Abstract/Summary

This exposition presents the ongoing artistic research project ‘Curating the Art School – Propositions for developing a collaborative art space in the intersection between art school and community’ which has driven the creation of a new arts organisation at the University of Reading. I would like to offer an introduction to the research questions, a situational and theoretical background and present some of the artistic and curatorial explorations via photo documentation and links to the project pages as a running visual commentary on the right side of this exposition. ‘Reading International’ was established to develop and test the creation of a liminal space between an art school, a regional arts community and an international contemporary art network. By inviting artists to respond to the specific social and historical framework offered by the art school and the town the project aims to explore how we can imagine the art school in a university as a public arena, which opens its life beyond the academic community and actively engages with a wider public? Could the art school become a catalyst to create a speculative thinking space, erasing hierarchical (and economic) divisions between the educational environment and wider publics? How can we create a space that is less separated from the professional public, where artists collaborate with students and the community to create a dynamic cultural space in a regional environment? I would like to set out these questions at an interim stage of the project as a way to invite further responses and discussion.