by our exhibitions and the collection.
Creative Consultants
The Creative Consultants are a group of young people aged between 15 and 19 who meet regularly to explore the collections and interpret artworks for their peers.
The Creative Consultants meet at weekends at the gallery and work on a variety of projects led by different artists. They explore the collections to interpret artworks for different audiences. This can be through events, trails, or using new types of interpretation in the galleries.
Visual Dialogues 2009
In their latest project, called Visual Dialogues, the Creative Consultants have been working with artist Katy McCall to create dynamic interventions in our current exhibition of Goya prints: Fantasies, Follies and Disasters. In September 2009, this exhibition was joined by a sculpture on loan from Tate by Jake and Dinos Chapman, Disasters of War. The Creative Consultants' task was to create interpretation to link the historic Goya works with the contemporary Chapman piece.
They had some amazing ideas which were pitched in a Dragon's Den style session to gallery staff. The final outcomes include:
- a display of the young people's etchings made at Hot Bed Press
- an installation of TVs with film footage showing aspects of the project overlaid onto imagery of war from the media, as well as cartoons
- a print-making activity where visitors can make their own images
Highlights of the project include:
- Working with printmaker Martin Cochany at Hot Bed Press in Salford to create etchings based on imagery of war found in the media
- A visit to Tate Liverpool to work with the Young Tate group
- An overnight trip to London where we visited White Cube, Imperial War Museum and Tate Britain
- Working at Futureworks Media School with Mike Cacioppo Jr to create film pieces for the interpretation
- Meeting Jake Chapman and Tim Marlow at the Friends' In Conversation event. Jake also signed books and drew pictures for all the young people
- The launch event on 28 November 2009 for families and friends
Check out the day we spent at Futureworks, or have a look at some of our etchings on Flickr.
Visual Dialogues
Visual Dialogues - Manchester Art Gallery from Kim May on Vimeo.
Join Creative Consultants
If you are aged between 15-18 years and enjoy looking at and talking about art, then get in touch. Anyone can join Creative Consultants. You don't have to be studying art at school or college: all we ask is that you have a curious and open mind. We are always looking for more young people to get involved.
Contact us or phone
Alex Woodall, Interpretation Development Officer
Tel: 0161 235 8844
Visual Dialogues
Visual Dialogues is a partnership programme managed by Tate working with Manchester Art Gallery, Norfolk Museums & Archaeology Service, Museums Sheffield and Tyne and Wear Museums. The programme is jointly funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Children, Schools and Families as part of the Strategic Commissioning Programme for Museum and Gallery Education.
