Research Proposal

EXHIBITIONS FOR TOURING

It is my aim to continue to curate/produce exhibitions that will offer interesting juxtapositions and that will reach as wide an audience as possible and will inspire practitioners as much as the public.

It is clear, that any comprehensive art exhibition, requires a considerable amount of effort and commitment. More often then not, the preparation and build up to it takes a lot more time then the actual time the exhibition will be on show for. Usually the work is then disassembled and will disappear into storage or is redistributed among the participants.

With a large amount of potential exhibition spaces dotted around the country needing a full program of events, I started to wonder if it would be possible to tour or more accurately, to offer some of these exhibitions for hire as a whole package. This will not only extend the audience considerably but also generate funding for such projects.

Touring exhibitions are of course nothing new. However, they are usually associated with big blockbuster exchanges between museums and major institutions.

Therefore I am proposing to research and experiment with the idea of offering art exhibitions or an exhibition pack for hire nationally and internationally.

In its practical application, there are many aspects that need to be considered for each individual potential touring project.

• The artwork will need to be released by the artist for a lengthy period of time.
• The work cannot be sold other then when the touring comes to an end.
• The exhibitions have to be planed for touring from the beginning so that the show can adapt to a variation of spaces and environments and can travel safely and efficiently.
• Potential interest from venues will be determined by the exhibition theme, subject matter, space requirements, links to localities etc.

I will also consider the potential of offering proposals for exhibitions for booking posted on a membership led internet site. This could effectively determine if an exhibition is financially viable and perhaps provide financing in advance of investment.

As an active practitioner I will test my ideas and theory on an exhibition of the partnership of Agatha Christie and Tom Adams that resulted in more then 65 paperback cover paintings over a period of eighteen years. I will assemble as many original paintings as is possible together with some artifacts and a comprehensive story line that can tour to a variation of subject related venues after the first exhibition planed for July 2012 in Torquay Museum.

• The project will result in a diary of day to day activity in regard to the projects practical research demands working closely with the artist, the Agatha Christie Estate, collectors, publishers, Christie related sites and practical collaborations with museums, other venues, framers, graphic designers and printers etc

• To develop a wide audience I will extend my contacts to illustrators, publishers, book/fan clubs, relevant institutions and so on.

• The exhibition will be offered on a website for touring

• I propose to write a reflective evaluation about the concept and its potential to become a successful format to be added to the curators toolkit.