When I Name Myself as a Curator, What Do I Mean?

I have no official professional quailfication as a Curator, no Tertiary education in any Art subjects. But while I would not be able to get the job of Curator in any other institution, I am certainly the expert in the “Redbanks Rust & Found Art Installation”!

No-one knows more about this Art Installation than I do! And not only that, they never will! For I am the Creater, and Curator of this Art Installation, and much of the information concerning this Installation is still swishing around inside the creative space inside of my mind!

If I was a trained up professional Art Installation Curator, I would easily be able to show this piece which has now been put on display at this Art Installation. But that’s now the way things go in this Freelance “Pick It Up Then Put It Up” Installation. There is no list of the over 750 items now on display, and that number of ‘over 750 items’ is a guess, but as the person who collected almost all of the items, then put them on display and is now doing the Curating work, I am the Official and Only, Curator!

If someone thinks people can’t simply start creating such a thing, and then promoting it as an Art Installation and Tourism Site, well have I got news for them! That is exactly what I’ve done, well the first part, and the promotion of this installation/site is officially starting by the end of this month!

The Creation of this site has been fun, and I thank those who have assisted me in this, from Graham (my husband) our dog Lenny, Teresa who listened to me talking about his, and helped in the early collection times when it all started. And to Steve Oatway (an incredible creator of Found Object Art) and the lovely friends I’ve talked to about this project and some of whom have also given items for it to me. I thank you all so much! The interest from others has been a big part of how and why this is still going!

The curational process is much more brain work, rather than walking, although there is a bit of walking, and carrying involved as well, when moving various items found from the car to the midway space and then to the Installation, to be put on display.

CBut the process of moving from Creater to Curator also involved the consideration of why I was doing this, and what did it all mean, to me personally, and larger than that, to the community living in Redbanks, and broader than that. Me thoughts touch heavily on the Recycling aspects, and the related Reuse and Reimagining thoughts.

Further than that, as I’ve thought about the items I’ve found in the middle of country roads around where I live, well taking the various objects from the road to my boot or back seat and then putting them on display, I consider I possibly have prevented more than a few road accidents. I may have even saved some lives, who knows?!

I am glad about all of this, and while my brain and body remain so much engaged with this project, I’m sure the Redbanks Rust and Found Art Installation will go on becoming bigger and better! And this morning I pulled over when driving to an event to check my phone when I missed a call, then looked behind my car and found a new/old piece!

Then for the meeting I dropped into after that one, I showed this new piece, and told the new group member there, and found another person who loves collecting things too. Hooray! When there are things in your life that are important to you, and you’re passionate about, talking about them to others can have fabulous results.

This new person is interested in coming along for a look at what I’ve done, and she says she’ll bring a group of her friends with her! It really feels like this idea is a goer, for sure, and who knows, it may lead to even bigger and better things!

Life really is good, when others are on the same page, and understand why you love doing the unusual things you love to do!

It isn’t Crazy, it’s Creative!