{"id":1284,"date":"2025-05-14T22:39:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-14T22:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bethanhemus.art\/?p=1284"},"modified":"2025-09-24T12:49:29","modified_gmt":"2025-09-24T12:49:29","slug":"curatorship-project-reviews-and-reflections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bethanhemus.art\/?p=1284","title":{"rendered":"Curatorship project: reviews and reflections"},"content":{"rendered":"

I found this
\nexperience informative. It felt like such a privilege and responsibility to be
\nin the care of another artist\u2019s work. To be the caretaker of their creative
\nprocess and voice. My opening reflection will echo my last statement; dynamic
\nbetween curator and artist is all. <\/span><\/p>\n

I was drawn
\nto curate the work of Carolann Parr, a young female artist from Nottingham. She
\nis an extremely kind and thoughtful individual and her joy for connection with
\nothers is mirrored by her desire to create in community and collaboration. Her
\nsweet and gentle nature meant that she wasn’t proactive or demanding in our
\ndiscussions about her work. This dynamic required a sensitive reply on my part,
\nand a gentleness too, if her voice was to come through in the plans for her
\ntheoretical show. It occurs to me that this throws up opportunity and
\nchallenge, just as the opposite dynamic would. Curating a very strong-minded
\nartist would be a completely different experience altogether.<\/span><\/p>\n

I have spent
\nmuch time since we met almost 2 years ago now, talking about her work and her
\nprocess, and this helped me feel a sense of competence and confidence in
\nrepresenting her curatorially. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Parr is a
\nmultidisciplinary artist whose work explores relationship, connection and identity,
\nespecially through natural systems. Her fascination and delight in the natural
\nworld, plant folk lore, and the magic that both these enshrine, is loud in what
\nshe creates.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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The innocent
\nand nostalgic tones in her work are captivating and invite us to see the world,
\nand therefore ourselves, in a pure light. These qualities are a refreshing
\ncontrast to the current tone of psyche, which is full of existential dilemma
\nand threat. In this way, experiencing an exhibition of Parr’s work could
\nprovide a sort of spiritual medicine to her audience.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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I wanted to
\nthink out of the box, literally, with regards to where and how to show her
\nwork. In my opinion, the intricacy, connectivity and wildness of gardens makes
\nthem an ideal space to create and exhibit. And a natural background feels like
\na perfect match for Parr’s whimsical and nature centric work. Bearing all this
\nin mind, I brainstormed some options for venue, as well as for the creation of
\nnew work. and how it would be displayed.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

I knew that
\nher upcoming project focused on medicinal and poisonous plants and so the
\n‘Plants That Kill’ area of Kew Gardens immediately came to mind. Likewise, the
\nEden Project in Cornwall, with its architectural bowl and strong history of art
\nexhibition felt equally possible. St Ann’s Allotments (STAA) is one of the
\noldest and largest allotments in Europe with many beautiful community spaces
\nembedded across its site. And Wollaton Hall, another local site rich with
\nbiodiversity, which is home to Camellia House, a grade II listed cast iron
\nglasshouse, one of the earliest and largest built in Europe.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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I consulted
\nwith her over the course of an hour, explaining my ideas and asking her for
\nfeedback. She was happy with all my suggestions, but the venue she most
\nresonated with was Wollaton Hall. Her strong personal and creative connections
\nwith the venue became clear as she spoke enthusiastically about Camellia House
\nspecifically. The surrounding parkland is home to a riot wildlife and has
\ngrassland, wetland and woodland habitats. The site also has a Lake, a volunteer
\nled Botanical Gardens, Walled Garden and many formal gardens too. Considering
\nits heritage, biodiversity, high footfall and Parr\u2019s enthusiasm for the space,
\nwe agreed that there was no better venue for her first solo exhibition. <\/span><\/p>\n

Exhibiting
\nin a green space creates a unique opportunity to exhibit in relationship with
\nlandscape, and so I suggested to Parr that she would exhibit some existing work
\nas well as generate new work in collaboration with the space and its
\nstakeholders; staff, visitors and the nature there.<\/span><\/p>\n

I wanted to weave her desire to create
\ncollaboratively into the exhibition too, and so I developed ideas around her
\nworking with members of the local community on site to create work that related
\nto the space; ideally with a conclusion of generating a legacy sculpture or
\nland art piece.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pattern
\ncreation and mandala are a common motif, and this aspect of Parr’s work lends
\nitself perfectly to surface pattern design.<\/span><\/p>\n

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I suggested
\nthat she generate some ceramic tiles, featuring plants connected to the history
\nof the space, to be permanently installed in the kitchens situated in the
\nbasement of the Hall, which are open to the public for educational tours. This feels
\nlike<\/span><\/p>\n

I also
\nsuggested that a large print of her watercolour piece of a deer skull be
\nexhibited in the building or the grounds because of its relationship with the
\nherd of deer that have called the parklands their home for centuries now. It
\nwould be fantastic it if could be projected large scale onto the side of one of
\nthe site buildings during their light night or open-air cinema events.<\/span><\/p>\n

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For a third
\naspect of Parr’s exhibition, to be shown in Camellia House, I suggested that we
\nwould negotiate a type of residential, where she would connect with the space,
\npeople who work there and who visit, creating work in response to the landscape
\nand its populations. I suggested that this would include a range of
\nprintmaking, ceramics, painting and photography; these being the four main
\ndisciplines that she works in. I suggested that this could feed into public
\nworkshops and talks, fulfilling her desire to make collaboratively.<\/span><\/p>\n

The fourth
\nsuggestion of mine for her exhibition was that an element of the work that she
\ncreated in response to the site could be a land art installation; either temporary
\nor permanent. I suggested several notable artists that she could draw inspiration
\nfrom, Andy Goldsworthy, Richard Long and Christo and Jean Claude.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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Reflections:<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

I was happy
\nto do my project on Parr, I have strong knowledge about her work and an
\nestablished interpersonal relationship with her. Both these things made it easy
\nfor me to make curatorship suggestions and decisions on her behalf. This was
\neasy in a way because of Parr\u2019s diminutive and passive nature. However, if I
\nhad lacked that information about her and her work already, I think it would
\nhave been a challenge to adequately represent her because of these same qualities.
\nI personally would prefer someone who was a bit more forthright about their
\nwork and how it would be best curated, but that\u2019s just a personal choice. The
\nreality of being a curator is that you are going to work with a huge range of personalities,
\nand so being flexible in this regard is essential.<\/span><\/p>\n

I am happy
\nwith my venue choice. It is highly relevant to Parr as a space. And giving her
\nthe opportunity to partner work in her local area would build her professional
\nnetwork and hopefully enable her career.<\/span><\/p>\n

I think that
\nI approached the project in an unusual way, blending curatorial ideas for
\nexisting work with the suggestion that Parr make new work in response to the
\nvenue. I stand by this choice because making work in relationship with the
\nnatural landscape it will be shown in adds an extra dimension and appeal. Context of artwork can either amplify or detract from it’s power, and so careful consideration of venue by a curator is pivotal to an exhibitions success.<\/span><\/p>\n

The
\nsuggestion of her surface pattern design being included in the kitchens feels
\nsound and I am happy with this idea. It\u2019s a cohesive way to embed her work in a
\nhistoric setting and marries contemporary art with a historical site.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is a
\nreclamation quality to someone from Parr\u2019s background being exhibited in such a
\nspace. Historically, working class people like Parr would have only had access to
\nthe grounds in a servile capacity. And so, it is poetic that her artwork would
\nbe exhibited in the very kitchens that she could have worked in a century ago.<\/span><\/p>\n

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In an era
\nwhere existential crisis looms large, there is an avant-garde aspect to the na\u00efve
\nand romantic qualities in her work. Such art being displayed in a public space
\nwould act like a kind of spiritual balm to her audience and I think there is
\nhuge merit in this.<\/span><\/p>\n

While I
\nsuggested that Parr make work publicly and in collaboration with the public,
\nher lack of confidence may prove a barrier to this or make all together
\nimpossible. I was trying to fulfil something that she often speaks a desire for;
\npublic and collaborative making. But there must be a realism about this and on
\nreflection, maybe this was an over ambitious suggestion of mine.<\/span><\/p>\n

I had positive
\nfeedback about my presentation. People reflected that I spoke with confidence,
\nenthusiasm and clarity. I have my education and my professional background to
\nthank for this and I am fully aware of what a useful attribute it is to have.<\/span><\/p>\n

This same
\nexperience also gave me a good lens on the different needs of the venue and the
\nartist. Honouring both sets of needs is going to be key to organising a
\nsuccessful exhibition.<\/span><\/p>\n

I also had
\npositive feedback about the way that I had spoken about Parr\u2019s work; folks admired
\nthe ways that I uplifted and supported her as a person and an artist. I feel
\nstrongly about the value of behaving this way within my creative community. We
\nshould strive to lift one another up. It\u2019s also just good professional practise
\nto be a kind and consistent individual. People remember this, and this kind of
\nconduct is the one most likely to yield you more opportunities in the future.
\nAt the very least, it will stop you being excluded.<\/span><\/p>\n

Overall, I
\nreally enjoyed this project. The whole experience made me reflect on my own
\nwork, on how I feel it would be best curated and how I would like to conduct
\nmyself as a partner of galleries and curators. I think it\u2019s a complicated role,
\nbut one that yields beautiful learning opportunities and synergy.<\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I found this experience informative. It felt like such a privilege and responsibility to be in the care of another artist\u2019s work. To be the caretaker of their creative process and voice. My opening reflection will echo my last statement; dynamic between curator and artist is all.  I was drawn to curate the work of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1285,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1284","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bethanhemus.art\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1284","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bethanhemus.art\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bethanhemus.art\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bethanhemus.art\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bethanhemus.art\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1284"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bethanhemus.art\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1284\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1293,"href":"https:\/\/bethanhemus.art\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1284\/revisions\/1293"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bethanhemus.art\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1285"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bethanhemus.art\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bethanhemus.art\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1284"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bethanhemus.art\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}