Art in Public: The National Public Art Conference Programme
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Art in Public: Sculpture Parks & Land Art Commissions - 2nd/3rd November 2007
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Friday, 2nd November 2007: Conference
Saturday, 3rd November 2007: YSP Walkabout
Venue: Yorkshire Sculpture Park,
West Bretton, Wakefield WF4 4LG
download form (pdf). 
Cost: £175 + VAT Professional Delegate Rate (includes annual subscription to the A&AJ and lunch in the YSP restaurant. The conference supper in the YSP restaurant, £25 extra
Contact: Tom Evans at
 events(at)artandarchitecturejournal.com
Friday 2nd November - Conference: with more than 120 dedicated sculpture parks, trails and gardens in the UK, this conference examined the expanding phenomenon of private and public sculpture parks, along with rural and urban trails. 
The increasing popularity of 'open air galleries' offers a growing role for artists practice in the landscape and public, as well as private, bodies are developing new strategies and exciting programmes to enhance the visitor experience and generate new land use.
Public organisations such as the National Trust, English Waterways, and the Forestry Commission have developed art programmes within rural sculpture trails and landscape environments, while sculpture parks and innovative artistic strategies are taking place at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Grizedale and Keilder and through organisations such as Sustrans.
New Rural/Urban Parks such as Gunpowder Park aim to extend the concept of art and landscape within the site of the 2012 Olympics and ACE London are planning an Art in the Parks programme with London boroughs.
Private sculpture parks such as the Cass Foundation and the New Art Centre have developed new audiences for large scale sculpture and there is an emerging interest in sculpture within the grounds of stately homes including Chatsworth, Sudeley Castle and Burghley House, who have all developed dedicated sculpture programmes.
With a newfound popularity and greater attention shown by public and private bodies, this important one-day conference considered strategies for developing artistic practice in sculpture parks, along with rural and urban trails, present current thinking with examples of innovative activity and successful sculpture park management and raise debate on rethinking the role of art and creativity in the landscape.
The conference was a forum for dialogue between sculpture park managers, artists, collectors and commissioning organisations and examined:
The art of sculpture and recent trends in curating and exhibition presentation.
Relationships and partnerships between arts organisations and artists, looking at the role of sculpture parks to support the art of sculpture where artists can freely develop their own work through new commissions and studio work placement.
The educational role of information, workshops, public consultation and participation to widen the audience understanding and appreciation of sculpture.
The recreational role of sculpture in the landscape as part of a tourist and visitor attraction within the art, culture and heritage economy and adding value to the leisure experience.
Inspirational international public/private sculpture park models of practice.
Professional and commercial issues, concerning funding, sales and income, education and marketing and the development of innovative sculpture park management.
The importance of architecture, leading architects discuss their designs for exhibition spaces and galleries, visitor reception, educational buildings and management offices.
Speakers included Peter Murray, Director, YSP - Charles Jencks - Peter Sharpe, Curator, Kielder Partnership - Clive Adams, Director, Centre for Contemporary Art & the Natural World - Judith King, Curator, Contemporary Programme, English Heritage - Martin Allfrey, Head curator of Collections, English Heritage - Elliot McDonald, Curator, Sudeley Castle and Hiscox Art Projects - Peter Clegg, Fielden Clegg Bradley Architects, Craig Downie, Studio Downie Architects - Alfred Munkenbeck, Munkenbeck & Marshall - Eileen Woods, Creative Development Director, Gunpowder Park - Adam Sutherland, Director, Grizedale Arts
Conference supper: a supper for delegates was held in the evening of the conference in the YSP restaurant. Cost £25.
Saturday 3rd November - YSP Walkabout: The second day included an extended guide tour by YSP staff of the sculpture park, Longside Gallery and the Andy Goldsworthy exhibition.
Legacy - Post Conference Publication: The speakers conference presentations were recorded and published on CD and in a toolkit publication to provide a summary of the event, contact directory and essential information on commissioning public art.
Who should attend: Sculpture Park Managers, Public Art Officers, Artists, Urban Designers, Environment Officers, Architects, Landscape Architects, Landscape Designers, Town Centre Managers, Regeneration Managers, Consultants, Planners, Cultural Services Managers
Conference Organisers: Art & Architecture Journal
Contact: Tom Evans at events(at)artandarchitecturejournal.com
Partners: Axis, Fourth Door Review, ixia, RBS (Royal Society of British Sculptors), YSP (Yorkshire Sculpture Park).
 
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