Amy Stephens’ Weblog

and even further…later on the 30th

so on sunday (yes we were actually at uni on sunday) steph and i met to discuss the identity for our outcomes. We brainstormed for a name and two really stuck out at us for contrasting reasons. The first was ‘hub’ this is because through our entire research process this word has continually come up, starting with its relation to social networking and the internet and then also its association with community and coming together. All relative to the overall theme of our project and direction of our proposal.

The second was ‘fibre’ this one came to mind as i was thinking about substance and the ‘matter’ that binds things together such as string. This is also very relative to the way in which networks work, with ties and nodes creating a more substantial product. 

here are some logo developments i have been working on this week. I particularly like the final example where the pebble has been vectorized and acts as the ‘hub’ to the word that floats inside it. The word ‘hub’ was handrawn as we wanted it to have an organic feel as we also believe this links with the subject of our project also.

and further more (30.04.08)….

Our secondary poster for the Analysis class is finished (see our group blog for a visual process journal of how we created it – www.culturenetwork.wordpress.com) which is exciting. I think we did really well in representing not only our theme but also our direction, our research and our rationale for why we are doing what we are doing. I honestly believe that Indigenous art and the ethical issues associated with promoting it has caused many obstacles that have deterred people from doing anything about it for too long. People seem to tip-toe around the issue and in effect nothing gets done and slowly the oldest known culture in history is slipping between our fingers. I hope that our research project proposal will make a difference…it would be great if people who had the right knowledge, connections and power took notice and actually followed our lead and did something in an effort to help sustain such an interesting and worthwhile cause.

Our project is really starting to gain pace with one research method done (online survey-of which we received fantastic feedback from participants!) our second is up and running (event – our teaser ‘dot-to-dot’ posters have seemingly gone walkabout from the uni though so i will have to replace asap). Interviews for this event are due to be conducted on Monday May 5th – we’ll be in the uni foyer from 11:30am so if anyone from other groups would like to participate please come down – your help would be greatly appreciated!!!

Our proposal is a work in progress but once we have our methods triangulation we should be right-alot of the other stuff has already been finished.

Now we are focusing on our outcomes…starting to stress!!!!

An interesting book about how Museums need to make a dramatic change in order to survive in the modern world…

Looking Reality in the Eye: Museums and Social Responsibility edited by Robert Janes and Gerald T. Conaty
“Museums are often stereotyped as dusty storage facilities for ancient artifacts that are considered important by a handful of scholars. Today, there is an effort on the part of some museologists to reconsider the role and responsibilities of museums, art galleries, and science centers as social institutions in their communities. The articles in this collection were selected based on the authors’ personal and institutional commitment to innovative social action and are an excellent starting point for discussions on what museums have been and what they are now. Some believe that museums are for important artifacts and must remain value- and agenda-free institution, to avoid a potentially fatal morass of controversy and confrontation. Others suggest that museums are about more than artifacts and they must undertake successful civic engagement in order to survive and be a vital part of our social fabric, moving beyond education and entertainment to actively embrace socially relevant missions. Looking Reality in the Eye attempts to point the way toward a sustainable future for museums using case studies of institutions that have attempted to be socially responsible in different and unique ways.” (ref) Click here to find Looking Reality in the Eye at the UQ Library

So mere days after my last post about our group minimising to 3 we are back to 4. Hashim has decided to continue with the course and so we will continue as a group of 4. Our directions have also developed.

This is where we are at with our directions at the moment. We have two so far but are keen to come up with more. We are going to the Indigenous exhibition at Melbourne Museum as a group on Monday to get inspiration for not only further development of our research project but also for the outcomes required in the proposal brief. These are our two directions so far:

1. Direction One: Indigenous Community Online Network.

A place where indigenous communities can contribute, connect and promote their ‘arts’. It would be used as a promotional and educational resource for not only Aboriginals, but also other non-indigenous Australians and the world to find out more about Aboriginal Art Culture.

Focussing on ‘The Arts’: Music, Literature, Theatre/Film, Art/Design.

Applications:

Website: Where indigenous communities could self-upload their ‘art’ and contribute, comment and connect with other indigenous artists. There could be a ‘profiles’ section on new and upcoming or famous and established artists. There could also be a section on news and current issues creating discussion and awareness of the current situation in the indigenous communities around Australia.

Publication: A monthly or quarterly publication that again promotes and serves as an educational resource for communities. It would act as a call to action to direct people to the online network. It would be distributed to Art centres, government institutions, Galleries and Educational Institutions.

Gallery Space: To serve as the physical presence of the network. Creating a promotional and financially productive space for the ‘artists’ to show their work and there is also opportunity to hold shows and events (such as fundraisers etc). The money made would filter back into the indigenous communities to help fund education and other important infrastructure.

Logo and identity: To create an identifiable presence and branding for the website that would carry through to the publication and gallery space.

2. Direction Two: Online Indigenous Museum

A space that serves as an online museum, documenting Aboriginal history, artefacts and culture. It would purely be an educational resource – one that creates awareness of Aboriginal history and their way of life.

Applications:

Website: A controlled website showcasing Aboriginal artefacts and other Indigenous items that are already on public display in museums around Australia. Would also include a ‘History’ section which would include a thorough document detailing Aboriginal History pre-white colonisation. This part of the site would be particularly promoted to Australian Schools to be used as a resource when teaching Australian History and Social Science as currently Australian History only includes colonisation and after but not before the white-people came.

Advertising Campaign: Could include a variety of media including posters, advertisements in newspapers, educational publications and cultural Magazines, TVC ads and radio. It would act as a call to action to direct traffic to the online space. The campaign would most likely be directed at Educational Institutions.

Logo and identity: To create an identifiable presence and branding for the website that would carry through to the advertising campaign.
So, as you can see we are really focussing on the indigenous communities now. I’m excited about where we’re going with this topic.

AND ALSO WE GOT A HIGH DISTINCTION FOR OUR LIT REVIEW!!!!YAY!