Log in
Professor Dawn Ades has dedicated much of her research to the history of Surrealism and in particular to the ethnographic interests of surrealist artists. In 2011 Ades used this research to inform her major exhibition of Surrealist art at the Vancouver Art Gallery. Through a consultation process involving local First Nations community representatives, Ades secured permission for the Gallery to use First Nations objects and established connections for the Gallery for future projects in this area. The popular and critical success of the exhibition resulted in over 100,000 visitors and greater reputation and credibility for the Gallery.
The case study discusses the impact of Dr Patricia Allmer's major exhibition and catalogue project Angels of Anarchy: Women Artists and Surrealism held at Manchester Art Gallery between September 2009 and January 2010. The exhibition had a significant social, cultural and economic impact attracting over 9,600 visitors and winning awards for being Manchester's "tourism experience of the year" (described as "one of the most successful cultural tourist campaigns that Manchester has ever run" by Renaissance Northwest). A full programme of events ran alongside the exhibition including schools' workshops, short courses, cinema screenings and the development of a significant online resource all of which has contributed to a re-examination of the place of women artists in the Surrealist canon.
Ramona Fotiade helped shape an exhibition on Surrealism that attracted 42,500 visitors to the Barbican Centre, London, and secured extensive positive media coverage. Fotiade was one of four high-profile international special advisors contributing to The Surreal House exhibition, which ran from June to September 2010 at the Barbican, Europe's largest multi-arts centre. Fotiade contributed four essays — Antonio Gaudi, Le Facteur Cheval, the Villa Malaparte, Maya Deren and Andrei Tarkovsky — on the interaction between Surrealism and visual arts to the exhibition catalogue, which sold more than 5,000 copies, and she curated the exhibition's film programme which was judged "central to the success of the exhibition" by the Barbican's senior curator. Fotiade's contribution enhanced public engagement with the avant-garde, enriching the experience of visitors to the gallery.
Established in 2003, Queer@King's provides a focus for queer studies research and a meeting place for queer scholars and wider LGBTQ communities, including activists, artists, advocates, curators, performers, school educators, and writers, in which to share ideas and shape public discourse. Through Queer@King's, academics have enhanced queer life and civil society in London, and developed a remit around cultural production and advocacy that is both national and international. Impact includes shaping public discourse and informing public understanding about queer histories; challenging dominant assumptions about sexual minority lives, including those of transsexuals; and informing educationalists and law makers. Submitted projects relate to the research of Prof. John Howard, Dr. Robert Mills, and Prof. Mark W. Turner.