Activating Research MA Module 1 /Submission 8th February 2012

Background Information_Activating Research Assignment 6

‘Reflexivity is an important concept in the development of post-positivistic research methodologies, especially constructivist ones _ we understand and become aware of our research activities as telling ourselves a story about ourselves.’ (Steier, 1992)

Start of a friendship and consequent exhibitions ‘Tom Adams Uncovered’

Sometime in 2005 Tom walked into my gallery in Exeter in search of a long lost friend and fellow painter Dick Bixby. Noticing a little editorial in the local newspaper of the exhibition ‘Crypto’ by Dick Bixby in gallery Terracina, Tom appeared with a half finished poster print under his arm thinking he could tease Dick into finally finishing what they had started when they last worked together in Tom’s print workshop thirty years earlier.


Their reunion was a memorable moment not only for the two old friends and somewhat rivals, but also for me. Within minutes, I was catapulted into their world of long ago, quietly lapping up the unbelievable treasure of stories, hopelessly trying to put them into some historical context in the back of my mind.

Just as with Dick Bixby the previous year, it did not take me long to realise that I had just met an artist of some special caliber and with Tom falling in love with the setting, immediately he was keen to show his work here.

Soon we started to talk about an exhibition and this is when my research started in earnest.

Luckily Tom’s website was just going on line at the time, so to begin with, I was able to get a good overview of his extraordinary career as an illustrator and painter. (see archive) http://www.tomadamsuncovered.co.uk

Only then I began to comprehend the true extend of this man’s life’s work I vaguely started to toy with the idea of creating a retrospective exhibition for his 80^th Birthday.

I remember the following thoughts going through my mind:

• I would like to work with Tom, get to know him and hear more of his life and work.

• I am fascinated by his skill as a draftsman, artist and relentless professional in a time were some of these attributes are not particularly valued among the chattering classes.

• In its rugged and rustic appearance the gallery is a very demanding space and it will be a challenge to give such intimate work the atmosphere it craves.

• We will need a considerable quantity of work in order to use the full potential of the space and also to be able to generate high interest among a wide range of audiences.

• Where might all this work be? How can we find it and what can we manage to gather together to create a comprehensive story within a year? 

• How much can I rely on Tom’s time and memory? 

• How can we make this financially feasible?

Talking with Tom for hours on end I started to tease out of him what sort of work might be accessible. The first lists of many were compiled. (see archive)

At the time (2006) and besides a large collection of works from most areas across Tom’s career we were able to show thirteen of his original Christie book cover paintings. The exhibition generated great interest attracting large numbers of visitors.

After this big effort would have thought it reasonable to move the exhibition to another venue and it was during the exhibition that I contacted Torquay Museum and Greenway House for the first time. They expressed a considerable interest, however for one reason or another the timing was not right for these venues.

Having to concentrate on the many consequent exhibitions planned to go on show in the gallery, I had no time to pursue this further and Tom’s works went back to the rightful owners.

Since then I continue to work with Tom, exhibiting limited edition prints of his paintings in a variation of galleries and venues and recently produced a card pack with containing a selection of 12 of his iconic images. (see blog diary)

Shortly before I the started of this course, I was approached by Torquay Museum, enquiring about the possibility of hosting an exhibition of the Tom Adams Christie cover paintings in the summer of 2012. This new project is starting here.

‘Tom Adams’s Agatha Christie Cover Story’

Exhibition in Torquay Museum 1^st of August – 30^th October, to go on touring subsequently.

1) Proposed project plan  (copy)

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 between venues.
• 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 presenting the partnership of Agatha Christie and illustrator and painter 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 planned 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 fairs and 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.

EXHIBITION FOR TOURING (proposed project) _Statement 1_activating research

TOM ADAMS’ AGATHA CHRISTIE COVER STORY

1^st venue Torquay Museum Summer 2012 (see blog diary)

Locating the paintings

My main concern at this stage is, to assemble as many of Tom’s original paintings as possible. Only when I have exhausted all the avenues and have assembled the main body or the core of the work available, will I be able to format the exhibition in detail. This process will go on until the end of June.

My main resource of course is Tom himself. Naturally after all this time, his memory is often vague and names, dates and places of the whereabouts of the works are confused and often the paintings have changed ownership or the owners are no longer with us.

With the help of what has become my bible in this project I try to locate some of the key paintings.

• Tom Adams’ Agatha Christie Cover Story (1981 Dragon’s world) 

What follows is usually a string of letters, emails and telephone correspondence between myself and/or Tom and the last known collector or potential owner of a particular work. It is often the case that a conversation with one source will lead to a subsequent potential owner of an original painting.

To demonstrate: In the early seventies Tom was commissioned by Harper Collins to paint a portrait of Agatha Christie. A wonderful addition to the exhibition my immediate thought. Talking to the Christie archivist in Harper Collins UK, I was pointed towards Harper Collins, Toronto. They agreed that it should be in their possession, unfortunately however they cannot put their hands on it just now. No doubt this will require some more nudging until somebody, somewhere in this gigantic building will locate the painting. Then the negotiations to borrow the painting will start. Transport and insurance for this painting will be a considerable issue. I am hoping to persuade Harper Collins to sponsor the exhibition with the loan of this painting and the associated costs.

Agatha Christie Portrait by Tom Adams

•  A useful resource to match up dates and locations of Christie's activities when looking for clues for potential future venues for the exhibition is www.agathachristie.com. (see archive)

Further help in determining a timeline and in preparation of a sequential story line of the Adams – Christie relationship are:           

•          An Autobiography by Agatha Christie (Reissue 2001)

•          Agatha Christie’s Secret Notebooks by John Curran (2010)

EXHIBITION FOR TOURING (proposed project)_Statement 2_activating research

TOM ADAMS’ AGATHA CHRISTIE COVER STORY

1^st venue Torquay Museum Summer 2012 (see blog diary)

Audience and venue development

A large network of Christie Fan and Book clubs and other interested parties is already on my database. I am now extending this through further networking between myself and specifically targeted interest groups and venues nationally and internationally.

This is an ongoing process and happens mainly through museum/gallery/national trust databases and communication over the internet.

• The life and crimes of Agatha Christie biography by Charles Osborne (2^nd review 2000) has given me clues as to the cities that might have a special interest in hosting an Adams/Christie exhibition.

• Matthew Pritchard's Agatha Christie at home (2009) is another valuable resource in particular for pinpointing key sites within the region.

Christie was inspired by numerous regional localities that she used in her stories. For promotional and marketing purpose it is important for me to find the accurate connections in order to relate them to Toms paintings. (see archive)

Through Torquay Museum, marketing and promotion of the exhibition is also supported by www.englishriviera.co.uk.

As soon as most of the works available are confirmed, I will promote the forthcoming exhibition on a Venue’s Membership website to encourage potential exhibition co-ordinators further a field to hire the exhibition for their venue and program. Two additional venues have expressed interest so far and this work is ongoing.

EXHIBITION FOR TOURING (proposed project)_Statement 3_activating research

TOM ADAMS’ AGATHA CHRISTIE COVER STORY

1^st venue Torquay Museum Summer 2012 (see blog diary)

Additional enquiries

• I am looking into the possibility of the production of a short film about Tom’s working practice. This would add interest and value to the exhibition, in particular to other creative practitioners and in view of touring the exhibition. The movement of a small-scale projection would further add an extra sensual dimension to an otherwise static exhibition. A filmmaker and friend is currently looking at the proposal and I am looking forward to hear if we can move this idea into the right direction.  Additionally this would require the acquisition of a mini projector ideal for the exhibition. I do not have the budget for this at present and it remains unclear if I can realise this additional exhibit to the exhibition. (see archive)

• Further objects such as letters, sketches and newspaper reviews will also be part of the exhibit. I am in the process of archiving what we have discovered so far. The mainly jumbled scraps of paper in boxes are rarely dated and need to be carefully preserved, ordered and matched to the respective paintings where possible. Effectively I am organising a comprehensive archive as I go along. 

Toms scrap box

Starting to compile archive

• Ongoing is also the assembly of the collection of the original paperback books that have Tom’s paintings on the covers. Not only will some be exhibited alongside the paintings, but they are also helpful in determining the dates of Tom’s work were he has not dated the paintings for one reason or another.

• I do have concerns about the clinical and utilitarian feel of the space. Having discussed a number of ideas that could transform the space with the exhibition manager at Torquay Museum, we could not reach a conclusion so far. Unfortunately the many issues of health and safety and general functionality of the Museum is preventing even temporary, subtle changes to the space allocated. I have to accept these limitations, and I am hoping that by imaginative placement of the paintings and objects I will be able to create an enjoyable ambience never the less.

Activating Research Assignment 6_ Reflective Summary

‘ … we understand and become aware of our research activities as telling ourselves a story about ourselves.’ (Steier, 1992)

I asked myself, how could I produce a paper of value with something that relies on intuition and improvisation more then anything else?

Does such a project not rely on its uniqueness and the fact that it will not be replicated in contrast to traditional academic research?

The curator Matthew Higgs explains exactly my sentiments:

‘From the outset, each project is determined by the specifics of its context. Curating each project remains a largely intuitive act. My job – if it is a job – is to establish an appropriate response to each situation. Consequently, each project is different – determinedly so – and demands a distinct rationale.’ Higgs M  (1999)

Conscious of precious action time slipping away, I initiated discussions with peers and academic friends in search of clarification of what might be expected of me. To find more specific answers I was looking at the reflections on curatorial practice by a series of fellow curators, but this gave me no more clear guidance for this task. It did however reveal a distinct opportunistic aspect to all of the journeys leading to curatorial practice including my own. A practice most curators suddenly find themselves slipping into without truly noticing or naming it. It is really only since the early nineties that curators around the globe are starting to address their role in a contemporary world more in depth.

In hindsight I think this is the question I should have asked myself for this assignment.

However with some relieve I could identify with Donald Schön’s description of the reflective practitioner and how professionals think in action.

‘…reflection in action is a particular activity of professional practitioners and involves thinking about what we are doing and reshaping action while we are doing it. In this sense it is improvisational and relies on feeling response and adjustment.‘

Schön likens it to ‘reflective conversation with the materials of a situation’. Schön D, (1983)

I now realise that I would like to find my own language and method that will help me to communicate and present my practice without losing myself in the artificial pursuit of justification after the fact.

‘To look at one’s own practice that is reflected upon, taking on both a creative and reflective role, in a sense creating a new research model using other models but will inevitably have its own distinct identity’ Douglas (1994)

Experimental Practice Assignment 3 Reflective Journal, Summary

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift”  Albert Einstein

Why do I choose to curate this particular exhibition?

My pragmatic answer might be

• Opportunity
• I know, like and respect Tom Adams and his work and would like to keep working with him before his story is lost.
• After some years of nudging, Torquay Museum has expressed an interest.
• Because of the particular Christie connection to the region, this is where this work belongs.
• The rise of Tom’s profile through the exhibition will generate interest in the card pack and limited edition print sales.

However, all of the above is not really enough to sustain my tenacity and there are more reasons:

Alain de Botton was recently asking the question

                          

“Should art really be for its own sake alone?”

“The problem is that modern museums of art fail to tell people directly why art matters, because modernist aesthetics (in which curators are trained) is so deeply suspicious of any hint of an instrumental approach to culture. To have an answer anyone could grasp as to the question of why art matters is too quickly viewed as ‘reductive’. We have too easily swallowed the modernist idea that art that aims to change or help or console its audience must be by definition ‘bad art’. Hence the all-too-frequent question with which we leave the modern museum of art.

Why should this veneration of ambiguity continue? Why should confusion be a central aesthetic emotion? Is an emptiness of intent on the part of an artwork really a sign of its importance? (Alain de Botton, 20.1.2012 Guardian)

It is my believe that one approach does not necessarily exclude the other. I do think of myself as a facilitator and in some instances as a caretaker in the hope that my work can benefit not only the artist or work presented but will also entice the audience to this magical world. In collaboration with all the parties involved, to my mind the professional curator should find the right framework, concept/design and ambience in harmony to the work and the people behind it, taking into consideration the social and cultural aspect and its wider implications. I like to approach each project without preconception of trend, status quo or artificial ‘must do’s and don’ts’ and with as much openness as is possible within the constraints of any given project.

Dr Albert Barnes established 1922 the Barnes Foundation (Philadelphia USA) for the purpose of "promoting the advancement of education and the appreciation of the fine arts." Both his art collection and his educational theories grew and changed throughout the course of his life. I do admire the fact, that he has not allowed himself to be led or side tracked by any conventions, fashions or critical movements of the time, but followed his instinct and aesthetics with the most pure and passionate love for the arts and its people and the desire to share this love. He not only acquired one of the most beautiful collections of contemporary art but also displayed them in the most harmonious way so that one can not be not enchanted and enticed to the works on display, with or without art education. Not without huge controversy and to my disappointment this collection is being re-housed in May 2012, before I get the chance to see it in its original home.

BB

Barnes Foundation left wing room

LOCATIONB

I have found myself discussing all of these issues on many occasions with a diverse selection of people with varying interests and motives. I also had the chance to experiment and importantly to observe the reactions of the audience to the different styles of exhibition installations in the gallery. This has given me the tendency to think it to be certainly at times, advantageous to give the audience a gentle guide to what they might be looking at. Often this becomes a delicate judgment of balance.

Having said this, I also think it is important to acknowledge the simple truth, that some artistic investigation can only hope but never expect to be appreciated or understood by a casual audience. This does not make it good or bad art. Again, surely the merit or not, should be in its integrity and accomplished execution. 

In the case of the development of the Adams/Christie exhibition I would like to use Tom Adams’ life’s work to address a particular question:

Tom considers himself a painter and illustrator. Throughout most of his career he suffered from a slight disrespect for his work by his peers pointing to the fact that many of his paintings are inspired by and commissioned for books or films. In other words the paintings are potentially utilitarian and this makes him in the eyes of some an illustrator and not a painter. Does this make him less of an artist?

With this forthcoming exhibition I would like to demonstrate that such preconceptions are deceptive and navigate us into the wrong territory.

I observe, that this ‘value classification’ across the professions is a particularly prominent feature in the UK and no doubt is a sticky hangover of the class system perceived or real. Somebody, that works with their hands is apparently somehow of lesser value then someone who works without getting their hands dirty. An outstanding professional crafts/draftsman/woman is still less valued in monitory and social terms then a white collar professional in spite of the fact that we all know that one without the other could not exist. 

Then, somewhere floating between one and the other, there is the ‘artist’. We are never quite sure how to categorise the artist, yet, where is the artist without his specific craft? He becomes obscure and perhaps an entertaining salon accessory for a while. Therefore I would like to belief that to any creative practitioner the most enduring and profound attributes would be curiosity in all things and the desire to share the exploration into our despair and love for the world around us, along side the never ending search for excellence in skill and ‘draftsmanship’.

I would argue that our appreciation should be directed to the question of integrity and accomplishment in whatever a creative practitioner endeavors to explore and achieve.

In my view, Tom is not only an accomplished painter, thus having the tools to be also an accomplished illustrator, but has taken the ‘utilitarian’ task of creating a book cover painting to a plain not many others have ventured to go to.

His painstaking professionalism has led him to dive deeply into the core of any of the stories in search for ‘his imagery’ of the mystery of the story and its writer. He does not stop there. He intimately researches every element and artefact that he is planning to use in his paintings. It is this great care and attention to detail, that made his cover paintings iconic. His extraordinary skill is what I would like to celebrate.

Format of the exhibition

Thinking about the format for this exhibition I could go two ways:

1)    Making my life easy (as there is barely a budget for remuneration of my efforts) and showing a series of Toms more easily obtainable original paintings together with a number of informative texts on panels. Clean, minimal, efficient and within the budget. Nothing more appears to be expected of me by the museum.

2)    I try to tell Tom’s story in regard to his Christie collaboration and along side endeavor to give the audience a gentle guide in understanding this artists extraordinary accomplishment. I hope that by embellishing the exhibition with artefacts, sketches and a short film, I will be able to create an ambience that is in tune to the story I am proposing to tell.

Professional pride, added value for the audience, extended audience interest in regard to touring the exhibition, the particularity of Tom’s work, the Museum setting and to keep myself inspired, I opt for the second version. However, this is where it gets fairly complicated as the task gets bigger and bigger and yet even at this stage, I can not be sure how much of my vision for the exhibition I will be able to realise.

Progress of acquiring the relevant works and artefacts is steady but slow. With every piece that I am able to add to the collection the story and design of the exhibition changes. At this point, I know I have an exhibition but the extend of it is yet unclear. (see blog diary continued)

Tom Adams with C.E.O of Gallaghers Ireland 1969

Some wonderful key pieces are dangling in front of my nose, but have as yet been unobtainable for one reason or another.

Donald Schön’s description of professionalism drives my conscience at this time:

           

“ ….the most outstanding feature is the capacity of self-evaluation and self-improvement through rigorous and systematic research and study of ones practice, where the problems of practice are open to reflection and enquiry. The extended professional then is a reflective practitioner-researcher.” 

Donald Schön, (1983)

In my experience perhaps the attribute tenacity could be added to this otherwise profound statement. 

The main reasons for some of the issues arising in this project and in fact are presenting difficulties in most enterprises of this kind, are highlighted by Robson in his description of a practitioner-researcher

        

 ‘…time availability and having to acknowledge the complexity, dynamism and unpredictability of the real world.’ Robson (1993)

I belief that time and time again a practitioner has to apply unusually high levels of tenacity, self belief and passion to be able to secure a maximum possible outcome of any given project.

At this stage of the project I am confident that an interesting, enticing exhibition will emerge from the apparent chaos.

The minimal budget is no doubt a concern and might not allow the short film projection to go ahead at this time. With the good will of some friends we might be able to create the film. The mini projector ideal for the setting on the other hand, would be a considerable investment, funds that I am not sure I will be able to find.

Depending on the generosity of some of the collectors abroad, I might also have to find additional funds to pay for transport for one or two key paintings that I had not in my sight when calculating the budget, but would like to see in the exhibition if at all possible.

At present I am investigating potential additional funding from the arts councils recently published ‘strategic touring programme’.

Researching the Arts Councils strategies behind the programme, I become aware that this exhibition might not be an particularly appropriate candidate, however I am interested in learning more about the distribution of the funding for other projects I have in my vision.

Also, I have to make a strategic decision between the relatively small amount of money I would need and apply for in this particular instance - versus the huge amount of time and effort that has to go into an application of this kind. I will reserve this journey for another project yet to evolve.

Clearly this exhibition is only in its development. It is a commitment I made just around the time when I started the course. Living in the ‘real world’, time limitations forced me to use the development of this exhibition in this first module. It is crucial at this stage to plan, negotiate, investigate and of course activate all the necessary links that will formulate the exhibition as a whole.  Personally I would have preferred to cut my teeth on an experiment and investigation completely new to me.

However, in many ways every exhibition or project I develop as a creative practitioner is new and raises unexpected questions that require innovative problem solving skills and instant adaptation. The mystery of the unpredictable journey and meeting of kindred spirits is what certainly drives my passion in these endeavors.

I look forward to this August when I can present the exhibition in full and certainly hope that it will stand up to its promise before touring onto new venues in due course.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Adams T, (1981) Tom Adams’ Agatha Christie Cover Story, Dragons World Ltd, out of print, ISBN 0905895622

Barnes A Dr,  Barnes Foundation, www.barnesfoundation.org

Berggruen H, (1998) Highway and Byways, Pilkington Press, ISBN 1899044183

Botton de A, (20.1.12) Guardian Should art really be for its own sake alone?

Christie A, (reissue 2001) An Autobiography by Agatha Christie, Harper Collins,

ISBN 9780006353287

Curran J, (2010) Agatha Christie’s secret notebooks, Harper Collins,

ISBN 9780007310579

Douglas, (1914) p 45 Visualizing research, Carole Gray and Julian Malins (2004)

Ashgate, ISBN 0754635775

Einstein A, Readers Digest  (2012 February edition)

Glaesemer J, (1976) Curator and archivist, Adolf Wolfli collection, exhibition catalogue Museum of Fine Arts Berne, Basler Druck- und Verlagsanstalt Basel. 

Higgs M, Between the audience and the stage, The edge of everything, reflections on curatorial practice. The Banff Centre Press, ISBN 0920159923

Naming a practice; Curatorial strategies for the future, (1996) Banff Centre Press, ISBN 0920159842

Osborne Ch, (2^nd review 2000) The life and crimes of Agatha Christie, Biography, Harper Collins, ISBN 9780006531722

Pritchard M, (2009) Agatha Christie at home, Frances Lincoln publisher, ISBN 9780711230293

Robson, (1993) The practitioner researcher, Visualising Research, Carole Gray and Julian Malins (2004), Ashgate

Schön D, (1982) The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action, Visualising Research, Carole Gray and Julian Malins (2004), Ashgate

Steier, (1992) Planning the Journey, p 23, Visualising Research, Carole Gray and Julian Malins (2004), Ashgate

Vergine L, (1996) Art on the Cutting Edge; A guide to contemporary Movements, Skira Paperbacks, ISBN 8881187396

www.agathachristie.com

www.artscouncil.org.uk

www.barnesfoundation.org

www.englishriviera.co.uk

www.nationaltrust.org.uk

www.tomadamsuncovered.co.uk