talking with audiences about art
DESCRIPTION
Talking to Audiences About Art Rhana Devenport, Auckland Art Gallery Rhana Devenport, Director of Auckland Art Gallery will share some of the art world's latest attempts to talk to audiences about art, from the groundbreaking approach of MONA in Tasmania to Alain de Botton's belief that art offers us powerful solutions to our everyday personal problems, demonstrating its relevance in understandable ways to the widest possible audience. What does this mean for the role of the 'expert', the kind of interpretation we choose to offer and the visitor experiences we design?TRANSCRIPT
RHANA DEVENPORT
TALKING
WITH AUDIENCES
ABOUT ART
the big conversation: 26 June 2014
The Outreach Programme works with diverse Auckland communities to
connect people to art and the Gallery. Outreach programmes ensure that
we can take exciting art experiences offsite, especially if it is difficult for
groups to come to us.
The Outreach
team works closely with
community and school
partners to create
meaningful arts
experiences. Each
programme is unique in
order to reflect the
interests of participants
and develop in
consultation with
communities.
Outreach organisations we
work with include:
• Safari Mums, a group of
refugee and migrant women
• Waiheke Adult Literacy
groups
• Bilingual early childhood
centres and playgroups
• TYLA (Turn your life
around) youth work
programme
• Sir Edmund Hilary
Collegiate Middle School
Art Connections
As part of onsite community access
programming, the Gallery and Alzheimers
Auckland Charitable Trust present
workshops that focus on
building connections through
art.
Programme Aim
To create a welcoming space, provide
a forum for dialogue and an expressive
outlet through art.
“Whilst we want to take care of them, they are
coming for some intellectual stimulation as
well as enjoyable interaction”
Alzheimer’s Auckland Group Coordinator
Audience
People with Alzheimer’s
disease living in their own
homes, their caregivers and
staff from Alzheimers
Auckland.
Art Connections: Programme foundations: • Strong working relationship with Alzheimer’s Auckland staff, learning from one
another and sharing resources.
• Research around existing programmes and literature to build Gallery capacity and
strong delivery practice (e.g. Meet me at MoMA)
• Ongoing reflection and dialogue with participants to ensure the programme connects
to their interests.
Their [the Auckland Art Gallery team’s] warm welcome to our clients
and carers has enabled new friendships to form, old friendships to be
honoured, and their accessibility has led clients to report
“I feel so safe here, no one judges us”
“I just feel better when I come to this group.”
Group Coordinator, Alzheimer’s Auckland
•What is The O?
•We don't have labels on the wall. We have the O. Use it to read about the art on display and to listen to interviews with the artists. It's free. Get one from the information desk as you enter the museum and return it as you leave.
•The O delivers information in a way that enhances the visitor's experience of the gallery, facilitating access to engaging multimedia via a highly usable interface. It is the first system in the world designed to replace traditional artwork wall labels.
•Why should I save my O tour?
•Saving your tour while at Mona enables you to see your entire path through the museum including a list of viewed, loved, and hated works. You can read all available interpretive material, share artworks with friends via Facebook and Twitter, change ratings and more...