From 9 January 2017, 53 Tate Exchange Associates - organisations from the arts, health, education and the charitable sectors - will invite the public to collaborate on an unprecedented scale in a free, ground-breaking new programme at Tate Modern. This pioneering project, the first of its kind anywhere in the world, will change the way institutions work with each other, tackling subjects such as migration, homelessness, mental health and identity through art. The public will be asked to test ideas and explore new perspectives in over 100 events, illuminating the value of art to society. Tate Exchange is supported by Freelands Foundation, Arts Council England, Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Tate Patrons.
Launching today with Central Saint Martins’ inaugural project entitled This is An Art School, students, alumni and staff will enrol the public in free studio workshops, lectures and art classes which will overturn the standard orthodoxies of the art school environment. Together they will explore the future of arts education and look at the barriers to studying and making a career in the arts within the context of the current economic, political and social climate.
Anna Cutler, Tate’s Director of Learning said: ‘Tate Exchange marks a shift in the relationship with our visitors. This is an exchange between what the public brings and what we bring to the conversation. Our visitors carry their own culture with them and can use museums and galleries as creative spaces for exploring what that means. Using art in its many forms, the public and Tate Exchange Associates will shine a spotlight on the challenging issues facing the contemporary world.’
The full Tate Exchange Associates programme will look at art and its importance to society. Among the many events will be an open, collective project around migration organised by Counterpoints Arts, Loughborough University, the Open University and the University of Warwick. Homelessness will be examined through workshops drawn from the personal experience of ex-servicemen, artists and others as well as from a political perspective, organised by the Museum of Homelessness. Using a reconstructed fairground, themes of community, marginalisation, commerce and carnival will be seen from the perspective of former coalmining communities in Wales and Kent through a project organised by Valleys Kids, Canterbury Christ Church University, People United, the Whitstable Biennale and the University of Kent.
At Tate Liverpool, Tate Exchange was launched in November 2016 and a further 50 events will be presented there between now and September 2017. Highlights include a Tate Liverpool curated film programme, an interactive art stock exchange with Liverpool Hope University, and Visions of the Future events with University of Liverpool.
Frances Morris, Director, Tate Modern said: ‘We are very excited to have, for the first time at Tate Modern, an open and accessible forum for visitors from a broad diversity of backgrounds to explore for themselves how art can inform and enrich our understanding of the world.’
Nicholas Serota, Director, Tate said: ‘Through art we celebrate diverse ways of seeing and experiencing the world and freedom of expression. Art has a value itself and can enrich our understanding of a range of other disciplines including ethics, politics, history and the sciences.’
Elisabeth Murdoch, Founder and Chair of the Freelands Foundation, said: ‘We are delighted to be able to help support this remarkable initiative, which really could change the relationship between the arts and their audiences. We see this as an investment in the future, where art is able to contribute to society, and society supports the creation of art.’
Tate Exchange’s founding Associates include charities, universities and healthcare trusts as well as smaller organisations that include a range of disciplines involving, among others, architects, writers, health professionals and musicians.
The Associates programme marks the second phase of the annual Tate Exchange programme which opened in September 2016. The first phase involved artist projects which drew the visitor into the museum’s creative process for the first time. Artist highlights included events arranged by the Guerrilla Girls, Raqs Media Collective, Christine Sun Kim, Simone Leigh, Lorraine O’Grady, Rashida Bumbray, Fannie Sosa, Larry Achiampong, David Blandy, Kader Attia, Shannon Jackson and many other artists and collectives.
For full details of the programme visit tate.org.uk/tateexchange
For press information contact pressoffice@tate.org.uk or call +44(0)20 7887 8730.
with thanks to Tate Patrons
NOTES TO EDITORS
Tate Exchange Founding Associates
198 Contemporary Arts and Learning
A New Direction
Art on the Underground
Arts Emergency
Arvon
Barbican and Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Bath Spa University
Canterbury Christ Church University
Central Saint Martins
Centre for Experimental Aesthetics, Institute of Philosophy, University of London
City and Islington College
Community Southwark
Counterpoints Arts
Creativity Culture and Education
Dept of English Linguistics and Cultural Studies, University of Westminster
Digital Maker Collective University of the Arts London
engage, National Association for Gallery Education
Freelands Foundation
Interior and Spatial Design Programme, Chelsea College of Arts, University of the Arts London
John Hansard Gallery
Kettles Yard
Kingston University
Lemos & Crane
Liverpool Biennial
London Connected Learning Centre
Loughborough University
Museum of Homelessness
Nine Elms Vauxhall Partnership
Peckham Platform
Pempeople (People Empowering People)
People United
People’s Bureau
Plymouth College of Art
Public Works
Rinse FM
Room 13 Hareclive Bristol
Royal Holloway and Bedford New College London
School of Politics and International Relations, University of Kent
Shape Arts
South London Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
Spike Island
Studio Wayne McGregor
The Open University
The Tri-borough Virtual School
Thomas Tallis School
Touretteshero
Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance
University of Brighton
University of Warwick
Valleys Kids
Vital Arts
W Project
Whitstable Biennale
Tate Exchange Liverpool Founding Associates
University of Chester
DaDaFest
Edge Hill University
Liverpool Hope University
Liverpool John Moores University
Open Eye Gallery
Quad Collective
Theatre in the Rough Festival
The Royal Standard
The Windows Project
University of Liverpool
City of Liverpool College
Birmingham City University
Tate Exchange is generously supported by
Freelands Foundation
Freelands Foundation was set up in 2015 by Elisabeth Murdoch. The Foundation’s mission is to support artists and cultural institutions to broaden audiences for the visual arts and to enable all young people to engage actively with the creation and enjoyment of art.
Arts Council England
Arts Council England champions, develops and invests in artistic and cultural experiences that enrich people’s lives. We support a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to digital art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. Great art and culture inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves and the world around us. In short, it makes life better. Between 2015 and 2018, we plan to invest £1.1 billion of public money from government and an estimated £700 million from the National Lottery to help create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country. www.artscouncil.org.uk
Paul Hamlyn Foundation
Paul Hamlyn Foundation was established by Paul Hamlyn in 1987. Upon his death in 2001, he left most of his estate to the Foundation, creating one of the largest independent grant-making foundations in the UK. Our mission is to help people overcome disadvantage and lack of opportunity, so that they can realise their potential and enjoy fulfilling and creative lives. We have a particular interest in supporting young people and a strong belief in the importance of the arts. www.phf.org.uk