected]

Manifesto, Manual Bibliography can be found at http://mortati.com/blog/?p=319

Please join us at: FACEBOOK/EXPERIMENTAL MUSEUM PROJECTS COMMUNITY 134



https://www.facebook.com/ExperimentalMuseumProjects

experimental museumprojects aam2012

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