PG: Work Placement

Hi! This week, I've started my work placement in Durham Sixth Form Centre (DSFC). This work placement is part of my Critical Curatorship module. We went through an interview with the lecturer and confirmed our placement last year. My first day was filled with lesson observations in Fine Art class, Graphics lesson, Textiles, Photography and Foundation year. The A-level art students are very pleasant and talented. I was beyond delighted to interact with the students and the artist/ designer-in-residence. 

During the first week, I joined artists Theresa Easton and Theresa Poulton on the fourth of a six-week programme of workshops to learn more about anti-racism. I learnt about the recently launched African Lives in Northern England project to raise awareness and access the of the resources.

Programme Prospectus

Graphic Studio

Textiles and Design

Photography

Fine Art

Anti-racism workshop through Printmaking

Year 12 Students photographing their work for documentation

PG: Gallery Text

Hi! Sharing some guidelines about art label text. This document is available online. The examples listed in the guidelines are artworks from the V&A museum, to explain more about what it means. Of course, not all information are relevant to our teaching context. 

After a module of sharpening our sensibility in the art museum, I would like to think that I have learnt to look at things with a more critical eye, which also means I can spend many hours in the museum. One unusual aspect (for me) when browsing some museum sites online is the presence of a note under the display caption of the artwork image: Does this text contain inaccurate information or language that you feel we should improve or change? We would like to hear from you. It's unusual for me because I would like to think that before an establishment published any document, it should be error-free and I suppose research has to be done first. However, the sheer volume of artworks in the museum is beyond my imagination. I spend three hours walking to different galleries in the museum and in the midst of it, I did not even take a break. Imagine my surprise when I chanced upon a phrase (inspired by the death of...) on the museum webpage which made me felt uneasy and I thought maybe changes could be made. I wrote in to Tate and voila! it was changed within a week. The problematic phrase in the original description wasn't all incorrect because it was actually quoted in a journal article, but the audience wouldn't know because most visitors will not read every painting in-depth, unless for a purpose (Moore, 2008, p. 211). Hence, what is displayed online or even on-site, has to be as direct as possible and also taking into considerations how the visitors interpret the displayed information. 

After

Before

Moore, Jane. (March 2008) 'What Sir Luke Fildes' 1887 Painting The Doctor can teach us about the practice of medicine today', British Journal of General Practice, pp. 210-213.