About this Event
Are curators still relevant? is the third of a series of events as part of Assembly, an online learning and development programme for curators, producers and public art practitioners that explore issues and good practice in relation to the expanded field of public art.
In a field where activism, community involvement and participation play an increasingly important role in the way projects are developed, do curators need to rethink their roles?
If we consider the expanded field of public art (including performance, experimental writing, and digital projects), are curators equipped with the tools to do their job imaginatively and practically? How is the burgeoning growth of curating courses affecting the sector?
This event will be made up of five short presentations by invited curators, who will reflect on how their role has changed, and how they foresee it changing in future years.
Are curators still relevant? is chaired by Jes Fernie, independent curator and writer. Speakers to be announced soon.
All Assembly events will take place in The Hall, UP Projects’ digital participation space.
Assembly has been developed by UP Projects in collaboration with Public Art Network UK (PAN) and is generously supported by The Art Fund.
About Jes Fernie
Jes Fernie is an independent curator and writer with twenty-five years’ experience of working with galleries, architectural practices, and public realm organisations on public programmes, commissioning schemes, exhibitions and residency projects across the UK and abroad. Working primarily beyond gallery walls, she’s interested in an expansive idea of contemporary artistic practice, which encompasses dialogue, research and engagement. She collaborates with artists on texts, conversations and projects, and often commissions experimental texts by writers for programmes. She works at a strategic level advising on commissioning programmes and city-wide cultural activities with the GLA, Olympic Park, Fourth Plinth programme, Tate, Arts Council England, and local authorities. She is a member of many art commissioning selection panels and has worked as a curator, writer, and lecturer with organisations including Focal Point Gallery, Museum of London, Flat Time House, Serpentine Gallery, RIBA, Turf Projects, Manchester International Festival, Seventeen Gallery, Milton Keynes Gallery, Matt's Gallery, St Paul's Cathedral, Central St Martins, Goldsmiths, University of Essex, Lund Cathedral, and the RCA.
