On Saturday 29 March, I spent the day at RAMM (Royal Albert Memorial Museum) in Exeter, training fifteen students from the University of Exeter, looking at ‘what is contemporary art?’, ‘who are Gilbert and George’; and looking at working with visitors to enhance their experience and enjoyment of the exhibition. This is an selection of work by Gilbert and George, as part of ARTIST ROOMS, and it’s a great idea to enable both the volunteers and the visitors to be able to access the work through dialogue and conversation. A few images of the day are here.
Here’s some feedback from the volunteers about the training (who were all very enthusiastic and eager to learn):
Thanks for a great day. It has really helped me, not only as a micro-volunteer but also a history of art student.
I thought it was all really good, really interesting artists, good diversity in the people talked about. Really liked the stuff about the fluxus movement and generally the background movements and how they influenced the development of art. Personally I liked the emphasis on feminist artists because I think it’s really interesting. Delivery was really great; very enthusiastic and entertaining as well as fascinating and informative.
I really appreciated learning about the art styles and movements of the past 100 years, as I went in without any kind of prior knowledge. Some of the topics are challenging as well, so to have someone who was clearly passionate and experienced on the subject was valuable. I may still not enjoy the art particularly, but at least now I can talk more comfortably about the art and its wider contexts.
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