experts wanted

from malcom gladwell's blink (and i'm paraphrasing here):

The gift of their expertise is that it allows them to have a much better understanding of what foes on behind the locked door of their unconscious...The first impressions of experts are different. By that I don't mean that experts like different things than the rest of us -- although that is undeniable. When we become an expert in something, our tastes grow more esoteric and complex. What I mean is that it is only experts who are able to reliably account for their reactions.

i know, i know - the word expert is loaded, even suspect. in fact, during university, the whole concept of being an expert (and related ideas such as mastery) were very much "interrogated" as being x-centric (and by x i mean choose your term: western, male, hetero, etc.) and an imposition negotiated by various avenues of power blah blah blah. today, there's a real sense (propogated by sites such as wikipedia, for instance, and the blogosphere - and yes, i appreciate the irony here) that "everyone's an expert" i.e. everyone's opinion about something holds equal weight. even though it doesn't. so we're uncomfortable with the idea. it may even offend us.

regardless, its roots are old - the 14c in fact, from old french - and that springs from the latin: expertus, (from experiri) "to try, test". the sense of "person wise through experience" existed as early as the 15c. expertise (16c french) in turn denotes "expert appraisal, expert's report".

some various definitions include:

• a person with a high degree of skill in or knowledge of a certain subject
• having or showing knowledge and skill and aptitude
• having or showing or requiring special skill
• skilled through training or practice

to become an expert means that one must have some experience with something, one must be an explorer, one must have intimate knowledge (a passion?) of and for a subject or activity. there's a full-person'd engagement with something: heart, mind, soul and body.

so here are my questions: what are you an expert on or about? or do you even consider yourself an expert? why or why not? does the idea of being "an expert" make you uncomfortable? why or why not? alternatively, do you know anyone you consider an expert on or about a particular topic? why? i'm curious.

art, faith and integrity in the public square

this should be great. over the rhine makes beautiful, rich music and the panel topic should provide for some great discussion. greg has a lot of good stuff to say, and i know that val and karen are very much committed to working out this topic in their life and work. unfortunately, i won't be able to attend since i will be participating in the NextGen: Canada program. so if you go, take notes or something.

please.

my studio

as an artist who works in series, works with installations, and often uses collage (as much as a conceptual approach to artmaking as a medium), i have acquired a lot of miscellaneous bric-a-brac over the years. 

 

 

and yet, this is nothing compared to what my studio space was like in university (they gave me my own room to work in due to the sheer amount of chaos i generated in my allotted studio space). or the warehouse space i had while in calgary. i miss having room to really spread everything out.

NextGen: Canada (bricolage)

the other essay i wrote for my submission to the NextGen: Canada program, and the one i actually submitted, was around the idea of bricolage:

Bricolage is the construction or creation of a work from a diverse range of things that happen to be available, or a work created by such a process. It involves incorporating items typically utilized for other purposes. It will inspire staff to create solutions for a problem out of immediately available objects. In today’s economic reality, the ability to creatively combine objects, materials, images, approaches and strategies will be a definite asset for the sustainability of museums, whether operations, funding or programs.

It also describes how people acquire objects from across social divisions to create new cultural identities (especially sub-cultures). Objects that possess one meaning (or no meaning) in the dominant culture are acquired and given a new, (hopefully) subversive meaning. And isn’t this part of what we, as museums, want to do? To help people see the world anew? To see it afresh?

Alternatively, it means to fiddle. To tinker. To improvise. To blend. It is a way to learn and solve problems by trying, testing, playing around. This approach to exhibitions, programs, events would lead to more playful, engaging opportunities, not to mention alleviating workplace stresses. This activity of playing and testing, and of embracing the provisional, contributes to the development of the following:

• An intimate knowledge of resources
• Careful observation and listening (looking for the best objects and ideas in the best combination)
• Increased trust in one's ideas
• Self-correcting structures (though with feedback) – asking the questions: Do these things fit? How?

Valuing “tinkering” and allowing systems and programs to evolve from the bottom-up, rather than implementing from the top-down, organizations will end up with something that is deeply rooted in the organizational culture specific to that organization, as well as the social and cultural context of that institution, and is much less easily imitated.

This will lead to and encourage more innovative and unique ideas, reflecting individual institutions’ own identity and staff and contexts, rather than simply importing various templates and merely inserting new information in the usual frameworks. This will create more buzz, more engagement, more investment in the museum’s various communities. Creativity attracts. It attracts visitors and supporters. It attracts investors.

This is, in many ways, how I imagine NextGen Canada. A place where various different and unique individuals get thrown together and, through their energy, passion and creativity explore, share and create new ways of seeing and doing museum work.

NextGen: Canada (identity)

as part of my NextGen: Canada application, i was asked to write an essay:

Apply an abstract concept from an outside / alternative industry to the museum field. Describe its utility in a museum context. Connect your example to what you believe to be a tough issue facing museums today. In closing, address what motivates you to participate in NextGen: Canada. (Approximately 400 words)

only 400 words? and i have to trim down my resume to 2 pages? taking on the challenge to be succinct, thorough and passionate, here is the first essay i wrote:

A core idea or concept that informs everything I do is IDENTITY. Who are you? What do you represent or stand for? Establishing a sense of identity (you can also think of it as “branding”) is crucial in today's economic and cultural climate, as it informs how and what we do and why we do it. It is foundational and essential as everything we do will be an outflow of that identity. It is even more important for smaller institutions. The temptation to be something you’re not, or to do things that are foreign to you, constantly assails us.

It is crucial to understand who you are - skills, interests, passions, goals – both individually and corporately. That enables you to maintain focus and purpose without being swayed by emotions such as fear. It enables you to maintain direction without being seduced by “the latest x”. It will enable you to ensure that whatever changes, it is only of use if it enables you to maintain your vision – to be effective, and maintain integrity. It is crucial to operate from this position of strength. It will instill confidence in who one is, what one does, and how one does it. It will provide wisdom and guidance as we gain new skills and knowledge. It will help us better receive suggestions (i.e. critique), instruction and correction from others as our identity will not be affirmed by what we do, or are perceived; but by who we are and what we believe. And therefore, a greater sense of fulfillment.

In turn, this will create a stronger sense of community. If one knows who one is - their uniqueness - then it is much easier to share knowledge and skills, and share resources. Everyone does things in different ways, and towards different ends. We will choose to have the right things, and do the right things, in the right places with the right people. If one’s identity isn’t established, people and institutions attempt to be all things to all people, and will lose sight of the vision they were created to fulfill. We don’t exist to please others; we exist to serve others. It’s a crucial difference.

And this is why NextGen: Canada is such an exciting opportunity. It is an opportunity to grow. To become stronger. To be challenged. To be encouraged. To be inspired. And to meet others of the same spirit.