Syndicate: ANAT National School for New Media Art Curation

[Andreas Broeckmann <abroeck@v2.nl>]

Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 12:14:03 +0930
From: Australian Network for Art & Technology <anat@anat.org.au>
Subject: ANAT National School for New Media Art Curation


The Australian Network for Art and Technology (ANAT) are calling for
applications for:


    **********************     me.d ia te     **********************

     **  the ANAT National School for New Media Art Curation  **

                             Hobart, Tasmania
                        28 March - 11 April 1999

                      Applications due: 12 February


ANAT, with the support of the AFC and the Australia Council, in association
with Contemporary Arts Services Tasmania (CAST), presents, me.d ia te, a
pioneering new skilling program for artsworkers and curators.

Trained curators, technicians and theorists will provide intensive
training, in a two week masterclass teaching environment, that aims to give
curators both a technical and a theoretical understanding of new media art
exhibition practice.

me.d ia te: the ANAT National School for New Media Art Curation, has
evolved out of a recognition that to nurture art which utilises technology,
adequate education of curators and arts workers must also be undertaken.
As new technologies become increasingly critical to art practices, it is
important to provide skill-based education for curators wishing to extend
their practice into this area.

ANAT has been holding National Summer Schools for artists since 1989.  The
School is the only intensive training program in Australia devised
specifically for artists who want to upskill in uses of new technologies.
The success of these schools is demonstrated by the significant number of
Australian artists who have achieved national and international recognition
as artists working with technologies, following their participation in the
school.  Many graduates of the ANAT Summer Schools have gone on to
participate in major international events such as SIGGRAPH, ISEA, Ars
Electronica.

Whilst Australian artists have now achieved international acclaim for their
work, many artists still have difficulty in having their work shown within
Australia.  One of the key explanations for this predicament cited by many
artists, is that decision-makers, such as curators and arts administrators,
remain reticent to show work by technology-based practitioners.  This is
partly due to perceived pragmatic issues associated with equipping new
media exhibitions, but also due to a lack of understanding of
technology-based practice, and the design and display issues presented by
interactive artworks.

me.d ia te aims to address these issues by training curators and arts
workers using ANAT's acclaimed National Summer School for artists as a
working model.  Educating curators in technology-based art presentation and
critical discourse will improve opportunities for Australian artists to
have their work seen in an Australian context.

Acknowledging that the needs of curators are very different to artists,
me.d ia te will skill curators in all aspects of interactive new media and
technological based art presentation, including the following areas:

* Access to local and overseas art work using new technologies
Consultation with curators has indicated that access to contemporary new
media work needs to be improved for curators to develop a critical overview
of artists' work.  me.d ia te will address the issue of access by
facilitating presentations of artwork by leading Australian and
international new media art specialists, and will also explore furthering
connections between curators, curatorial organisations and resource
networks to ensure ongoing dissemination of material.

* Exploration of gallery space and exhibition design
Though education in traditional installation and exhibition practices is
relatively accessible, training for optimising the presentation of art
using new technologies is not so readily available.  Incorporating the
skills of exhibition designers, me.d ia te aims to address this issue by
giving practical demonstrations and workshops on design issues associated
with new media installation.

* New Media Art Theory
In order to theoretically contextualise new media work, particularly within
an international framework, me.d ia te will engage a number of writers and
theorists who will provide insights into the issues which are informing new
media art and culture.

* Techniques of new media art exhibition and technical demonstrations
One of the main obstacles associated with new media exhibition is a lack of
understanding of the technical issues associated with presentation.  Most
new media work requires technology such as computers, video and data
projectors and internet connections for exhibition.  Technicians with
experience working with installation and exhibition contexts will give
curators an introduction to the techniques associated with installing this
technology.

* Arts marketing and audience development
Assisting audiences to understand and engage with technology-based art will
be a key focus of the school.  me.d ia te will examine  strategies for
overcoming both the perceived and real obstacles associated with equipping
new media exhibitions.  Arts marketing strategies to promote new media art
nationally and internationally will also be a key focus.

Curators and artsworkers interested in applying for the school should
contact Amanda McDonald Crowley, Director of ANAT for further information
or Guidelines.  me.d ia te is developed with the support of the Australian
Film Commission and the Audience Development and Advocacy division of the
Australia Council.

For further information, please contact:
Amanda McDonald Crowley, Director
Australian Network for Art & Technology
tel: + 61 8 82319037 or 0419 829 313
email: anat@anat.org.au
fax: + 61 8 82117323
URL: http://www.anat.org.au

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FROM THE DESK OF THE AUSTRALIAN NETWORK FOR ART AND TECHNOLOGY
anat@anat.org.au
postal address: PO Box 8029 Hindley Street, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
web address: http://www.anat.org.au/
telephone:  +61 (0)8-8231-9037
fax:   +61 (0)8-8211-7323
Director: Amanda McDonald Crowley   (mobile: 0419 829 313)
Administration & Information Officer: Honor Harger
Web & Technical Officer:  Martin Thompson

Memberships: $A12 (unwaged), $A25 (waged), $A50 (organisations)

ANAT receives support from The Australia Council, the Federal
Government's arts funding and advisory body
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