Tate Intensive: The Power of Play

Tate Intensive comprises 25 selected participants from around the world. Past participants have included administrators, curators, researchers, writers, educators, producers, programmers, artists, architects, fundraisers, activists and strategists. We are actively seeking a diverse range of professionals working in and with art galleries, museums and other cultural institutions in a wide range of countries.

The programme intentionally brings together people at different stages of their career – from emerging practitioners to directors and others in senior management roles. This intimate group is encouraged to share knowledge and exchange ideas based on their diverse experiences and current practices, and to discuss creative approaches to curating, programming, research, audience development, community engagement and arts management. Participants join an ongoing network of alumni offering support, inspiration and the potential for future collaborations.

Carla Tarruella Plandolit

Exhibition Project Manager, "la Caixa" Foundation, Barcelona, Spain

Chumisa Ndakisa

Curator and Scriptwriter, Johannesburg, South Africa

Cynthia Mo

Marketing and Business Development Director, Leisure and Cultural Services Department, Hong Kong SAR Government

Devanshi Shah

Senior lecturer, Istituto Marangoni Mumbai and Senior Features Writer, STIRworld.com

Elisabeth Millqvist

Co-Director and Artistic Director, The Wanås Foundation, Stockholm, Sweden

Eunsoo Yi

International Relations Officer, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea

Georgina Kennedy

Learning Curator, Public Programmes, Tate St Ives, United Kingdom

Gina Koutsika

Director (Creativity & Skills), V&A Museum of Childhood, London, United Kingdom

Grace Needlman

Manager of Youth and Family Programs, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, United States of America

Iarlaith MacPheorais

Independent Curator, VISUAL Carlow, Outburst and Arts & Disability Ireland

Jacqueline Liu

Former Curatorial Assistant, Learning and Interpretation, M+ Hong Kong

Julie Ganas

Curator of Engagement and Digital Initiatives, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, United States of America

Kehinde Christopher Adewumi

Independent Curator & PhD Student, Department of Fine Art, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria

Keila Zari Pérez Quiñones

Designer, Facilitator and Educator, LAB Design for Play, Design School Kolding, Denmark

Klairi Tzoufla

Early Childhood Educator, Athens College, Hellenic-American Educational Foundation, Greece

Magda Konopka

Organisation Specialist, Museum Practices Lab at The POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, Warsaw, Poland

Margerita Pulè

Independent Curator & Founder of Unfinished Art Space, Valletta, Malta

Maria Jenson

Creative and Executive Director, SOMArts Cultural Center, San Francisco, United States of America

Maya Wilson-Sanchez

Curator, Researcher and Writer, Toronto, Canada

Nihat Can Kantarci

Senior Editor, Istanbul Modern, Turkey

Onyx Montes

Social Media Manager, Chicago, United States of America

Patricia Lee

Assistant Director (Content Publishing), National Gallery Singapore

Scott Eric Williams

Visual Artist, Youth Facilitator & Writer, Greatmore Studios, Cape Town, South Africa

Sofia Landström

Project leader at Historielabbet & Curator of Education and Program, Malmö Konstmuseum, Sweden

Tatiana Mrdulyash

Deputy Director for Development, State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia

Tereza Jindrová

Exhibition Curator and Manager of Public Programs, Jindřich Chalupecký Society and Jindřich Chalupecký Award, Prague, Czech Republic

Vardit Gross

Director, Artport Tel Aviv, Israel

The Tate Intensive programme explores, in a critical and practical way, how an expanded idea of play might shape art galleries and museums in the future. The programme acknowledges the widespread interest and research around play that exists across different sectors, and aims to explore the unique and vital potential play holds for art institutions. In highlighting the value of play, the programme does not ignore the serious challenges facing art institutions around the world; rather, it encourages imaginative and creative responses.

Workshop discussions and keynote talks will examine a wide range of institutional activities, including curatorial practices, audience engagement strategies, learning programmes and digital content. The programme aims to expand our imaginative possibilities of art and art institutions, and enable participants to develop and share the skills needed to change current ways of working.

Key questions shaping the programme include:

• How might an emphasis on play open up new forms of creative learning and participatory programming to reshape the relationships between audiences and art institutions?
• How might the notion of play challenge how art institutions approach questions of knowledge, expertise and authority?
• How might playful approaches to exhibition-making offer fresh ways of presenting art, create compelling audience experiences, and tell bold and inclusive stories of art and society?
• What can be learned about play from artists, from different disciplines and from sectors beyond the arts?
• What role might play have in relation to the research and interpretation practices of museums and galleries?
• How might institutions balance a desire for playfulness with considerations of risk, control and reputation?
• How might an emphasis on joy, playfulness and fun help create inclusive institutional cultures and improve well-being for staff, contributors and audiences?
• What is the case against a playful approach to art and art institutions?

Previous keynote speakers on the Tate Intensive programme have included Maria Balshaw, Anne Barlow, Alex Farquharson, Jane Finnis, Ryan Gander, Gaylene Gould, Isaac Julien, Helen Legg, Hew Locke, Karen MacKinnon, Frances Morris, Farshid Moussavi, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Cornelia Parker, Nicholas Serota, Justine Simons, Fatoş Üstek and Jenny Waldman.