Yana Klichuk. Understanding the role of the mediator in a cultural organization
00:00 – greetings 00:43 – outlining the topic of the lecture 01:39 – brief introduction to Manifesta 03:53 – what is cultural mediation 05:37 – why cultural institutions need mediators 07:36 – what do institutions expect from mediators 10:00 – Manifesta and mediation 22:10 – summarizing 25:00 – Q&A Mediators and educators are often considered to be so-called ambassadors of the institution, developing new audiences, and strengthening their engagement. It is assumed that they admire the institutional vision as well as the curatorial programme and unconditionally commit to its promotion among diverse groups of people. At the same time, cultural mediators are mostly hired for projects on fixed-term contracts, which do not include either time or (office) space required for building trust, loyalty, and sense of belonging. The talk will focus on the political and ethical position of mediators in cultural institutions and projects in an attempt to understand whose interests s/he is supposed to advocate – those of institution, curators, artists, audience, or his/her own? In her professional experience, cultural worker and educator Yana Klichuk combines research, curatorial, and mediation practices. She advocates principles of equal footing and balance of power in collective processes of knowledge production, as well as mutual respect and common sense in temporary collaborations and cultural mediation. Since 2015 Yana directs the Education and Mediation Programme of European Nomadic Biennial Manifesta, together with local teams, setting up mediation strategies in the biennial host cities. https://manifesta.org/
00:00 – greetings 00:43 – outlining the topic of the lecture 01:39 – brief introduction to Manifesta 03:53 – what is cultural mediation 05:37 – why cultural institutions need mediators 07:36 – what do institutions expect from mediators 10:00 – Manifesta and mediation 22:10 – summarizing 25:00 – Q&A Mediators and educators are often considered to be so-called ambassadors of the institution, developing new audiences, and strengthening their engagement. It is assumed that they admire the institutional vision as well as the curatorial programme and unconditionally commit to its promotion among diverse groups of people. At the same time, cultural mediators are mostly hired for projects on fixed-term contracts, which do not include either time or (office) space required for building trust, loyalty, and sense of belonging. The talk will focus on the political and ethical position of mediators in cultural institutions and projects in an attempt to understand whose interests s/he is supposed to advocate – those of institution, curators, artists, audience, or his/her own? In her professional experience, cultural worker and educator Yana Klichuk combines research, curatorial, and mediation practices. She advocates principles of equal footing and balance of power in collective processes of knowledge production, as well as mutual respect and common sense in temporary collaborations and cultural mediation. Since 2015 Yana directs the Education and Mediation Programme of European Nomadic Biennial Manifesta, together with local teams, setting up mediation strategies in the biennial host cities. https://manifesta.org/