What Public Art Needs Now!
A series of Professional Development Seminars

IXIA has developed a series of groundbreaking professional development seminars in collaboration with Situations.

Situations will lead three seminars looking at different aspects of emergent and alternative models of contemporary art commissioning and will focus on the role of the curator/ commissioner within an exemplary international public art project. Each of these projects will be employed as a starting point to reflect upon issues relating to both ‘temporary’ and ‘permanent’ public art commissioning. The seminars will consider commissioning processes in-depth by exploring what it means to work in specific contexts, expanding upon a wide range of key concerns for all those involved in commissioning, curating and producing art in the public realm, particularly at a time of economic crisis.

Each seminar is framed by a provocative response to the question, “What does public art need today?” Organised through informal illustrated talks, group discussions and critical responses to the projects in question, the seminars will unpack different commissioning methods and processes of production, proposing how and why certain models of curatorial and artistic practice offer a more considered approach to the public sphere.

The seminars have been devised for public art commissioners, artists, project managers and consultants, curators, planners and commercial developers and offer opportunities to hear from the commissioners behind these exemplary projects, the artists and participants involved and key stakeholders, as well as respondents from the contemporary art sector. All seminar participants will be encouraged to actively engage in discussion throughout the day and to reflect upon their own practice in relation to the topics discussed.

Information and key texts relating to the projects will be circulated in advance so that participants can be as prepared as possible. The sessions will be documented for the ixia website.

Individual Seminars include:

Public Art Needs Outsiders
Project Focus: Grizdale Arts, Cumbria, UK.
www.grizedale.org

Public Art Needs Community                
Project Focus: Beyond, Leidsche Rijn, Netherlands.
www.beyondutrecht.nl

Public Art Needs Time Limits
Project Focus: One Day Sculpture, New Zealand.
www.onedaysculpture.org.nz

The Seminars will take place during autumn 2009. Further details about the speakers, content, dates, venues and prices of the Seminars will be published soon. If you would like to register your interest in attending in advance of this information being available, please contact ixia via the details below.

Email: info@ixia-info.com or ring
Phone: +44 (0) 121 753 5301

For more information about ixia, please visit our website.