Ann Douglas – Practice Led Research

Practice Led Research – research for the arts, freedom to be opened ended, framed questions and proposed methodologies. Mono-graphics – following the character of a project. Research studentships attached to the project. Policy Landscape.

Paradigm – rural metropolitan policy/framework

Artist as leader link

Suzanne Lacy – wider conversation, work in the context of a public sphere. Working in public – urban projects. In business leader is key to economic success. Knowledge economy, creative industries – now considered connected to art – doesn’t economic success need artistic leaders.

Experiment – performing arts labs + SET – discuss the notion of what is ‘Artist as leader’

Transferable model/ is it? what issues?

Bringing together a cluster of artists and policy makers (Jan 2008) ask the question – what does it mean to me – artist as leader.

Where does the power lie – doesn’t it shift all the time – responsibility shifts.

Artists into policy making – its not within our culture. Within art is economics. What is the value of what i do? need a revolution in thinking.

Challenges keep changing – little resources, social issues, income, policy, creative cultures.

Leadership is a redesigning process, remapping. Mystery is the power – lose the mystery lose the power. The way artists see the world.

Power is uneven – migrate to a different culture. Justify the path – art has value so put the artist in a primary position. Fight doubt.

Make different connections – creation position – political position

Experiment Methodology – how do you focus creativity in a creative environment. Suzanne Lacy’s approach – very selective with participants. Space – has to be residential. Produces a structured welcome document.

Why are they there? What are their challenges (expected to be personal)? What is their deepest desire? What kind of space does it take to generate complete creativity?

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How much do you frame and how much do you let go?

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Format of experiment

Introductions – mapping the issues on a shared project – drawing. Warm ups – including external observers/provocateur who watched proceedings then asked questions.

Artists with policy makers – exchange their practice. Transformative power – deconstruction of an art form.

Conclusion – three ways in which leadership manifests – *Artists lead in the making of the work – transformative. *Theatre – never work alone. *Artists working in the public sphere with other dimensions, social, political – contains construct – repeatable construct.

The spectrum of leadership is colourful and an artist is capable of becoming many different colours without thinking too much about it – is leadership where the power is? is leadership where the money is, is leadership where the knowledge is? is the artist the person we chose to follow?

The experiment continues ….