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© Jason St-Laurent, 2005. Used by permission
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Keywords:
artist-run centre
attendance
didactic
language
site-specific
10 Easy Steps to Reaching New Audiences
by Jason St-Laurent
Date: 17 July 2005
Event: Banff
Jason St-Laurent
Born in Moncton, New Brunswick in 1974, Jason St-Laurent is an Ottawa-based artist and curator. He studied fine arts at the Université de Moncton and the University of Toronto and has exhibited in Canada, the United States, South Africa and Finland, notably at the Western Front (Vancouver), MUU MediaBase (Helsinki), Ottawa Art Gallery, VertexList (New York) and the Annex of the National Gallery of South Africa (Cape Town). As a curator, he has presented more than fifty projects in Canada and internationally, including SCATALOGUE: 30 Years of Crap in Contemporary Art at Galerie SAW Gallery, Voices in Transit at the Cape Town Central Train Station in South Africa, Coldfront : New Video from Canada at the University of Cape Town and Videogram International Media Art Exchange in Canada, Finland and Estonia. St-Laurent is a founding member of the art and design collective CODE RÉGIONAL, a member of the Available Light Screening Collective and a programmer for film, video and music at SAW Video Centre for the Media Arts.
Abstract
During a curatorial conference at the University of Toronto in 2003, Walid Raad coined a new expression for curatorial work: experience management. This tongue-in-cheek expression connotes an often overlooked aspect of curating, which is the acknowledgement of the audience for whom we construct a viewing experience. But who is the intended audience for contemporary art and media? How do we reach different communities through our work as curators? Should audience development and outreach be of concern for curators working today? Although my paper will come from an artist-run culture perspective, it should be of use to any institution willing to engage with new, young and diverse urban audiences. The ideas I will bring up have all been applied to the programming and community initiatives I have undertaken as programmer of SAW Video and Club SAW. The centre, which includes Galerie SAW Gallery, is now the most well-attended and most mediatized artist-run centre in Canada.
Focusing on my own curatorial projects, I will explain the successes and failures of exhibitions in Canada, Finland and South Africa. Through these experiences and some research, I have developed an audio-visual presentation entitled 10 Easy Steps to Reaching New Audiences:
1. Accessible texts and didactic material : finding the right balance
2. Off-site projects : choosing the right location
3. Translation into languages other than English and French : speaking to others
4. Diversity in the centre's artists, staff and board : being inclusive in all aspects of operations and programming
5. Multidisciplinary openings : creating dynamic social spaces and networking opportunities
6. New practices : considering all practices of the visual and media arts
7. Innovative collaborations and partnerships : targetting festivals and large public events for audience development initiatives and engaging in cross-cultural exchanges
8. Thematic programming : developing themes that engage a wide-range of people or specific communities
9. Contemporary politics : responding to current events
10. Media and public relations : making journalists and the public more responsive to your communications. Making your centre a welcoming space.