The conversation
Are galleries just for girls?
Dear Edwin: During the pilot phase of the new learning programme and the recruitment for our young people-led programme, most participants were girls, which troubled me. Having identified an imbalance in gender participation at the Whitworth, I want to understand why it exists. If boys aren’t visiting or engaging with galleries, then what are they interested in? Why do girls continue to sign up to the arts? Are galleries just for girls? Do museums, schools and colleges have similar concerns? Is it true for all cultural sectors, including the creative industries?
Best wishes, Denise
Dear Denise: There is a bigger question here. Historically, “high” culture has often been produced, curated and managed largely by white, affluent men. The greater inclusion of women as artists, administrators and a public is important, although higher positions of authority still tend to be largely occupied by men. People from working class and black and minority ethnic backgrounds have also been largely marginalised. I see no reason why a drop in figures for privileged white male audiences should necessarily be a cause for concern, given the greater political representation they have. The real question is what about demographics traditionally excluded from the museum?
Best wishes, Edwin
Dear Edwin: Even with an increased presence of women in galleries, we need to redress all aspects of diversity in the cultural sector. My concern is a divergence of the genders, particularly at formative secondary school age, where fundamental views are formed. Cultural experiences that preclude large sectors of society are a concern. What does it mean for galleries if males are absent? What would make young men want to study the arts and participate in cultural activities? Will the lack of males devalue the arts, leaving a skills-set shortage for our creative industries?
Best wishes, Denise
Dear Denise: This is why I brought up class and race. I imagine high culture today as associated with (middle-class) femininity, as part of wider gender norms. The kind of material exhibited also has a huge bearing on which audiences feel interested or invited to engage with museums. It could be that culture more specifically associated
with white middle-class boyhood is not exhibited. My priority is showcasing objects that boys from working-class and BME backgrounds would relate to and feel represent their experiences. Perhaps even getting boys from these communities involved in curating itself.
Best wishes, Edwin
Dear Edwin: We share similar priorities. My role targets prospective students and their influencers, providing opportunities for all young people, particularly from lower socio-economic groups. The sector needs to re-examine what curating entails and broaden our acknowledgement of what art is. This will necessitate risk-taking
leaders who refuse to be straitjacketed by the art establishment. I look forward to exhibitions curated by and showing work by a diverse range of our younger demographic, including white working-class males.
Best wishes, Denise
Dear Denise: There is an opportunity to rethink what constitutes curating. We should question the idea that “high” art and visual culture should be separated or subject to hierarchy. If the aim of museums is to preserve material in order to share knowledge about history and society, there’s no reason the public’s selfies shouldn’t be exhibited alongside artists’ self-portraits, or a Beyoncé video alongside canonical paintings to explore representations of gender. Power is concentrated in the hands of relatively few, but allowing those usually outside the institution to curate exhibitions could transform museums into something more diverse demographics have a stake in.
Best wishes, Edwin
Denise Bowler is the secondary and post-16 coordinator at the Whitworth Gallery, Manchester, and a member of the Museums Association’s Transformers programme.
Edwin Coomasaru is the director of the International New Media Gallery and a PhD candidate at the Courtauld Institute of Art.
Best wishes, Denise
Dear Denise: There is a bigger question here. Historically, “high” culture has often been produced, curated and managed largely by white, affluent men. The greater inclusion of women as artists, administrators and a public is important, although higher positions of authority still tend to be largely occupied by men. People from working class and black and minority ethnic backgrounds have also been largely marginalised. I see no reason why a drop in figures for privileged white male audiences should necessarily be a cause for concern, given the greater political representation they have. The real question is what about demographics traditionally excluded from the museum?
Best wishes, Edwin
Dear Edwin: Even with an increased presence of women in galleries, we need to redress all aspects of diversity in the cultural sector. My concern is a divergence of the genders, particularly at formative secondary school age, where fundamental views are formed. Cultural experiences that preclude large sectors of society are a concern. What does it mean for galleries if males are absent? What would make young men want to study the arts and participate in cultural activities? Will the lack of males devalue the arts, leaving a skills-set shortage for our creative industries?
Best wishes, Denise
Dear Denise: This is why I brought up class and race. I imagine high culture today as associated with (middle-class) femininity, as part of wider gender norms. The kind of material exhibited also has a huge bearing on which audiences feel interested or invited to engage with museums. It could be that culture more specifically associated
with white middle-class boyhood is not exhibited. My priority is showcasing objects that boys from working-class and BME backgrounds would relate to and feel represent their experiences. Perhaps even getting boys from these communities involved in curating itself.
Best wishes, Edwin
Dear Edwin: We share similar priorities. My role targets prospective students and their influencers, providing opportunities for all young people, particularly from lower socio-economic groups. The sector needs to re-examine what curating entails and broaden our acknowledgement of what art is. This will necessitate risk-taking
leaders who refuse to be straitjacketed by the art establishment. I look forward to exhibitions curated by and showing work by a diverse range of our younger demographic, including white working-class males.
Best wishes, Denise
Dear Denise: There is an opportunity to rethink what constitutes curating. We should question the idea that “high” art and visual culture should be separated or subject to hierarchy. If the aim of museums is to preserve material in order to share knowledge about history and society, there’s no reason the public’s selfies shouldn’t be exhibited alongside artists’ self-portraits, or a Beyoncé video alongside canonical paintings to explore representations of gender. Power is concentrated in the hands of relatively few, but allowing those usually outside the institution to curate exhibitions could transform museums into something more diverse demographics have a stake in.
Best wishes, Edwin
Denise Bowler is the secondary and post-16 coordinator at the Whitworth Gallery, Manchester, and a member of the Museums Association’s Transformers programme.
Edwin Coomasaru is the director of the International New Media Gallery and a PhD candidate at the Courtauld Institute of Art.