Finishing up... 237 hrs completed

Today is my last saturday of work at the Gallery for my internship. While it has been tiring at times, working full time, completing the internship hours and writing the research paper, it has been an amazing adventure.

Writing the ed kits, kids trails and other public programs had been educational and at times provided me with a real insight into the running of a regional gallery.

I have so much respect for my supervisor, whose role appears to have grown dramatically even since I started in july. Finding cuts to the arts seems to have filtered down through local gov to Councils and seems to be affecting regional galleries. I watched my supervisor and her colleagues take on even more work, when another assistant should be employed... But funding is as it is.

Over the past 6 months I have completed a lot of work for my supervisor and the Gallery. Mainly because I have the personality (organised and committed, to the degree of being a slight perfectionist) and ability (7 years as a visual arts high school teacher, assistant coordinator of artexpress at cofa) to do so. Having me write the past 2 ed kits, 3 exhibitions worth of kids trails, art activities and interview questions for interviews with artists/ curators has lightened her load. I have experience writing programs so it was not too challenging for me and I don't think having me intern was too  much extra work for my supervisor... And this is going to sound wanky, but I think she would have struggled (not too mention, worked much longer hours) without my assistance.

I am very greatful for the professional experience I have gained, the professional contacts I have made, the artists/ curators I have met, the friends I have made and the opportunities I have been given as part of the internship. Presenting my education kits to my fellow teacher colleagues at a teacher preview was definitely a highlight, as well as meeting Wendy Whiteley and working on such an important exhibition for the Gallery.

While I have learnt a lot, I think that 240hrs is too long for an unpaid internship. I think I probably stopped learning at around the 150hr mark, which I think is long enough for an internship. I am not bitter about it, I am just tired.

However, I am looking forward to finishing off my final 3hrs next thursday, enjoying the opening of Brett Whiteley: On the Water. I know I will enjoy a celebratory champagne or two.
Stay tuned for one more post as I'm sure I will have some great photos to share.

Marisa

Open Day 2012

If a picture says a thousand words, well...

Open Day!... and the hard questions to open my mind

The last few weeks have been very busy getting ready for the Gallery's Open Day tomorrow (Sunday Oct 27 2012). This coincides with the local town's Fair Day.While I have still been fixing up the Brett Whiteley ed kits (emailing them to Alec George at the Brett Whiteley studio for his thumbs up/ suggestions) and generating questions to ask Wendy Whiteley for her interview (film to be shown in the Gallery's foyer for the duration of the show), it has also been very exciting to see all the inner-workings, gearing up for the Gallery's biggest Open Day of the year.

Back to the Wendy Whiteley questions - I am finding this very difficult!
How do you ask questions to the ex-wife of a late artist (who died in his prime), on topics such as his processes, his emotional state when creating, influences and love of water, wildlife, travel (the themes our exhibition is based on)? How do you be sensitive  but also questioning enough to allow her to speak openly about his works (when much of it would probably be quite upsetting).
I have not been able to really focus on this task, as I don't know Wendy personally. I have heard that she is a very strong willed woman... But who am I to generate these questions which I feel may be intrusive? I have no journalism training, so I don't know how to approach this and have done what I can. I have relayed my feelings to my supervisor and I was surprised to know that she feels much the same....

But for now, the focus is on the Open Day tomorrow! Everyone is invited, there will be performances by Ruark Lewis, Wild Ones - Art and Designer market stalls, kids activities and much more...

I hope to see you there!

... And now for some Whiteley!

With the Ruark Lewis exhibition well under way, all educational resources completed and public programs (including a fantastic audience participatory work - Catscradle) in full swing, my attention is fully on the Brett Whiteley education kit. I still have around five weeks till the Whiteley show opens, but it will be such a blockbuster exhibition for this regional gallery that the pressure is on.

Luckily writing this kit has been much easier than the Lewis kit, whose work can be challenging to write about for younger audiences (and the title of many of his works change with each display!). I have also been fortunate of the generosity of Alec George from the Brett Whiteley Studio, AGNSW. As the show at our Gallery is in association with the Studio, he has been quite generous to share resources, meaning I could use some info from existing Brett Whiteley Studio/ AGNEW education kits, not having to re-invent the wheel. There is such an air of excitement around this exciting exhibition... I am constantly talking it up to my students and am excited to be able to take them on an excursion to view it just before the Christmas holidays.


I don't know if it is the warmer weather; the fact that I just submitted the draft of my research paper; that I only have five more Saturdays left 'til I complete my internship; or that I am just so excited to be working on a Whiteley show (after years of being inspired by his practice and transferring this to my students), but I feel a strong sense of calm for the first time in a long time... This has been an amazingly challenging experience, but I will be happy come November 15.

Brett Whiteley The pink heron 1969 (detail) Art Gallery of New South Wales. Gift of Patrick White 1979 copyright Wendy Whiteley

Ruark Lewis at the gallery

While the exhibition doesn't open til next saturday, the gallery thought it was a good idea to put Lewis' most recent works on display in the garden. Star shelters, movable, playable prisms, based on aboriginal astronomy, were designed as a gift to the nt government as shelters for the homeless. Visitors are invited to crawl in them, play on them or simply admire their intricacies.They are a HUGE Hit with kids (and kids at heart), just in time for the warm weather and school holidays! The exhibition opens at 2pm next saturday... All welcome!

Finished my first Education Kit!!

What a momentous week!!!

I finished the Ruark Lewis Education Kit just in time to present it to fellow Visual Arts teachers at the Gallery's 'Teacher Preview' afternoon next Wednesday. It was a lot of hard work, but I am glad I was able to contribute to one of the Gallery's publications... I am looking forward to seeing how it is received at the 'Preview'.

It was also a sad week to be in education with the Government's announcement to cut funding and jobs. This, along with the impending introduction of a National Curriculum will be detrimental to Australia's cultural capital. The draft of the National Curriculum for The Arts lacks intellectual rigor, conceptual depth and is a very weak, watered-down version of the NSW Syllabus that I already teach. Given these two factors, we can say goodbye to creative, critically thinking, curious, expressive and imaginative young Australians with highly capable interpretive skills! Art education brings so much to society... only we'll realise it in 10 years time and it will be too late.

What can I say, I love being an educator... I hope there will still be need for me in the future.

126.5 hours down!!

I didn't know how else to title this post as I am just so excited to be over half way through my internship. I can see the finish line!!!

Over the past few weeks I have been working steadily on the education kits for Ruark Lewis exhibition (which opens in 2 weeks) and the Brett Whiteley exhibition. The Lewis kit has been a little problematic when trying to define his practice in language that is accessible for students. Also writing questions for specific works has been difficult as we did not know which exact works will be on display (and if you know anything about Lewis' exhibitions, his works change depending on the space, audience, location etc). I have also found it a little difficult working on Saturdays while my supervisor works Mon-Fri. I have tried to make sure I email her every Monday with that weekend's work but she is so busy that sometimes I think she forgets to reply.
But being a teacher with my own prac students to supervise I know what it is like to have to think of someone else too. I'm greatful she was able to take me on and I'm sure it is just as hard for her too, having an intern she rarely sees. Hopefully it will be much smoother in two weeks time when I will be on school holidays and able to intern Mon-Fri for two weeks.

I am now starting research for the Whiteley ed kit. This will be a real blockbuster exhibition for the gallery so the pressure is on!

That is it for now. To be honest my brain is mush.  Between teaching high school kids (who get a bit ratty this time of term), working every Saturday at the gallery, and trying to research and write my research paper on Sundays (and in any other spare time) I am buggered! This is definitely one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life!

Bring on November!