By Debbie Silva
Local residents got a chance to dance, craft and explore the Snap Judgments: New Positions in Contemporary African Photography exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada (NGC) earlier this month.
Artsparks, an evening program which occurs every three months, allowed participants to visit the Snap Judgments exhibition. In addition to a short tour of the photographic exhibition, the NGC added a video demonstration, dancing and music by DJ Trevor Walker and Jokko. Along with free beverages, participants were also invited to do hands-on art projects.
Artsparks is one of many initiatives which is attracting visitors to the NGC.
The NGC and the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography (CMCP) lured more than 390,000 visitors in 2006-2007, making it the year of the visitor, according to an annual report presented to Parliament late last month.
The NGC and CMCP offered more education-based and public programming in order to enhance the visitor experience. Tours for the visually impaired and workshops for families of children with Down Syndrome were offered. Audiences were drawn in with family fundays and Artsparks events.
Katie Chau, who took a tour of the Snap Judgments exhibit during the Artsparks event, said, “It’s cool to have the opportunity to get a short tour and really get a feel for it. I was going to come to the exhibit but it’s good that I came tonight because it’s more inclusive in terms of what you get out of it.”
The CMCP has been closed since the fall of 2006 due to repairs. It is slated to re-open in May 2008. In the meantime, the photography exhibitions have maintained their popularity in their temporary home.
Snap Judgments, which opened on Oct. 12 and runs until Jan. 6, features photographs by 40 artists from 12 African countries. Okwui Enwezor, the exhibition’s curator, set out to show Africa from an African perspective. The exhibit, according to the official website, focuses on four main themes: landscape, urban life, identity, and the representation of history. The first room of the exhibit features photographs of military uniforms which are out of focus.
David Monkhouse, who is responsible for the Artsparks program, says “We’re trying to look at attracting other kinds of audiences, a younger audience, and we try to look at activities with the special exhibitions that would attract visitors.”
The Artsparks program is designed for the 20-to-40-year-old age group. “Artsparks was an initiative to attract the sometimes difficult, for museums, 18-to-30-year-old crowd,” said Megan Richardson, acting chief of education and public programs.
Monkhouse adds, “It’s a bigger social atmosphere than just going to the gallery.”
Approximately 340 people attended an Artsparks event which featured the band Jetplanes of Abraham and the Ron Mueck exhibition. “It’s fun, it’s more laid-back and makes the museum friendlier so that people don’t feel quite as intimidated by it,” said Monkhouse.
The Emily Carr exhibit in the summer of 2006 and the Ron Mueck exhibit in the spring of 2007 also brought in a lot of visitors. Mueck, an Australian artist whose sculptures show detailed veins, wrinkles and hair, explore the relationship between reality and the imaginary. The sculptures are either smaller or larger than the human scale.
“We’re always trying to find new audiences for the gallery,” said David Monkhouse, education officer. “We had a couple of strong exhibitions that had broad appeal last year.”
The CyberMuse website is another initiative which allows users to explore exhibitions virtually.
Scott Patterson, chief of Marketing and Communications, says, “The focus was the year of the visitor and a lot of it focused around the education activities and enhancing our website and that includes the interactive CyberMuse website. It’s really about providing a wide range of activities that the public can literally participate in and experience.”
Patterson says they will be refreshing their whole website and re-launching it this month.