PIVOT Day 1 | Public Art Institutions
Museum MACAN, NGS and The Factory engage audiences in new ways
By A&M
Key Points
In brainstorming their online activations, institutions are putting their communities front and centre.
The pandemic has opened up new spaces for engagement.
Pre-existing ideas about how things work in the art world will have to change.
Day 1 of PIVOT has concluded with a riveting conversation surrounding the innovative engagement of audiences by public art institutions. Moderated by Nadya Wang, Editor at Art & Market, the conference involved panellists Aaron Seeto, Director of Museum MACAN, Shabbir Hussain Mustafa, Senior Curator at National Gallery Singapore (NGS), and Zoe Butt, Artistic Director of The Factory Contemporary Arts Centre.
Here are our three takeaways from the panel:
In brainstorming their online activations, institutions are putting their communities front and centre. Museum MACAN brings artists and collectors together in the online raffle Arisan Karya. NHÀ | HOME by The Factory shines a spotlight on local artists, and NGS is running #GalleryAnywhere and #SmallBigDreamersAtHome to make planned programmes readily available.
The pandemic has opened up new spaces for engagement. Aaron talked about working with educators outside of Jakarta, Zoe discussed her involvement with think tanks internationally, and Mustafa mused about what the new global-local dichotomy could entail, and how we can activate this “dreamspace” to work together.
Pre-existing ideas about how things work in the art world will have to change. Aaron talked about rethinking the hierarchy within an organisation, while Zoe challenged the methods in which we “measure” artists, which are often by their participation in international exhibitions. Responding to Zoe, Mustafa talked about the importance of having “curatorial trust” and the need to engage artists in ways that are not purely driven by deadlines and constant production.
Watch the full recording of PIVOT Day 1 here:
We are also pleased to share our takeaways from Day 2 on how galleries are marketing and selling artworks, Day 3 on how artists are approaching their practices, Day 4 on how the art world will negotiate borders and be reformed, and Day 5 on how art collecting agendas will evolve.
PIVOT runs from 15 to 19 June 2020, 5–6 pm daily (GMT+8) on Zoom. The panel is free for all to attend with registration. Click here to find the full programme details and to secure your spot for the remaining conference.
