Call for Papers:
Exhibitions as Research: Theory, Practice, Problems
(Session in 36th AAH Annual Conference, 15-17 April 2010, University
of Glasgow)

Deadline for submission: 9 November 2009

Ideally, exhibitions always present audiences with new research. When
exhibitions are outcomes of individual academic research projects,
however, the research undergoes a process of translation. Under the
guidance of curators and other museum and art gallery staff, art
historians discover how to turn their work into a phenomenological and
conceptual experience that communicates not only with their academic
peers but also with public audiences, not only through the act of
writing about objects and ideas, but also through encountering them
and placing them in space and time. As a collaborative situation, the
process of exhibition-making can, for some academics, become a form of
research in itself.

In this session, the term ‘research’ is inclusive, incorporating
conventional art historical research, research conducted by artists
and curators, and other research practices. Forms of research may
range from traditional scholarship which informs large-scale survey or
blockbuster exhibitions such as Gothic: Art for England, 1400-1547
(V&A, 2003) and Babylon: Myth and Reality (British Museum, 2008/9),
and more focused academic exhibitions such as Freud’s Sculpture (Henry
Moore Institute, 2006) and Close-Up: Proximity and defamiliarisation
in art, film and photography (The Fruitmarket Gallery, 2008/9), to
artist-led research as in Tacita Dean’s An Aside (Hayward National
Touring Exhibitions, 2005). This session will consider how research is
translated in exhibitions of art from any period, from medieval to
modern and contemporary. Questions include: How can display be used to
express an argument, explore a concept or even work against the
presentation of research? How can interpretation support or extend
academic research? What role can contemporary art play to inform
exhibitions of historic objects, and vice versa?

Deadline for submission of paper propsals: 9 November 2009.
Please contact the session convenors with an abstract (no more than
250 words long), and your name, institutional affiliation and contact
details.

Session convenors: Dr Stacy Boldrick (Research and Interpretation
Manager, The Fruitmarket Gallery; interpretationfruitmarket.co.uk)
and Stephanie Straine (Exhibitions Organiser, The Fruitmarket Gallery;
supportfruitmarket.co.uk ).
Additional contact details: The Fruitmarket Gallery, 45 Market
Street, Edinburgh EH1 1DF; (p) +44 (0)131 225 2383; (f) +44 (0) 131
220 3130.

Dr Stacy Boldrick
Research and Interpretation Manager

P 00 44 (0)131 226 8183
F 00 44 (0)131 220 3130
E interpretationfruitmarket.co.uk
www.fruitmarket.co.uk

The Fruitmarket Gallery
45 Market Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1DF

Eva Hesse Studiowork
5 August – 25 October 2009
The Fruitmarket Gallery’s 2009 Edinburgh Art Festival exhibition is a
solo presentation of the work of German-born American artist Eva
Hesse, a major figure in post-war art. The exhibition is the result of
new research by renowned Hesse scholar Professor Briony Fer and is
curated by Fer and Barry Rosen, Director of The Estate of Eva Hesse.

The End of the Line: Attitudes in Drawing
14 November 2009 – 10 January 2010
A Hayward Touring Exhibition
This exhibition of new and recent work by eleven highly acclaimed
young international artists explores a diverse range of contemporary
approaches to drawing. From small, intricately-crafted pencil drawings
to expanded installations in which the ‘drawn’ lines are made from
masking tape, or in which drawings mutate into animation, the
exhibition celebrates a contemporary resurgence in drawing.

The Fruitmarket Gallery is a publicly funded art gallery of national
and international significance, and is Scotland’s premier contemporary
art space. The Gallery aims to make contemporary art accessible
without compromising art or under-estimating audiences. Its programme
of exhibitions of Scottish and international artists is world-class
and always free.

The Fruitmarket Gallery is a company limited by guarantee, registered
in Scotland No. 87888 and registered as a Scottish Charity No. SC
005576. VAT No. 398 2504 21. Registered Office: 45 Market St.,
Edinburgh, EH1 1DF