Curator talk at Bom

Louise Latter - 4 years

What does a curator mean to you?

Organiser of an art space Storytellers Takes care and acquires art Discussion starter Inspiration engineer Public engager Ethical navigator

What is the role of a curator?

Their Artistic need driven by location and peoples engagement

End goal is public engagement.

Bom’s artworks aren’t traditional - tools, objects, digital, engaging utensils

You curate the space, organisation, public and communicator

“I believe that you can no longer merely curate artists work, you have to curate the space, the organisation and the community. “ —> Louise Latter

Her story - gynapunks

Example of artist led work to go ins gallery

Long time in the making ——> 4year plan

The origins of wester gynaecology - a stolen concept and experience - what is the origin of gynaecology - forced black slaves experimented on

Gynapunkn - diy gyro art, workshops

Gynipunks —> fallout the organisation fell out

What is the story here? Why do people in Birmingham care? What makes it relevant? What is it that connects this the wider public? How can people to connect?

Didn’t get a solo show as a individual artist so needed to collaborate with others to make it work form Birmingham

Didn’t go down well with artist

Begins to collect artists

Sisters - collab of artists - destigmatise reproductive health - west midlands based artists

Artists —> send documents explaining everything to a curator or else they will have no recollection of what you wanna do.

Sisters looking at myths of gyno, working with a youth group

Example of what some of the work could look like

Trying to comfort audience to talk about reproductive systems of women

Created a timeline of gynaecology, for a wall

Public felt need to discuss what they should have put in the exhibition - man tells her to put painted vaginas in - women stated that they never mentioned about menopause

Its a curated exhibition they cannot add in everything!!!!

Example of what the space could be curatorial wise

Supporting grass roots to make their own space and supporting them, about the women that were experimenting on and not focusing on the person that did this, to inform and educate, not about vaginas but about reproductivity.

Maybe too much activities and not allot of artworks - they wish they would have had more artwork based work on top of all the engagement works.

If you want to work in the pubic funded realm you need to focus on the engagement element

Be careful about marketing and be careful what you preach —> how do you go about marketing?

There is nothing central about Birmingham in terms of events!!

Feedback form that is filled in after exhibition:

You have to evaluate and talk to other people as you can get stuck inside yourself.

Bom is a bubble how can you go further and out of that

Multiple ways of getting out of your bubble

How do you get out of that preciousness of artwork and share!!!

Opening the mind by asking for feedback

Popping bubbles

Can always email Louise just mention that you were in this session!

What is everyone doing?

Dicussed with the group what we are all looking to do.

How do I want to heal women bodies through witchcraft Teas ? Tonics? Workshop, performance? How to installation? Video in nature? Ritual bath? —> night school? Ritualistic therapies? Herbology? Care ? Education? Bodily health through herbs and promoting self car and confidence Witchy workshops Look into histories of herbal witchcraft and wider sense Water - healing

Idea of mine :

There is a huge thing about ritual baths and im quite interested in potentially looking down that route doing them performative wise Perhaps a how to guide through video Photography? Scientifically - installation how to do ritual - perhaps from different backgrounds? Accessible witchcraft? Water? What are the links? Plants need water so do we? Ritual bath

Becca suggestion:

Maybe you could look at censor….. ship within art… eve painting, leave censorship using your botanical drawings for censorship within this project you could consider this placement of these stickers or drawings and an act of modern day censorship

Maybe kinda like that dance that pt2 student did you could be a plant as a performance

3/4 weeks time I need to know what Im doing!!!

Thursday 23rd April —> set up day for bom