Earlier this year I attended the open day of the new Museum Theatre Gallery (MTG) in Napier. It’s a great facility although it’s evolution has not been without controversy (now that really is another story). Senior curator, Lucy Hammond came to talk to us the other day as part of our professional development series. Again the advice came from someone who has been there herself, and was very worth listening to.
Again she called us to be professional in our approach. At the same time the work we do got a mention. This should have a rigour to it that can clearly be grasped. “You need to be convinced – a robust practise is vital.”
She suggested ways of doing this include the place of editing ones work – sometimes an art work needs to be left behind as not everything will work. She also recommended working in a shared studio context (good for idea generation and feedback), opening the studio doors to the public and regularly putting one’s work out there whether via a blog or for sale.
Developing critical thinking, talking to other artists, mentors, networking (yes, it can be useful to attend those gallery openings – just don’t get drunk) and mastering social media will all be useful in their own context.
Lucy also mentioned public money and made it plain that a track record of success will make it much more likely that an artist will secure funding.
The art of life 