Museum and Gallery Learning Research at TATE Gallery

Abstract

There is still much to be achieved in the field of museum and gallery learning research in terms of exploring, theorizing and quantifying the history, nature, quality and impact of the work. Within the profession of gallery education, knowledge has commonly been embodied within practitioners and made visible through the practice. The emphasis on ‘doing’ has tended to take precedence over reflecting and articulating what it is that is being ‘done’ through writing or other forums for dissemination.

Tate Learning has made a strategic decision to embed research within all its work across all programmes. Our aim is to interrogate the depth and range of learning practice, disseminate our research findings widely, and raise the profile and quality of programming. In this talk I will introduce two strategies we are employing in order to develop research-led practice, drawing attention to the opportunities and challenges presented by adopting these. The first strand represents a move from a ‘delivery’ model, where staff are tasked with devising and overseeing the execution of a range of learning events and activities, to a model of ‘enquiry’ (with a greater focus on analysis and reflection) that is similar in many respects to action-research. Within Tate we are also involved in rethinking evaluation and developing new models to give us the insights and information we need. In 2010 we embarked on the ‘Transforming Tate Learning’ programme and set about rethinking how we account for our practice through constructing and implementing a values-led evaluation framework. These interconnected approaches, which are garnering attention from colleagues within the academy and cultural sector, have allowed us to investigate in depth what we do and how we do it in order to generate new knowledge and inform practice going forward.

Speaker

Emily Pringle trained as a painter and worked for many years as an artist, educator and researcher in a range of cultural settings in the UK and internationally. Her publications include, “What’s with the Artist? Researching Practice with Visual Arts Practitioners” in Researching Creative Learning Methods and Issues (2011), and “The Gallery as a site for Creative Learning” in Routledge International Handbook of Creative Learning (2011). She is currently Head of Learning Practice and Research at Tate Gallery, London where she is responsible for strategic programme development and overseeing research and evaluation. She is the editor of the recent publication ‘Transforming Tate Learning’ .

All welcome. Please email sylvia.willis@brighton.ac.uk if you are planning to attend.