"We want to make Frieze as accessible to young people as
possible"
Kate Cavelle talks about the Education Space at the
Frieze Art Fair
Kate
Cavelle,
Director Deutsche Bank
Corporate
Social Responsibility UK
Since it was
inaugurated in 2002, the London Frieze
Art Fair has developed from an ambitious newcomer project to one of
the most important art fairs worldwide. This year, Deutsche
Bank is not only supporting Frieze as main sponsor for the fifth time,
it's also supporting the Education
Space - a broad spectrum of workshops and guided tours designed to
bring children and young people closer to contemporary art. In an
interview with db artmag, Kate Cavelle, Director of Deutsche Bank CSR UK,
introduces the highlights of this year's program.
At the Frieze
Art Fair, Deutsche Bank is supporting the Education Space for the fourth
time. What will this year's program be like?
This year is going
to be the most ambitious programme yet! We are working with ReachOutRCA
(The Royal College of Art's
Educational Outreach Team) to deliver an artist-led programme of events
for children and young people. With the aim of establishing a lasting
educational experience for the children and young people that take part,
ReachOutRCA will provide an imaginative, critical, and playful exploration
of Frieze Art Fair. How Do We Get to Here encompasses an exciting
and challenging programme of school workshops, public engagement days, a
printed guide, and an online resource. A series of workshops will take
place both on and off-site for students from four Westminster, Camden, and
Islington schools. Project Space will provide direct experience of
the thought processes and practicalities necessary in the understanding
and realising of an exhibition. The Lives (of the Most Excellent
Artists) introduces students to the working methods and the role of
the artist, encouraging them to understand how artists create their
identity within the art world.
The weekend public programme
consists of free drop-in sessions. Designed for children between the ages
of five and twelve, they will encourage an imaginative and fun response to
the fair. Type Club (a collective of graphic designers) will present The
Story Wall, a narrative and typographic discovery of Frieze Art Fair.
Likewise, A+D+A+D (a group of animators and architects working
collectively through drawing) will present Inflated Drawing, a 3-D
drawing that explores the international flow of art, artists, and other
visitors in and out of Frieze Art Fair 2008. The online resource provides
an insight into the fair for young people, featuring interviews with
artists and curators involved in Frieze Art Fair. And finally, the Family
Guide is a free mini-guide aimed at 5–12 year olds. The guide, inspired by
the Frieze Projects programme, will help children discover the fair
through imaginative activities.
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The Education Space will be accompanied by a blog for
the first time. What are you aiming for with this website?
We
want as many young people as possible to be able to learn from the
dynamism that is Frieze. The blog will enable people to access information
about the education programme prior to their visit and to share
information about their experiences with other young people. We want to
dispel the myth that the art world is closed and elitist and demonstrate
the breadth and accessibility of contemporary art.
Why is it
important to offer a special program for children and young people at art
fairs?
Frieze is an amazing experience for all its visitors,
and the aim of the educational activities is to make it as accessible to
young people as possible. The family guide and family workshops are
fantastic resources that will enable young and old to work together to
explore the fair.
The Education Space marks another
collaboration between Deutsche Bank and the Royal College of Art. The bank
has been supporting the academy for nearly 20 years now. How has the
cooperation developed during this period?
We have been working
with the RCA for over 16 years through the Deutsche Bank Pyramid
Awards, through which we provide financial and mentoring support to
two of their graduating students each year to enable them to launch their
artistic careers or businesses after they leave college. More recently we
have supported their educational outreach programmes – delivered by
ReachOutRCA – and have been highly impressed by the quality of work they
deliver and the active engagement of the RCA's students in this. In
particular we have been impressed by the practical work they do in terms
of opening up the eyes of young people to the career opportunities within
the arts.
What other educational projects does Deutsche Bank
London sponsor?
Deutsche Bank in London has a strong reputation
for supporting art education programmes. For the last eight years, we have
worked with some of the leading art institutions in London (including the National
Theatre, National Gallery,
British Museum, Shakespeare's
Globe Theatre, Royal Academy
of Arts, and Design Museum)
to open up their doors to young people across London.
What is
the philosophy behind these CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility)
activities?
At the most basic level, we want to ensure that
young people from disadvantaged communities in London can access the
amazing arts and cultural institutions that are found in the city. There
are both financial and cultural barriers that prevent many of the young
people living in London from visiting galleries and museums, and our
funding enables schools to access the educational programmes our arts
partners offer. The programmes they deliver address key educational
curriculum requirements such as literacy, and therefore exert a direct
impact on the academic achievement of students in our partner schools.
Earlier
this year, we launched an Arts and Education Awards programme for small
museums and galleries, and are providing funding, support, and mentoring
to three organisations to enable them to develop and mainstream
educational programmes.
Can you tell us anything about the
projects you have planned for 2009?
We are delighted to be
sponsoring Frieze for a further two years and look forward to working with
the RCA to continue to run the associated educational programme and build
a unique online educational contemporary art resource for students
everywhere.
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