107 Presents: Curate Me

Unfortunately, should you not have a ticket, this session is booked out.

Curate Me: A forum to discuss the importance of curation in the arts.

Presented in partnership with NAVA.

Curators from Carriageworks, Underbelly Arts, Vivid Ideas, Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, the National Association for the Visual Arts and Two Up, will come together on Friday 16th October at 107 Projects to share their experiences in curation and views on; What is the importance of curating? and, What principles inform curatorial inspiration?

Curating – what is it? Is it an action or a theoretical approach? Is it simply being selective – saying yes or no based on a premise? Is it in one context, an intangible method to programming; in another context, a tangible method related to the physical environment?

“Curating contemporary art requires a keen interest in solving problems. The curator is a producer, facilitator, educator, custodian, caretaker, steward.” – Beatrice Gralton, Visual Art Curator, Carriageworks

The panel will discuss their motivations for curating and what is important to consider when forming a curatorial framework. They will highlight what has supported their development to be skilled curators and have an open discussion with the audience on what outcomes a curator aims to achieve – whether it is to foster forms of consistency, intersperse or elaborate, or connote artistic value and grow audience interaction.

"For me, curating is about connecting people with ideas. It's an incredible privilege to get to act as an intermediary between artists and audiences, with the challenge being working out the best way to make those connections, and to facilitate the conversations that can come from them." – Eliza Sarlos, Artistic Director, Underbelly Arts.

This is a forum for emerging artists and curators through to established curators, artistic directors, academics, students and event specialists to join in the conversation and connect with peers promoting arts and cultural activity.

The lineup of speakers include:

Jess Scully
Jess Scully is a curator who uses creativity and the arts, to engage communities with our future economy, and with the public realm. She is the director of Vivid Ideas, curator of TEDxSydney, a public art curator for projects across Sydney and instigator of Kids Hack Day Sydney.

Beatrice Gralton
Beatrice Gralton is Visual Art Curator at Carriageworks, Australia’s largest and most significant contemporary multi-arts centre. Beatrice has held curatorial positions at The Corcoran Gallery of Art, in Washington DC; the Embassy of Australia, Washington DC, and the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra.

Michael Cohen
Michael Cohen is a site based performance/event director and Creative Producer of Events at Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority (SHFA).  During his time in this job he has directed new events such as Santa Fest (Darling Harbour 2010-11) and Fire Water (Vivid Festival 2009 & 2010); and undertaken the significant re-direction of signature Foreshore Authority events such as The Village Bizarre, Aroma and Hoopla Circus and Street Theatre Festival.

Eliza Sarlos
Eliza Sarlos is a programmer, creative producer and facilitator. Eliza has worked on projects for FBi Radio, Graphic Festival, GetUp!, the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia, as Executive Officer of MusicNSW, a director of Sound Summit and, most recently, as Artistic Director of Underbelly Arts.  

Brianna Munting
Brianna Munting is the Deputy Director for NAVA. Brianna has previously held the positions of Curator for the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre and Assistant Curator at Gallery 4a. Her work has always focused on highlighting and valuing the arts and arts practitioners who generate innovation, inspiration and social change.

Nerida Ross
Nerida Ross has boundless enthusiasm for ideas, education and engaging broad audiences with the arts. She is the founding coordinator of the bimonthly talk series Two Up at 107 Projects, FBi Radio’s Arts & Culture Editor and curated TEDxYouth Sydney 2015.

RSVP required | rsvp@107projects.org