A placement to inform my practice

 

Fresh from a meeting with my mentor, I'm excited to find a new opportunity that will both inform my practice and give me a fresh experience.   I just couldn't sit with my decision around the University Art Collection Placement opportunity. I felt that I would continue volunteering to work with the collection whatever I chose for the placement, but that I might be passing up a chance to do something else too.  Maybe I'm greedy but I want to squeeze as much experience out of my degree as possible before I'm released into the wild as a professional artist. 

After discussing it with my mentor I've decided that I'm going to be receptive to as many experiences as possible.  My volunteer work with the Art Collection will be really useful and I'm excited to continue to promote and establish the collection.  However, I have had a real interest in sculpture since my Foundation year in Art.  It had been suggested following my Final Major Project that I could approach Leeds Gallery in relation a residency focusing on research and producing work in response to the Veiled Venus by Kuhne Beveridge. I've since found the Olympia in the Walker Gallery, Liverpool.  Logistically, this is closer to me. 

We went on to discuss the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery as there are some artists working with the university around curation and audience engagement.  Following our discussion I went online to see what was in their current collection as I'd not visited for a little while.  Immediately I was drawn to Eternal Spring by August Rodin.  Kuhne Beverage studied under Rodin and this is sitting on my doorstep. 

I do have to consider logistics with my placement as I'm a mature student with family and commitments in Stoke on Trent, but this is just perfect.  This ties into my artistic practice and the network of artists and contacts in my immediate area that I want to establish connections with. 

I have my CV near to completion so I'm off to tweak my mini folio and crack on with a proposal. Wish me luck!