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This unique symposium, Museums After Modernism, organized by York University and co-sponsored by the Centre for Cultural Analysis, Theory and History, Leeds University and the Ontario Association of Art Galleries will bring together key figures in the museum and gallery world including artists, museum professionals, independent curators and academics. It will take place in Toronto between April 25th and April 28th . The program has been designed to work in a cross-disciplinary manner across the silos of museum and gallery practice, artistic practice and the academic world.
Museums After Modernism will focus on the work of artists, independent curators, museum practitioners and scholars who are engaged in innovative work in this field from Canada, the U.S. and Europe. Speakers have been invited to prepare presentations and papers on a number of key issues. These include the rethinking of the relationship between museums and audiences, the role of the collections-based institution in contemporary society and the capacity of the institution to address issues of representation, including First Nations' and culturally diverse production and art forms that have not been easily integrated into the gallery setting.
The symposium will be dedicated to the memory of Judith Mastai, former Head of Public Programs at the Vancouver Art Gallery, Head of Education at the Art Gallery of Ontario and, all too briefly, Executive Director of the Canadian Craft Museum. She was committed to finding new ways of working within the museum, to broadening the public's relationship with the museum, to better collaboration with artists and with the museum's publics and to reassessing the way in which museums deal with contemporary art and contemporary issues. Her work has been an inspiration for the initiation and development of the program.
The symposium is intended to address a number of issues central to contemporary practice which were Judith's concerns as well.
These include:
• the need for sharing of current experience
• the need to broaden the policy discussion and for practice to be more inclusive
• the need to assess current learnings and to find means to shape new strategies based on those learnings
Participants have been asked to address a number of specific questions in preparing papers for each session. These pertain to the historical understanding of the museum as a site for the confirmation of national objectives; the museum as a contested terrain as to ownership and narratives (for example, the inclusion/exclusion of diverse histories) and the models of collecting and curatorial practice which challenge and disrupt the meta-narrative which has dominated museum and gallery collecting and exhibition practices.
The sessions have been designed to include current practice and research, a variety of perspectives and the opportunity for discussion among creators, museum practitioners and academics. The respondents' roles will be to ensure diverse perspectives on the topics at hand. The last day will provide a less formal opportunity for participants to discuss their learnings.
The program is outlined below. Symposium participants' biographies and abstracts are also available on this site.
Audio recordings of the proceedings are available online and are indicated by the 
icon.
[Note: We regret that sound quality of the Saturday morning sessions is below standard as a result of a technical problem with the recording process.]
Please note: On Wednesday, April 24th at 7 p.m. the Goethe Institut has invited symposium participants to attend the opening of an exhibition of the photographs of Gosbert Adler (Berlin) and Robin Collyer (Toronto). The artists will discuss their work with Philip Monk of the Power Plant Gallery and Thomas Weski of the Museum Ludwig (view invitation).
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Thursday, April 25, 2002
Note: This evening will take place at Art Gallery of Ontario, (416-977-0414)
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5 p.m.- 7 p.m. |
Registration, Main Entrance |
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6 p.m.- 7 p.m. |
Reception, Members' Lounge |
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7 p.m. - 9 p.m. |
Introductory Session, Jackman Hall
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Friday, April 26, 2002
Note: All events on Friday, Saturday and Sunday will take place at the Harbourfront Studio Theatre, Harbourfront centre, (416-973-3000)
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8:30 a.m. |
Registration continues; light breakfast |
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9 a.m. - 12 noon
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1. Exploding the Old Museum: New Paradigms/Changed Priorities
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12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. |
Lunch (on site at Harbourfront centre) |
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1:00 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. |
2. Breaching Divisions: Artists as Curators - The Staging of Cultural Experiences
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3:15 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. |
Coffee Break |
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3:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. |
3. Encounters with Art: Reframing the Insider/Outsider Divide -- The Space In-between
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Saturday, April 27, 2002 |
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8:30 a.m. |
Registration continues; light breakfast |
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9 a.m. - 12 noon
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4. Case Studies in New Practices: At the Boundary of Curating and Participation
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12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. |
Lunch (on site at Harbourfront centre) |
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1 p.m. - 2 p.m. |
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2 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. |
Break |
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2:15 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. |
5. Representing the Unrepresentable: Trauma and the Museum
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4:45 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. |
Coffee break |
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5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. |
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6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. |
Reception, Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery
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Sunday, April 28, 2002 |
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The day will be dedicated to summation, evaluation and next steps. The morning will be a round table discussion of the preceding sessions and the afternoon will allow for continued discussion. |
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9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. |
6. Reconsiderations: Reculer pour Mieux Sauter
Format: Each speaker will respond to the symposium proceedings. This will be followed by discussion amongst panelists and symposium participants.
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12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. |
Lunch (on site at Harbourfront) |
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1:30 p.m. - 3 p.m. |
7. Looking Forward: A Discussion and planning session for all contributors and participants
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