Extra-curricular: Between Art and Pedagogy at the Justina M. Barnicke gallery

This event is still more than a month away, but I’m already excited about the upcoming symposia series “Extra-curricular: Between Art and Pedagogy.” While the JMB closes for renovations until the end of March, their curator-in-residence, Maiko Tanaka, has organized an off-site series of events on curating, art and pedagogy that takes place in two parts: I. Between Institutions (February 15–19, 2010) and II. Beyond Institutions (March 8–11, 2010).

The events for Part I: Between Institutions have already been announced and include an art installation by Xu Tan called “Keywords School,” a keynote lecture by Carmen Mörsch, an artist and researcher who has worked on the Documenta 12 Education Programme, and several panel discussions on themes of art/curating and pedagogy and audience development/learning outcomes. Best of all, the event is free as long as you register by sending an email to info@extra-curricular.info with your full name, organization/position, phone number and sessions you plan to attend.

February 16, 7:00–8:30pm, (Debates Room)
Keynote Lecture: Carmen Mörsch
“extra-curatorial? documenta 12 education and its research between autonomy and assignment”
Carmen Mörsch is the Art Director of the Institute for Art Education (Zurich). She will give an overview of the Documenta12 Education Programme, its advisory board and research projects. Discussing the development of the Documenta 12 Education books, the talk will touch on the project’s achievements and challenges.

Wednesday, February 17, 10:00am–12:30pm (Debates Room)
“Between Classroom and Studio”:
Artists who blur the lines between their teaching and art practice within the traditional and extended notions of the classroom.
Panelists: Amos Latteier, Stephanie Springgay (on the work of Diane Borsato), Daisuke Takeya
Moderator: Carmen Mörsch

2:00pm–4:30pm
“Between Art and Knowledge”:
Art as knowledge production addressing questions of what, why, and for whom.
Panelists: Rodrigo Hernandez-Gomez, Srimoyee Mitra, Darren O’Donnell
Moderator: Rubén A. Gaztambide-Fernández

Thursday, February 18, 10:00am–12:30pm (East Common Room)
“Between Curating and Curriculum”:
Curators working with artists to create “educational curriculum” as exhibition, or curators on creative ways of working through institutional structures to support/produce pedagogically-oriented exhibitions.
Panelists: Andrew Hunter, Christine Shaw, Milena Placentile/The Pinky Show
Moderator: Maiko Tanaka

1:30pm–4:00pm
“Between the Gallery and Imagined Audience”:
A variety of perspective on “learning outcomes” – how they differ in the educational and art contexts and the ways of negotiating the contradictions, difficulties, and challenges of reaching “desired audiences/students” and outcomes expected from both instituting and individual bodies.
Panelists: Carmen Mörsch, Srimoyee Mitra, Kim Simon
Moderator: Michelle Jacques

In my PhD seminar at York, we’ve been doing readings focused around the role of the spectator and the pedagogical possibilities for art practice and art research – mostly as a counterpoint to some of the problems I have with projects that get folded under the rubric of “relational aesthetics”. I’ve been a little reluctant to jump on board the “art as pedagogy” bandwagon until now, especially after hearing several people (ironically?) recount that “relational aesthetics is over, it’s all about pedagogy now.” Here’s hoping the JMB series will lay the theoretical groundwork for some focused, pragmatic discussion of how to implement pedagogical approaches in artistic practice.