Hello everyone,
It’s hard to believe I’ve only completed 8 days of work placement – it feels like much more, probably because I’ve had to spread it over several weeks to fit in around my other job. Before I get into what I’ve been up to I’ll explain who I’m working for and what I’m working on. For my placement I wanted to go somewhere fun and interesting. That’s how I wound up at the Art Gallery of Western Australia. I’m working with the FRIENDS of the Art Gallery, which exists to raise funds to purchase artwork. It’s a small team within the gallery that organises several events.
The event that I am helping with is called Art in Bloom (AiB from now on - it's just easier). It is an exhibition where all the artwork is assigned to around 120 participants from a range of backgrounds. Some are local personalities, artists, business people, florists and students. Each participant has to create a ‘response’ to that artwork using plants and flowers. It gets set up in the gallery over a weekend in September for public viewing. (By the way, if anyone is interested in going let me know and I’ll give you details for tickets – may as well use every outlet I have to help promote the event, right?!). I was thrilled when I found out this is what I was working on because it’s actually very interesting and I think I work better when it’s something I have an interest in.
The first day I went in was the participants’ night, where they all came to the gallery to be assigned their artwork and briefed on the exhibition. It was a great way to start my placement as it gave me an insight into how to exhibition would work. Preparation for the exhibition has been going on since before I started, and of course everyone else working on it has done so in previous years. Because of this one thing I found hard was coming into a project halfway through, not knowing anything about it and having to pick things up rather quickly. The ladies I work with are all very nice and helpful though which made things easier.
After a meeting with the FRIENDS Susanne, who is in charge of publicity/PR, assigned me my first task. We were to go through the list of participants, chose the most interesting and then I would have to research them and write a bio of each to include in the media pack. I researched on the internet as much as I could before realising I would need to contact some of the participants myself. I will admit it was a little daunting actually having to pick up the phone and call people. I’ve worked on similar projects during my PR units – one semester we had to develop news stories for the Darlington Arts Festival and the information we included in that related to artist bios. However, it’s very different simply saying you would get information about someone, compared to actually having to do it. I felt a little underprepared, especially since Susanne was not in the gallery that day and I was basically left to my own devices. In the end I realised calling people up for information isn’t the difficult part – waiting for them to send that information is. It’s difficult when you have a schedule to keep to, but you’re relying on someone who doesn’t see you as their top priority.
The next week Susanne was on holidays, but I went in to finish my bios. As I was writing I realised that for the most part, I hadn’t told the participants that we were planning to include their details in our media pack. My first ethical issue; using information, even if it was free to access on the internet, as part of a media pack. I checked with one of the FRIENDS, Mariana, to see if this had been done by someone else. It hadn’t. We both decided it would be best to let them know. I’m glad I took the time to contact each participant and check it was ok to use their details as it felt rather unethical sending someone’s personal information to the media to possibly be published without consent. In the end they were all more than happy to have their details included so it wasn’t a problem!
I could keep going, but I feel this is getting a little long already, so I’ll save my other stories for next time. Hope everyone else is going well!
Michelle :)
5 comments:
Hey Michelle,
Sounds like you hooked up a pretty cool placement working in the Arts/music industry would be a lot of fun!
I noticed the same ethical issue of using other people’s personal details, information for public use at Cancer Council WA where they were trying to find individuals willing to share their cancer journey with others to help promote early detection, raise awareness, donations etc. Cancer Council WA does have access to a variety of patients’ details but finding those that are actually willing to share their story with the public can be quite difficult, especially given the sensitive nature of cancer.
p.s The exhibition sounds pretty awsome. So do the personalities interpret a peice of art using flowers and plant materials?
Hi Michelle,
Your's was the first post I clicked on when I signed on this morning. I only became familiar with the In Bloom exhibition when I was at work the other day. I was writing a comprehensive calendar to be included in Sheila Magazine and came across this fantastic exhibition. Having read your blog now I had no idea that FRIENDS of the Art Gallery was who was involved with the project. What a great plavcement to have secured!
Public relations is my minor, journalism is my major and I am now in my finaly year. I found it interesting that you mentioned that it can be daunting having to call people up when now days we can do almost everything on the internet. Having studied journalism now for almost 3 years calling strangers and asking for information is as much of a habit to be as is brushing my teeth. I will admit though, on staring my placements this concept of having to call organisations, companys, vips, or whoever I was also a little scared. I think the biggest thing for me was having to call with an open planned work office, I was so used to being able to make calls in my own privacy. I think the best piece of advice I ever got was to be polite but persistent, and have found that it has always worked in my favour.
I'm glad to see that you called back all the artists to let them know what the information was fore As you said I am sure that they would have been more than happy to give the information anyway. I find telling the person straight up why you're calling means you never forget and don't have to call back again and annoy them!
Enjoy the rest of your placement, I will be sure to keep me eyes our for the exhibtion.
Carolina :)
Sounds like an awesome prac. Can't wait to read more about your time there!
Calling strangers can indeed be pretty daunting. The place I'm working at uses the phone to communicate with the media and email is more of an internal thing. I guess it's seen as more professional or something. I had to make my very first phone call today - to our IT guy. Another thing is that the publicist and her assistant do all the contacting of media so that whoever they're calling is always dealing with the same person. So, it doesn't look like I'll be making very many phone calls. Luckily.
Thanks for the comments, guys!
It is pretty fun working at the galley. Cheslea - yes, you've basically summed it up. they're assigned a peice and then create their interpretation of it with flowers etc. If i had access to 2008's pictures I would post some, but it's been really difficult getting copyright for the images so I don't think they'd like me posting them on the net!
And Carolina - I think you're right about the difference between calling someone in your own privacy to doing it in an open office; it felt like everyone would be judging me if I stuffed up. Haha. Luckily that hasn't happened so far.
Hope everyone's doing well. Look forward to reading some of your stuff!
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