Embedding Academic Posts in Arts Organisations
Cultural Partner: Liverpool School of Art & Design at Liverpool John Moores University
HE Partner: Tate Liverpool, FACT & Liverpool Biennial

The establishment of Liverpool John Moores’s partnership model, involves embedding academic posts in arts organisations (Tate Liverpool, Liverpool Biennial and FACT). Whilst these posts are fully funded by LJMU, the post-holders spend half their time within an arts organization, so that the work becomes the context for their own practice-based research. The three collaborative appointments have lead existing and proposed research centres.  The strategy of developing research centres reflects the increasing recognition that LSAD is innovating cultural partnerships in the city to work collaboratively to address acknowledged gaps in provision for artists and audiences in Liverpool. These posts also allow the assessment of practice-led research, particularly around impact.

Liverpool School of Art & Design and FACT:

This post was created in Oct 2012 and has had a significant impact on both FACT and LSAD. This post has made possible a fundamental change of approach for FACT and LSAD, which neither could have achieved alone. The partnership has co-designed a new form of research programme, which integrates the Arts Practice and Public engagement at FACT with Research and Art and Design expertise at LSAD. The Creativity and Digital Embodiment Centre and FACT’s own research centre (FACT LAB) have developed in parallel, with crucial involvement in both from the collaborative post as an active researcher. FACT has access to audiences and international quality Arts Practitioners but require new methodologies for research and engagement. LSAD has research and creative expertise but requires new routes to impact for their research, which are particularly challenging for the Arts and Humanities to demonstrate. Such collaborations with the Arts Sector have inherent impact in terms of effect on the Arts organisations, their audiences and wider society.

Benefit to FACT:

Benefit to LSAD:

Benefit to LJMU:

Benefit to Liverpool:

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Liverpool School of Art & Design and Tate Liverpool:

This post was created in Oct 2012 and has had a significant impact on both the Tate and LSAD, with the co-design of a new research programme, which integrates the art practice and public engagement at Tate with exhibition research and art and design expertise at LSAD. 2012 saw the establishment of the Exhibition Research Centre (ERC) in LSAD with the collaborative post to manage its operations. The ERC is both an exhibition space and a research centre, supporting and generating research on exhibition practices, histories and theories. In parallel the Tate developed its own research centre, with crucial involvement from the collaborative post as an active researcher, around the idea of Curatorial Practice & Museology as recognition of the expertise in LSAD. Together LSAD and Tate have sustained a high level educational public programme of events, exhibitions and research dissemination.

Benefit to Tate:

Educational events:

Benefit to LSAD:

Impact activity:

Benefit to LJMU:

Benefit to Liverpool:

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Liverpool School of Art & Design and Liverpool Biennial:

This post was created in Sept 2013 and collaboration between the Liverpool Biennial and LSA has stimulated public awareness of Biennial commissioned art and enlarged its presence in the social life of the city in two ways: by extending the opportunities for local communities to participate in public art projects in the region; and by improving the opportunities to talk about and share experiences of Biennial art.

The Liverpool Biennial, the largest international contemporary art festival in the UK, brings over 200 artists to work in Liverpool each biennial year. Although it caters for a wide audience of visitors to the City (attracting nearly 700,000 visitors), the Biennial is committed to encouraging residents to rediscover the city in newly commissioned artworks and projects presented in diverse locations. Researchers at LSAD and the Biennial recognise that creating opportunities for local audiences to talk about art is key to improving the reception of public art in the social and cultural life of the city. The research has sought to deepen audiences’ engagement with artists work and enhance their image and perceptions of contemporary art. This has been enabled, in practical terms, by improving access to and participation in cultural events, for example, by hosting collaborative events at University sites.

Benefit to Biennial:

Benefit to LSAD:

Impact activity:

Benefit to LJMU:

Benefit to Liverpool:

Prof Caroline Wilkinson, Director

c.m.wilkinson@ljmu.ac.uk

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