On
the 15 and 16 February, members of AirSpace
Gallery (Glen Stoker, Anna Francis, Rebecca Davies and Selina Oakes)
travelled to the North East of England to visit arts organisations as
part of an ongoing Organisational Development and Research Period.
Key venues included Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (MIMA), The
Newbridge Project and Baltic 39. Our goals for the North East visit
were a) to find out about how specific organisations are run and
supported b) to connect with like-minded organisations c) to conduct
some team-building and co-writing for AirSpace's future Mission and
Vision statement.
MIMA,
Exhibitions and Collections
Our
first stop was MIMA, where we met with Olivia Heron, Assistant
Curator, and Kate Densham, Public Programmes and Events Assistant
Curator. Olivia greeted us and introduced us to MIMA's temporary
projects and collection. Outside, Joanne Tatham and Tom O'Sullivan's
monolithic sculpture provides an additional archway into the
building. Brimming with psychedelic colours, the piece, A Proposal
to Ask Where Does a Threshold Begin and End, mimics the Tees
Transporter Bridge while connecting the gallery's interior space with
the exterior plaza. Though only temporary, Olivia informs us that it
has already remained standing long-after its initial 'expiry' date –
something which illustrates an element of flexibility in the
organisation's programming side.
Upstairs,
Liquid Crystal Display is being installed – a show which is
touring from Site Gallery in Sheffield (and co-curated by former Site
Gallery Director, now MIMA Director, Laura Sillars). We're shown into
the Collections room, where Olivia explains some of the working
relationships which MIMA builds with artists. She reflects upon
cyclical processes and the establishment of familiarity between
artists and the gallery. For example, MIMA typically enters into
talks with an artist over a year – first showing their work as part
of a group exhibition, then solo, then perhaps a purchase for the
collection. She speaks about how MIMA has shifted its focus and has a
more balanced approach to the Exhibitions and Education programmes.
With
this, cuts to the curatorial budget have not
affected their collection or programme too severely: Olivia remarks
that they are resourceful and search for cost-effective methods such
as printing things in-house and commissioning artists to make the
work onsite. MIMA also goes directly to the artist – and not
through auction houses – when looking for new acquisitions: Keith
Piper's Four Horsemen, for example, was rolled up in his attic until
MIMA showed an interest in some of his not-so-known works. There's a
sense of resourcefulness but also support for artists, which isn't
always the case in larger institutions.
“Visiting
MIMA we explored the building, and had a chance to look at the
permanent collection, to get a sense of the importance of this within
the building, but that the way the space was organised was really
interesting. In addition, the types of works commissioned and bought
set the collection apart from other Art Galleries.” - Anna Francis
MIMA
Public Programme and Education
Later,
Kate Densham met with us to chat about MIMA's Public Programme (PP) –
its Community Days and Gardening Days (supported by Middlesbrough
Environment City) which are advertised as “safe spaces” where
“everyone is welcome.” Kate speaks about the PP's aim to have a
different use for the building, to connect, and to dispel barriers.
The communal lunch space downstairs invites members of the public to
have a free vegetarian meal with MIMA staff – it's a “soft
introduction” to MIMA.
Anna reflects on MIMA's Public Programme and outreach initiatives: “A key part of the MIMA offer seems to be the weekly lunch, which happens on a Thursday. Thursday is Community Day at MIMA, and as well as a lunch slot, where food is freely available to those that want it, the galleries and spaces around the building are occupied by a wide range of projects and activity. There is a gardening group, who look after the little garden/allotment at the side of the gallery, there is a sewing group, and a singing group, and all sorts of other people regularly or irregularly using the spaces. Some of that activity is very self-organised by the groups themselves, and via the partnerships that MIMA has, and other activity is more looked after by the gallery staff.”
The
Community lunch is vegetarian, and is delivered by The Other
Perspective CIC – a food based group. The crockery currently used
is throwaway, but Kate from MIMA tells us that this is potential for
a project in future – this interests me a lot, as it is in line
with the work we are doing on Portland Street.
“We
ask about how the community can connect in to the Community Day, and
Kate tells us that basically, “We say 'yes'
a lot.”
People
come and ask if they can do something, there is something
communicated out into the community that there is space here and when
people ask, the answer is yes. (Something we could consider at
AirSpace – where are the points of entry, how can our resources be
shared out a bit more?) We delve into this a bit more, how is it
possible, how is this managed? What rules are in place? Who does the
washing up?
“Kate
tells us, all the staff are trained in conflict management, which
sounds very helpful (given
our experience in Portland St and is perhaps something we should
think about). There are clear guidelines that everyone knows about (I
should have asked where these are accessed): no swearing, no alcohol,
there are boundaries and they are communicated i.e. staff cannot sign
letters of support for asylum claims. At the moment, as everything is
throwaway, there is no washing up, bit who does it once there is
some, will be dealt with then.
“The
programme does inform the community activity, but community activity
is also informed by external activity i.e. International Women’s
Day etc. Kate works on a lot of the public projects, and tells us
about one, which she works on one and a half days a week. It is a
Great Places project for North Ormesby, looking at local examples to
think about social activism and cohesion. The project takes the
approach of ‘joining in with people’s lives’ first and then
later introducing creative activity. So far, the project has started
with something universal – ‘How We Eat’ – creating
space to eat, meet and make together as a community, in order to then
understand how else we want to be and work together. This sounds so
much like the Community Maker project which AirSpace has partnered on
since 2015, and which has developed into The Portland Inn Project.
MIMA Reflections
“The
resources of MIMA are much greater than AirSpace, but what it tells
me is that a lot of the activity which we have been doing now for
years on scant resources, feeling our way, have been good and
developmental activity both for us as an arts organisation, but also,
in contributing to
a) Professional
development support for artists (this we want to continue to do,
and considering access points into the building and the programme
could really help – it can’t be a case that we just create more
for ourselves to do, it needs to be about developing space for
others.
b) The
understanding and value of artists in social contexts within our
city (this part needs much more work, because we have identified a
discernible gap between how people view the work we do in the city,
and the gallery programme. In particular, the work which Rebecca and
Selina
are doing in relation to the public programme aims to understand
more about this gap, and increase the esteem felt towards the
gallery by the local audiences. This feels like such a positive for
the future of the project.”
Throughout
our meeting, Kate speaks about the programme seeks to be “reactive”
and tries to listen and act in response to audience needs. She also
mentions the personal relationships forged between MIMA staff and
members of the public – and that an element of trust in each other
is vital.
We
drive from Middlesbrough to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and arrive in time
for the BALTIC Artists' Award opening night with work by the 2019
nominees Aaron
Hughes, Kang Jungsuck and Ingrid Pollard.
Team-Building
In
the morning, we regroup to discuss AirSpace's Mission and Vision
statement. We reflect upon the organisation's core values, its goals
and objectives – what they were, what they currently are, and what
we wish them to be. A line from MIMA's own mission resonated with us
- “We are an organisation with a social function.” We mind-mapped
words like respond, invite, trust, support, permeability, flexible,
mobilise, visualise, nurture, growth and sustainability (to name a
few!) and began formulating a short statement of intent – with
words like champion, artists, artist-led, collaborative and
cross-disciplinary.
