Gillian Park

Gillian developed both theoretical knowledge and practical skills during her Erasmus+ training mobility to the MARCO art gallery in Vigo, Spain.

The training was an extremely productive opportunity for me. I travelled to MARCO, a large contemporary art gallery in Vigo, Spain, to assist on the installation and launch of a new solo exhibition .’ ‘Build a Home, Run a Town, Lead a Revolution’ by artist Grace Schwindt. The visit took place from 18-20 February 2016. The training consisted of a number of elements: Shadowing the technical team when installing the exhibition Engaging in dialogue with curator Agar Ledo and artist Grace Schwindt about curatorial decisions (spatialisation of objects, understanding the overall theme) Participating in the press conference and VIP tour Attending the exhibition ‘private view’ Networking at a dinner for professionals involved in the exhibition Assisting with the preparation of exhibition/ catalogue texts Through the above opportunities I developed my knowledge of a significant artist who is working with ideas of feminist politics. I gained practical knowledge of installing an exhibition (spatialising works, hanging wall texts, lighting) I gained experience of talking to the press and working with a translator. I developed new networks including, commercial gallerist Frank Demaegd (Zeno X Gallery), writer and curator Bridget Chrone, translator Ian Emmett, Rebecca Castellano (Goethe Institute), Inaki Martinez Antelo (MARCO Vigo) and opera singer Lisa Cassidy. Following the visit I have agreed to work with curator Agar Ledo to develop a collaboration, and we will work on a funding application together to support this.