Working With The National Network

The National Network is working strategically as a sustainable professional network for our membership.

Our programme of activity works to generate new ideas and share existing knowledge. We are working with our members to focus on specific challenges and subject areas. In order to be most effective we are establishing interest groups where topics are of particular relevance. Groups will meet a specific number of times to answer particular questions that will direct our work. Where able, we will draw in additional expertise to support the exchange of ideas.

The first of these interest groups has emerged from the seminar held in London on the 14th June 'Towards a Shared Intelligence'. The focus of the seminar was on what online technologies can offer now and in the future in terms of visibility and audience development, while also exploring how we can provide a forum for our members to generate content and exchange ideas with ease.

- What role can the Contemporary Art Society play in unlocking the large amount of shared expertise held within the National Network?

- How can we develop an online resource that functions as a distributed network to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and expertise?

- How can we to identify the shared needs of our members (individuals and organisations) in order to inform the development of our work and to ensure it has lasting impact?

Interest Group Members:
Jessica Bromley, Documentation Assistant, Wolverhampton Art Gallery
Tim Craven & Alice Workman, Lead curatorial Officer / Lead Exhibitions Officer, Southampton City Art Gallery
Tristram Aver, Exhibitions Assistant Officer, Nottingham Castle
Tom Freshwater, Contemporary Arts Programme Manager, National Trust
Harriet Godwin, Curator of Art, modern and contemporary, Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery
Ioannis Ioannou, Audience Development Officer, New Art Gallery Walsall
Jean Milton, Collections Officer, The Potteries

The second of these interest groups will focus on skills development. There are 164 arts professionals who attend National Network events; all have incredibly diverse specialisms, knowledge and experience, from within this pool we would like to create an Interest Group that will work with us to develop a programme of seminars, discussions and practical workshops all focused on improving skills within the sector by sharing examples and case studies.

Previous National Network events and recent conversations with our members have shown that the following skills areas of particular interest at the moment:

· Co-acquisitions
· Co-commissioning with non-collecting organisations
· Conserving non-object based and ephemeral work
· Shared storage within a region
· Sharing examples of purchasing and commissioning contracts
· Using archives within your collection

If you are a member of the National Network and are interested in being part of this group please email nationalprogrammes@contemporaryartsociety.org or call +44 (0)20 7831 1243.