The international research network “Transnational Perspective on Women’s Art, Feminism and Curating”, funded by the Leverhulme Trust, UK, is a systematic and enduring project that brings together researchers and curators whose interest is in museum and exhibition practice influenced by feminism. Feminism has had a major impact on the work of artists and curators for forty years, and recent years have seen major exhibitions and museum initiatives from Vienna to Los Angeles that explore art from a feminist perspective. In spite of the force of its presence in the global art world, the relationship between feminism and art collection and presentation has had little critical analysis, and we struggle to even find a vocabulary for its practices.
Events
The main aim of the network is to share information and forge shared intellectual languages to develop a research practice, language and community that can accommodate the challenges presented by a globalized field of study. During 2010 and 2011 the network hosted a series of workshops for researchers from the partner institutions. These events addressed the theoretical and methodological issues that underpin research on feminism and curating. In 2011 and 2012 the network also hosts three public symposia in each of the main regions. With speakers from within and without the project the aim is to attract the widest possible audience. As the network matures, we hope to develop our contacts to include researchers and research from around the world.
Workshops
- “Exhibitions, Archives and Documentation: Approaches to Bodies of Knowledge”, Montreal, 27 November 2010
- “A Feminist Collection?”, Stockholm, Sweden, 5 February, 2011
- “Feminist Histories”, Edinburgh, Scotland, 10-11 March 2011
- “Feminisms 2011”, Brighton, England, 12 March 2011
Symposia
- “Common Differences”, Tallin, Estonia, 27-28 May 2011
- “Connecting the Dots: Virtuality, Technology & Feminism in the Museum”, Washington DC, USA, 22-24 September 2011
- “Queer Curating and Feminism”, London, England, 18-19 May 2012
Partner Institutions
The network partners include two major museums whose research profile includes work on curating and collections- the Smithsonian Museum of American Art in Washington D.C. and Tate Modern in London - as well as academic institutions with a special interest in feminism and art studies, including the Canadian Women Artists History Initiative at Concordia University in Montreal, and the Department of Art History at Stockholm university. The inclusion of museums and curators in the network alongside universities is designed to ensure that the viewpoints of practicing curators are included, and to create collegial exchange between researchers in different institutional settings.
Network Participants
UK
University of Brighton: Dr Lara Perry
University of Edinburgh: Dr Angela Dimitrakaki
Tate Modern: Dr Marko Daniel
North America
Concordia University, Canada: Dr Kristina Huneault
Smithsonian, USA: Dr Nancy Proctor
Europe
Stockholm University, Sweden: Dr Jessica Sjöholm Skrubbe
Estonian Academy of Arts, Estonia: Dr Kati Kivimaa
Contact the Network
If you are interested in finding out more about the Leverhulme International Research Network on Feminism and Curating, then please contact Dr Lara Perry: Lara.Perry@brighton.ac.uk
To join the Feminism and Curating email discussion group, contact Bridget Millmore: B.Millmore@brighton.ac.uk
