benefits of a community based exhibition project
TRANSCRIPT
Benefits of a Community-Based Exhibition Project
Antonio Castillo, Carlyn Barrus, Melissa Hempel, Sheryl Gillilan,Rebekah Monahan (moderator)
IntroductionsSheryl Gillilan
Melissa Hempel
Antonio Castillo
Carlyn Barrus
Director/Curator, Woodbury Art Museum
Gang Prevention Specialist, Provo School District
Community Artist
Executive Director, Art Access
ART ACCESS
Since 1984Our mission is to provide equal
opportunities to inclusive arts programming to Utahns with disabilities and underserved communities with limited access to the arts.
Our vision is to demonstrate that the arts are a universal vehicle to draw out similarities, celebrate our differences, and ultimately connect us to each other.
Art is one of the oldest forms of storytelling.
Lions from the Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc Cave - approximately 30,000 years old.
Art appears in every culture on Earth.
Prehistoric images from the walls of the Magura Cave in north-western Bulgaria. Dates to 8,000 BC.
Art is the only language that every person in the world can understand.
Battle scene, Assyrian, about 728 BC.
Art helps us to understand how others see the world; clarify how we see the world; share our experiences;
and connect to one another.
Fresco from the Villa of the Mysteries.Pompeii, 80 BC.
Stories connect us because they allow us to break down the walls between
“Them” and “Us”
Atem, oil on canvas, Eric Empey
Who I Am, mixed media, Sherrie Hawker
ART ACCESS Core Philosophy
We believe in the power of art to connect people and to build
a stronger, more inclusive community.
We offer 12 mission-driven programs - focusing largely on the Wasatch
Front.
Sharing stories through art is so important that ART ACCESS believes everyone should have access to arts opportunities.
ART ACCESS Programs & Services
Visit us at ART ACCESS
We’re looking forward to hearing your story, because. . .
we believe thatART IS FOR everyone!
www.accessart.org
Benefits for a Small Museum
Climate AUTONOMY●Somewhat unincorporated department within the school●Separate mission statement
TIMING●Building a regular exhibition schedule●Community partners and representatives from the school
Project Scope Working with underrepresented populations, the Hidden Voices Program offers a safe outlet for expression through art projects, developing skills and building community in Utah County.
2011 Hidden Voices: Graffiti Provo School District Gang Prevention
2012 Hidden Voices: Women in Printmaking Utah County Center for Women and Children in Crisis
2014 Hidden Voices: Fiber Arts “Not Bound by Tradition” community group
Awareness & Stakeholders
PARTICIPANTS●Reclaiming space and attention●Learning art skills
MUSEUM●More community “buy-in”●Reputation●Increased attendance and recognition
Content & DisplayPARTICIPANTS●A chance to tell their stories●An opportunity to teach others
MUSEUM●Ability to expand beyond the artist statement●Content from the project: process and backgrounds
Expanding our Definition of Contemporary Visual Art
Can You Read Graffiti?
Set out to tell the whole story as the final product for display:
● Showing the Process
● Representing Participants
“Final Product”
● Completed artworks became secondary
● Contemporary Art = art being created right now, on-site
A small museum doesn’t have much time to complete evaluations, here the audience helps you.
Evaluation
Never have I had more comments than...
Challenges● If no strong community
partner, the concept suffers
● If no continued support, participants lose connection with museum
● Long-term project completed over 6 months or more
● Keeping new visitors as regular visitors
Provo School District Gang Prevention
Recruit Juvenile Artists ● Convince artist to participate in
Hidden Voices Program● Commit artist for HV project ● Obtain parent permission
● Assist artist with obtaining a high school diploma or equivalent
● Set short and long term goals● View urban art in a more positive
way
Mentor Artist
● Provide a space where artists could express themselves
● A space to display their art ● Building bridges with the Provo and
Orem communities
Collaborate with Museum
Albert Anzar ● 1st artist recruited ● Slate Canyon Youth Detention Center ● Facing 30 counts of vandalism● Dropped out of school prior to his arrest
A Second Chance: Albert ●Assisted with recruiting artists ●Excelled as a leader among the
group●Stopped tagging illegally●Received commissions to paint
Self Portrait Albert Anzar
The Two Sides of Graffiti: Nick Solis
Family Involvement
The Artists
Scholarship & Award Recipients
Community Art
“...basically involves artists and their fellow citizens coming together to make art that in some way reflects
their common concerns.”
William Cleveland
Community Art
encourages Participation - blurs line between artist and participant
values Process over the final product or object
element of Activismaddresses needs/concerns of communityworks to bring about change or action
Relational Aesthetics:
Nicolas Bourriaud, 1998“A set of artistic practices which take as their theoretical and practical point of departure the whole of
human relations and their social context, rather than an independent and private space.”
Final Questions?