Planning Programmes without a Timeline with Beth Bate
Beth Bate is Director of Dundee Contemporary Arts. The DCA is an internationally renowned centre for contemporary art that enables audiences, artists and participants to see, experience and create. Recent exhibitions include Mark Wallinger, Clare Woods, Patrick Staff, Alberta Whittle, Santiago Sierra, Mike Kelley, Eve Fowler, Margaret Salmon and Lorna McIntyre. Beth is also a Trustee of Edinburgh Art Festival, a member of the Scottish Parliament’s Cross Party Group on Culture, and a member of the Advisory Committee for British Council Scotland. She was a selector for the British Pavilion for the Venice Biennale in 2021 and was an Arts Council England Fellow on the 2014/15 Clore Leadership Programme.
“Not knowing when the dawn welcome, I open every door.” - Emily Dickinson
Despite the huge uncertainties of planning in the absence of a timeline; and the attendant philsophical, financial and emotional pressures, Beth set out a very clear and positive framework to consider working to.
1) Work with what you have
DCA has big and beautiful spaces, a surfeit of connections, partnerships and ideas plus some resources. Beth suggests capitalising on performative and collaborative projects, focusing on ideas around care and communities that audiences can participate in. DCA is working on ever changing 4/8/12 months staggered model of programming, but in terms of re-entry and planning, they are being pragmatic and agile. Quick delivery projects and capitalising on fluidity are key right now.
2) Think “Hyperlocalism”
This means the neighbours on your street, the children in your local schools. For all of us the focus for some time will be much tighter, and in these strange times of deep isolation we can connect much more to our locale and develop programmes that draw on and define our immediate geographies. Social distancing will heavily impact DCA along with many other arts organisations, but Beth advises seeing this as an opportunity to think about those in our immediate vicinity. DCA. for example has a world class art school - Duncan of Jordanstone on its doorstep, a thriving creative sector and is the headquarters of the Scottish Dance. They are actively looking at opportunities to connect and collaborate.
3) Be Honest and Compassionate
We are all in this together and first and foremost we have to be honest with our staff, artists, patrons, funders and audiences. This is an epic crisis and what we do now will be remembered.