Visitor Engagement with UQ Art Museum

The Australia Council for the Arts tells us that 98% of Australians regularly participate in arts and culture. This high level of engagement provides connection and meaning for local communities. What then, is the best way to enrich this engagement on a micro level?

In this webinar, join UQ Art Museum’s Senior Team Leader of Engagement and Training, Danielle Harvey, as she discusses strategies for deepening community engagement through fostering genuine two-way dialogues with visitors.

In particular, Danielle will discuss ‘cultural mediation’, a program implemented by UQ Art Museum that puts visitor experience front and centre and encourages participation and the deepening of perspectives.

In this session, Danielle will cover the key topics:

• What is cultural mediation?
• How can cultural mediation’s principles be implemented by artists, arts workers and institutions?
• What are some examples of how to create space for visitors to ask questions, share ideas, and think deeply about artworks?

Danielle will also provide resources for further information and support.

What to expect

This webinar is best suited to artists and arts workers. From joining this webinar, artists can expect to:

• Gain confidence when talking about their work to members of the public.
• Understand how to discuss elements of their artwork with new people and share their experiences.
• Work with venues and their staff to articulate and foster active discussions.

Arts workers and institutions can expect to:

• Learn strategies for making visitors feel welcome, heard and empowered.
• How to challenges the traditional “top-down” model of museum education.
• Support colleagues and volunteers to prioritise cultural mediation practices.

Banner image: Sam Cranstoun, Between Dystopia and Utopia, 2019. Installation view, “To Speak of Cities”, UQ Art Museum, 2020. Photo: Simon Woods.