Eleanor Farrington
Museum Education ProgrammerAre you a graduate? If so, what did you study?
I studied BA with Honours in Fine Art at the University of Newcastle upon-Tyne. Then I made a bid decision to not go straight into an MA right away. I moved to London and took a PGCE (for Secondary Art and Design) at Goldsmiths College. I loved and hated the course. I loved being in a classroom - all the interests I indulged during my fine art course, I was able to translate those into creative projects for students. But the course was also very challenging, there was a lot of studying and assignments on top of being in the classroom full time. Taking a PGCE and becoming a Qualified Teacher is one of the most important things I’ve done.
How did you get into your role?
After taking my PGCE I continued to teach and achieved Qualified Teacher Status before I moved into Gallery Education. I was always interested in teaching, and I liked working with young people, but I didn’t want to be confined to the classroom. Within the arts there are lots of different learning processes, environments and modes of production. I’m interested in learning using diverse and alternative approaches. There are lots of ways to learn, it should be really creative, including having a range of different role models, such as artists to learn from.
The summer after my PGCE, before I started as a teacher in September, I had a few months free, so I volunteered at the Barbican and at the Geffrye Museum in the Learning Departments. This led to paid freelance work.
After my year teaching in a secondary school, I continued to teach 2 days a week and began working part time at Camden Arts Centre, as the Schools and Community Coordinator. I did that for two and a half years and loved it. That time gave me a nice balance of teaching and project based work, and the two informed each other well. Since then I’ve been here at the Serpentine Gallery as the Education Programmer.
Brief description of what you do.
I devise, organise and programme the learning activities here at the gallery and sometimes offsite. Our programme has four strands, working with schools, communities, young people and families.
What is a standard day for you?
It depends. It’s really quite diverse. I do a bit of everything in an organisational sense. I liaise with artists, educators, community organisers and teachers to plan and develop programmes. This includes organising materials, equipment and management of the education space. I support people who are working with us – artists, researchers, writers for our website, photographers who document what we do etc.
There are two sides to my work the every day organisation and delivery of the programme and the more strategic planning, developing partnerships, research and new ideas. I also give talks in the Gallery often throughout my working week introducing the themes and ideas for exhibitions to groups. The artists lead their activities, and I support and manage these.
I also get out and about visiting schools, community organisations, and sometimes visiting artist’s studios and exhibitions with the Programming team.
What skills have you come to rely on most in your position?
Patience, determination, good communication, and being very flexible and open to the new ideas and approaches proposed by artists, and educators. Time keeping is very important as we work really fast to upcoming deadlines, and there is always a lot going on here. A sense of humour – don’t take it all too seriously. Work well as a team, and support each other. By being in a small team here we are able to be experimental, try out new ways of working and be supportive of each other.
If you had to pick one positive and one negative aspect of your job what would they be?
Positive is working with lots of different artists and creative people. Negative is probably that we take on lots and are always very busy so it can really burn you out. Especially in the summer where our events programme is extremely busy.
Do you do any type of networking? If so, what?
I meet with many artists, community groups, schools, London borough councils; groups of people working in the museum and gallery sector.
I work a lot with ENGAGE, the national organisation for gallery education and educators. Through them I make a lot of connections with other gallery educators and we also meet informally regularly. It helps to find out where you are all on the same page, or crossing over, and gives a place to voice your opinions, priorities and concerns.
Is there any advice that you would give students looking to get into your field?
I wouldn’t necessarily say you need a PGCE. There are new MAs directly related to gallery education now, but it’s much more about your practice as an artist or your individual interests in working with people, families, children and young people in a variety of contexts.
Go out and try it. Ask to volunteer on projects that you find interesting, if you are engaged in your own art practice this would help. Be assertive, don’t just send an email, but call up and speak to someone, consider what projects you have been working on lately and how they might be relevant or make interesting links to the gallery’s upcoming programmes.
The first question I ask anyone who calls is ‘why are you interested in the Serpentine Gallery and which particular projects or programming attract you?’ Don’t just send the same email to museums and galleries in one go, be specific about which programmes you have seen and why you liked them. Do your research about the most relevant person to contact too.
Is there anything else you think we should know?
One thing that is very important for working in education is to look at what artists and educators are doing in the sector not just in London but all over the world. Artists that take part in engagement-based programmes do so not because they want to teach, but because it helps them to do something new in their practice or give them a new platform for their work and engage with new audiences. How could you use an engagement based project to do things with your practice that you cannot do currently?
