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Ian Hunter of Littoral asked us to highlight this interesting discussion,

The NEW RURALS – research seminar for artists, curators and academics

(12.00 noon – 5.00pm) Friday 25th July at the Kurt Schwitters Merz Barn site, Elterwater, Cumbria LA22 9JB

One of a series of practitioner meetings and seminars being organised in Ireland, the USA and England during the course of the summer. Partly framed in response to some recent publications and events that are proposing other challenging new critical contexts and related curatorial and cultural research agendas for artists and curators active in (non-metropolitan) regional and rural areas:

These include: Encampment #1 workshop at Kestle Barton/Field Club http://www.fieldclub.co.uk/ “..a large body of projects, practical research, and Neo-Agrosophy – a weird fusion of agriculture, futurology and contemporary philosophy”; the recent ‘Arrow Arrow’ – meeting at the Good Hatchery (Offly, Ireland) http://www.thegoodhatchery.com/ “The Good Hatchery’s main objective is to support the development of innovative, ambitious art practices that consider their own relation to [rural] place”. The Workers Symposium (18th July) which proposed to examine “..[new] contemporary modes of practice in rural contexts” (Roscommon Arts, Ireland) http://roscommonartscentre.ie/workers-symposium/; the publication of ‘A Decade of Country Hits, art on the rural frontier’ by Colorado-based M12 Collective, “..an interdisciplinary group that creates and supports experiential projects exploring the value of rural communities and their surrounding landscapes”. http://www.japsambooks.nl/en/books/all-titles/a-decade-of-country-hits/116; the Rural Cultural Forum’s revised rural cultural strategy ” ..towards a radical rethinking of arts and cultural policy from new rural and agricultural perspectives.” http://www.ruralculture.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/ISRfinal_2012.pdf and also proposed as a response to Arts Council England’s recent Arts and Rural Communities ‘position paper’. http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/what-we-do/research-and-data/rural-positioning/.

The Seminar is being organised by the Littoral Arts Trust in partnership with Grizedale Arts http://www.grizedale.org/ and includes distinguished speakers artists and curators from Spain, Australia and UK; Fernando Garcia Dory (Campo Adentro) http://www.fernandogarciadory.com/index.php?/projects/inland/, Esther Anatolitis CEO Regional Arts Victoria, Australia http://www.rav.net.au/about/our-staff/, Nick Hunt Director Mid-Pennine Arts, http://www.midpenninearts.org.uk/home, Helen Ratcliffe/Alan Smith AllenHead Arts http://www.acart.org.uk/, Christine Ross Visual Arts in Rural Communities VARC http://varc.org.uk/, Green Close Studios http://www.greenclose.org/, Steve Messam (ex-Fold Gallery) http://www.stevemessam.co.uk/projects/sentinel.html (tbc), and Ian Hunter, Director Littoral Arts/Rural Cultural Forum www.ruralculture.org.uk.

Other speakers to be confirmed shortly.
Lunch* and seminar are free but please register to attend with:
(*Donation of £4 appreciated)
Littoral Arts Trust/Merz Barn project: e. littoral@btopenworld.com
Tel. 015394 37309
Location http://www.merzbarn.net/location.html

ecoartscotland is a resource focused on art and ecology for artists, curators, critics, commissioners as well as scientists and policy makers. It includes ecoartscotland papers, a mix of discussions of works by artists and critical theoretical texts, and serves as a curatorial platform.
It has been established by Chris Fremantle, producer and research associate with On The Edge Research, Gray’s School of Art, The Robert Gordon University. Fremantle is a member of a number of international networks of artists, curators and others focused on art and ecology.
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