I really am no good at writing evaluations, but here we go…

Having worked in a purely commercial gallery for the past year, selling artists prints and frames, I wanted to learn more about galleries and curation from a more art and design perspective. The effects of the selection and arrangement of artwork and objects, and how this can give rise to new interpretations and inform further thematic, historical and conceptual inquiry particularly appeals to me.

It was due to this that I chose the curation and event organisation elective, hoping to learn more about not only this but also how to install and run an exhibition or event and the various steps involved in getting to this point.

As I live in Bethnal Green I generally visit Vyner street, galleries involved in First Thursday and the galleries within my local environment. The site visits to various places, mainly in South London, has been particularly useful in showing me galleries and spaces outside of my normal sphere. It has also been great to hear curators and those involved in projects speaking about their work and practice. In turn providing further areas to research and illuminating the different practices that can be employed. I have been thinking about opening a temporary pop-up shop for a while and the visit to Space Station Sixty-Five renewed my interest and drive. The fact that it is situated in a shop front and through this footfall and visitor numbers can be increased was reinforced by this visit and has helped me think more critically about my plans.

The elective has also provided me with the opportunity and drive to visit more exhibitions and think critically about their aims, layout and concept, in turn providing me with a better grounding from which to develop my knowledge and personal projects.

I am now also applying for more internships and work placements within galleries to gain a better understanding and broader skill set, and would perhaps like to pursue a career working in such environments. My visit and interview with Idea Generation was particularly useful and it was great to be able to talk to Rachel Wood and find out more about what is involved in their internship. Their enthusiasm and encouragement was also a great boost and I will hopefully be interning with them over the summer.

I felt that the events side of things and how you actually go about producing and installing an exhibition was not really covered, and I am still left wondering about how to actually go about commissioning artists and designers in a professional manner and the practicalities and considerations involved when installing an exhibition or putting on an event. The talk with Emily Druiff on fundraising and budgeting was particularly useful in outlining what the budget consists of and how to go about fundraising. The list of sponsorship and fundraising opportunities really opened my eyes to the possible places where aid and help can be gathered.

While I would have liked more of this practical, seminar style work I know that it is not to everyone’s taste and is simply something that I must look into myself, hopefully through interning I will develop the skills and knowledge required.

Coming from graphic design, I was initially disappointed that design considerations and events were not really covered, other than Lucky PDF who collaborate with practioners across art and design and on a side not put on some of the best warehouse parties. However, it is completely understandable as the majority of students do come from an art background. It has simply further pushed me to find out more about curating design and the work of curators such as Ellen Lupton. Combined with my work at Phaidon I have also begun to look more in depth at how the practice of curation is applied in book design and retail spaces such as Dover Street Market and Ooga Booga. From this I am also looking to collaborate with a friend on a reading space in East London and showcase for zines, magazines and other rare books, as with the demise of Borders there aren’t really any places in London where you can go and casually browse and read a range of magazines. So all in all the elective has been extremely beneficial in not only showing me different ways of doing things and engaging in critical discussions about artists as curators etc. but also pushing me forward to pursue my own research, develop my skills and collaborate with friends outside of the course on preliminary ideas for various events.

I will continue updating my blog with further research and developments.