1 00:00:08,430 --> 00:00:14,940 Claire Bown: Hello and welcome to the Art Engager podcast with me, Claire Bown. 2 00:00:15,090 --> 00:00:19,200 I'm here to share techniques and tools to help you engage with your audience 3 00:00:19,290 --> 00:00:22,740 and bring art objects and ideas to life. 4 00:00:23,940 --> 00:00:25,590 So let's dive into this week's show. 5 00:00:29,550 --> 00:00:33,720 Hello, and welcome to a new episode of The Art Engager. 6 00:00:34,230 --> 00:00:39,930 I'm Claire Bown, and today I'm chatting with Geraldine Collinge, Chief Executive 7 00:00:39,930 --> 00:00:47,160 at Compton Verney, a unique art space in a park located in Warwickshire in the UK. 8 00:00:47,655 --> 00:00:53,474 But before we dive in, a quick word about my book, The Art Engager Reimagining 9 00:00:53,474 --> 00:00:56,235 Guided Experiences in Museums. 10 00:00:56,535 --> 00:01:01,004 Now, a huge thank you to everyone who's supported the book since its release. 11 00:01:01,425 --> 00:01:05,055 I'm so grateful for your enthusiasm and your feedback, 12 00:01:05,565 --> 00:01:07,695 and I'd also love your support. 13 00:01:07,755 --> 00:01:12,884 So please consider leaving a review on Amazon or sharing what you like 14 00:01:12,884 --> 00:01:14,805 about the book on social media. 15 00:01:15,270 --> 00:01:19,169 And if you are reading it with a book club, do get in touch. 16 00:01:19,410 --> 00:01:23,550 I'd be happy to offer a free Q&A session for your group. 17 00:01:25,380 --> 00:01:27,450 Now let me introduce today's guest. 18 00:01:27,780 --> 00:01:31,560 Geraldine Collinge brings a wealth of experience in the arts, 19 00:01:31,560 --> 00:01:36,240 including 12 years as director at the Royal Shakespeare Company. 20 00:01:36,690 --> 00:01:42,300 She now leads Compton Verney, an extraordinary cultural organization set in 21 00:01:42,300 --> 00:01:47,920 the rural heart of England, just south of Warwickshire and near Stratford upon Avon. 22 00:01:48,675 --> 00:01:53,475 For listeners unfamiliar with Compton Verney, it's a place that defies easy 23 00:01:53,475 --> 00:01:59,745 categorization, part art gallery, part historic house, part landscape 24 00:01:59,745 --> 00:02:07,305 garden, and 100% dedicated to creating meaningful encounters with art and nature. 25 00:02:07,995 --> 00:02:14,985 It's housed in a historic Robert Adam mansion, surrounded by 120 acres of 26 00:02:14,985 --> 00:02:17,475 Capability Brown designed landscape. 27 00:02:18,585 --> 00:02:23,715 So founded by Sir Peter Moores just over 20 years ago, Compton Verney 28 00:02:23,715 --> 00:02:28,665 has transformed from a ruined stately home into a vibrant, contemporary 29 00:02:28,665 --> 00:02:33,555 art space with six distinctive collections ranging from ancient 30 00:02:33,555 --> 00:02:36,225 Chinese bronzes to British folk art. 31 00:02:37,065 --> 00:02:42,345 What makes it really special is its playful accessible approach, which 32 00:02:42,345 --> 00:02:45,579 welcomes everyone into the world of art. 33 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:51,510 So if you're curious about how cultural spaces can become more accessible, 34 00:02:51,540 --> 00:02:57,869 engaging, and meaningful for diverse audiences, this conversation is for you. 35 00:02:58,230 --> 00:03:03,540 Compton Verney is really re-imagining art engagement by putting values 36 00:03:03,540 --> 00:03:09,989 like inclusivity, boldness, and fun at the heart of everything they do. 37 00:03:10,799 --> 00:03:14,970 So in today's episode, Geraldine shares how Compton Vern's core 38 00:03:14,970 --> 00:03:17,850 values really guide their work. 39 00:03:18,059 --> 00:03:22,140 We talk about their play first approach, their multisensory 40 00:03:22,140 --> 00:03:27,000 exhibitions that have doubled visitor numbers and how they're creating deep 41 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:29,790 connections between art and nature. 42 00:03:30,660 --> 00:03:36,054 This conversation is full of inspiring insights into what it takes to create 43 00:03:36,165 --> 00:03:39,135 genuinely engaging cultural spaces. 44 00:03:40,364 --> 00:03:40,995 Enjoy. 45 00:03:42,915 --> 00:03:46,155 Hi Geraldine, and welcome to the Art Engager Podcast. 46 00:03:47,295 --> 00:03:48,075 Geraldine Collinge: Hi. 47 00:03:48,195 --> 00:03:48,405 Hi. 48 00:03:48,405 --> 00:03:48,704 Hi. 49 00:03:48,704 --> 00:03:49,635 It's great to be here. 50 00:03:49,635 --> 00:03:50,505 Thanks for having me. 51 00:03:50,685 --> 00:03:51,855 Claire Bown: You're very, very welcome. 52 00:03:51,905 --> 00:03:55,744 So could you tell our listeners a little bit about who you are and what you do? 53 00:03:56,684 --> 00:03:56,984 I'm 54 00:03:56,984 --> 00:04:00,114 Geraldine Collinge: Geraldine Collinge and I've got the pleasure of being 55 00:04:00,114 --> 00:04:02,294 Chief Executive at Compton Verney. 56 00:04:02,571 --> 00:04:07,101 So before Compton Verney, I'd been at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford, 57 00:04:07,101 --> 00:04:08,871 which is just down the road from here. 58 00:04:09,291 --> 00:04:14,351 And I'd been there for over 10 years and was thinking about, what next. 59 00:04:14,721 --> 00:04:18,041 And I saw the job advertised at Compton Verney. 60 00:04:18,041 --> 00:04:21,121 In fact, I heard that the job was gonna be coming up at Compton Verney 61 00:04:21,121 --> 00:04:23,981 and thought, That's the job for me. 62 00:04:24,081 --> 00:04:25,861 I already loved Compton Verney. 63 00:04:25,881 --> 00:04:30,921 I was a member, had even collaborated on an exhibition about Shakespeare. 64 00:04:30,951 --> 00:04:35,231 It felt absolutely the right move for me and I was really delighted 65 00:04:35,231 --> 00:04:40,001 that, yeah, through a proper process, was lucky enough to be offered the 66 00:04:40,001 --> 00:04:42,501 job about two and a half years ago. 67 00:04:42,601 --> 00:04:43,201 Claire Bown: Excellent. 68 00:04:43,241 --> 00:04:47,831 You are in Warwickshire, which for our listeners who are not from the UK, we 69 00:04:47,831 --> 00:04:49,211 have listeners all around the world. 70 00:04:49,491 --> 00:04:53,071 Warwickshire is a county in the center in the Midlands of England. 71 00:04:53,341 --> 00:04:56,711 Could you tell us a little bit about Compton Verney and what makes it special? 72 00:04:58,091 --> 00:05:03,206 Geraldine Collinge: So Compton Verney is an art space in a park, and the park is 73 00:05:03,206 --> 00:05:07,046 120 acres of Capability Brown landscape. 74 00:05:07,406 --> 00:05:11,356 And we've also got a Robert Adam House on the landscape. 75 00:05:11,716 --> 00:05:15,496 So it is a kind of really beautiful historic location, but 76 00:05:15,496 --> 00:05:17,356 then with contemporary activity. 77 00:05:17,356 --> 00:05:21,046 So we're a young organization in a historic place. 78 00:05:21,466 --> 00:05:24,586 We connect people with art, nature, and creativity. 79 00:05:25,221 --> 00:05:29,721 And Compton Verney is one of those really kind of extraordinary places. 80 00:05:29,771 --> 00:05:32,321 It's playful, it is surprising. 81 00:05:32,371 --> 00:05:34,651 Makes for a really brilliant day out. 82 00:05:34,921 --> 00:05:37,891 And like you say, we're right in the middle of the country, so we're at 83 00:05:37,891 --> 00:05:41,961 the south of Warwickshire, nearly in Oxfordshire, like I said, near Stratford 84 00:05:41,961 --> 00:05:43,921 upon Avon, near Leamington Coventry. 85 00:05:43,921 --> 00:05:49,901 So we've got this rural location that is completely idyllic, but actually 86 00:05:50,171 --> 00:05:52,781 also quite near urban environment. 87 00:05:52,781 --> 00:05:54,721 You know, it's a pretty special place 88 00:05:55,561 --> 00:05:58,351 Claire Bown: and it's not always been open to the public, has it? 89 00:05:58,351 --> 00:06:01,651 Last year it was your 20th anniversary, is that right? 90 00:06:02,076 --> 00:06:03,366 Geraldine Collinge: That's completely right. 91 00:06:03,416 --> 00:06:07,826 So we've got quite an unusual background in that we were set up by Sir Peter 92 00:06:08,096 --> 00:06:12,136 Moores, who was part of the family that owned a retail group, Littlewoods, 93 00:06:12,156 --> 00:06:13,746 which some people might remember. 94 00:06:14,066 --> 00:06:20,066 And his family also invented something called the Pools, which is where 95 00:06:20,066 --> 00:06:25,451 people used to bet on what the scores were gonna be in football matches. 96 00:06:25,901 --> 00:06:31,351 So Sir Peter Moores was the son of this fortune and he inherited a fortune and 97 00:06:31,651 --> 00:06:33,721 he started to work in the business. 98 00:06:33,721 --> 00:06:38,371 And we are told that his father said, 'oh, you know, you are okay at 99 00:06:38,371 --> 00:06:41,701 business, but have you thought about doing anything else?' So I think his 100 00:06:41,751 --> 00:06:44,071 interests were much more in the arts. 101 00:06:45,516 --> 00:06:51,126 And he loved opera and he loved visual art, and he had a vision to create an 102 00:06:51,126 --> 00:06:55,266 art gallery in the middle of the country that would be accessible to people. 103 00:06:55,266 --> 00:07:00,456 So one of his strap lines was open doors, open minds, and he discovered 104 00:07:00,456 --> 00:07:02,226 Compton Verney when it was a ruin. 105 00:07:02,226 --> 00:07:07,321 It had been a stately home for landed gentry and then it had been sold off. 106 00:07:07,321 --> 00:07:09,541 So different people had lived here over time. 107 00:07:09,921 --> 00:07:11,531 But it really was a ruin. 108 00:07:11,881 --> 00:07:16,381 He bought it and then he invested millions and millions of pounds into 109 00:07:16,381 --> 00:07:18,801 turning it into a contemporary art space. 110 00:07:19,201 --> 00:07:23,436 So he built a new wing that is a real state of the art, contemporary 111 00:07:23,436 --> 00:07:28,296 gallery space created a restaurant space, toilets, all the immunities that 112 00:07:28,296 --> 00:07:30,576 you need to run a public venue now. 113 00:07:30,996 --> 00:07:36,376 And he opened it in two stages and the full opening was, yeah, 114 00:07:36,406 --> 00:07:40,846 it was 20 years ago last year, so 21 years ago, almost to the day. 115 00:07:41,176 --> 00:07:44,496 And another brilliant thing that he did is that he acquired 116 00:07:44,496 --> 00:07:47,226 collections to go into the gallery. 117 00:07:47,556 --> 00:07:50,406 So it isn't that, it's his things that were here. 118 00:07:50,406 --> 00:07:53,076 And some people say to me, oh, did Peter Moores live here? 119 00:07:53,076 --> 00:07:53,886 Or so? 120 00:07:53,886 --> 00:07:55,146 No, he never lived here. 121 00:07:55,146 --> 00:07:58,706 He always thought about it, he was making it a public space. 122 00:07:59,066 --> 00:08:02,366 So the collections that we've got on show are things that he thought 123 00:08:02,366 --> 00:08:04,196 people would be interested in. 124 00:08:04,646 --> 00:08:09,286 And all the collections were selected because they weren't collections that 125 00:08:09,286 --> 00:08:11,656 were in other people's collections. 126 00:08:11,656 --> 00:08:16,866 So like the National Gallery or other main museums around the country. 127 00:08:17,166 --> 00:08:21,936 So it's kinda like all the collections are very, very specific and quite niche. 128 00:08:22,116 --> 00:08:27,396 So together we've got these six incredibly specific, exciting collections. 129 00:08:27,396 --> 00:08:34,216 So from ancient Shang, Ty, Chinese bronzes to folk art, to pub signs and 130 00:08:34,216 --> 00:08:37,156 really, eclectic mix of collections. 131 00:08:37,566 --> 00:08:42,286 And then, two different exhibition spaces with different changing 132 00:08:42,736 --> 00:08:46,586 temporary exhibitions and also, things in the grounds. 133 00:08:46,606 --> 00:08:52,671 So increasingly, we've done more events and activities, so we have things like 134 00:08:53,011 --> 00:08:56,511 something called 'Pot Fest' coming up in May, where there's loads of people selling 135 00:08:56,511 --> 00:09:01,726 their incredible pottery all around the grounds, loads of activities for families. 136 00:09:01,726 --> 00:09:06,166 One of our big growing audiences has been a family audience, so activities 137 00:09:06,216 --> 00:09:12,336 in the school holidays, but also activities for very early years, young 138 00:09:12,336 --> 00:09:17,006 people in the week, who perhaps wouldn't otherwise go to a cultural space. 139 00:09:17,006 --> 00:09:20,546 But trying to give people access to culture from an early stage. 140 00:09:21,316 --> 00:09:25,306 Claire Bown: And an absolutely fascinating history to the place. 141 00:09:25,726 --> 00:09:28,786 And it could say quite a unique place as well with the kind of unique 142 00:09:28,786 --> 00:09:31,696 blend of collections that you've got, the history that you've got. 143 00:09:31,996 --> 00:09:37,606 But I think that your work, your values carry on the work of Sir Peter Moores, 144 00:09:37,756 --> 00:09:40,486 who set up and started Compton Verney. 145 00:09:40,486 --> 00:09:44,866 So I think you're carrying on those values around openness, accessibility. 146 00:09:45,166 --> 00:09:48,976 So could you talk a little bit about the values at Compton Verney? 147 00:09:49,606 --> 00:09:53,846 Geraldine Collinge: Yeah, so I suppose maybe I'd start even by saying like, my 148 00:09:53,846 --> 00:09:56,696 own values are about access to culture. 149 00:09:56,696 --> 00:10:00,696 I believe passionately that everybody should have access 150 00:10:00,696 --> 00:10:02,616 to culture and creativity. 151 00:10:02,826 --> 00:10:05,436 That is something that we can all enjoy. 152 00:10:05,706 --> 00:10:09,486 And that's shaped my career and the jobs that I've done. 153 00:10:09,486 --> 00:10:13,456 So I've worked in a variety of different organizations and 154 00:10:13,456 --> 00:10:16,156 I've done lots of different creative roles through my career. 155 00:10:16,156 --> 00:10:20,306 But generally they've been about, how we can open things up and enable access 156 00:10:20,306 --> 00:10:22,796 to different forms of creativity. 157 00:10:22,796 --> 00:10:26,396 So I've worked in spoken word for quite a long time, really thinking about 158 00:10:26,396 --> 00:10:28,976 how more people engage with poetry. 159 00:10:29,026 --> 00:10:32,346 More people have access to something that often people would 160 00:10:32,346 --> 00:10:33,876 say, oh, poetry's not for me. 161 00:10:33,926 --> 00:10:36,626 Then you have, being at the Royal Shakespeare Company as not 162 00:10:36,626 --> 00:10:40,706 particularly a Shakespeare expert, but someone who could enable people 163 00:10:40,706 --> 00:10:45,016 to find ways into Shakespeare and, so yeah, I famously created 164 00:10:45,016 --> 00:10:47,556 Montague's v Capulet's table football. 165 00:10:47,816 --> 00:10:51,146 I definitely want people to be able to engage with things and I think 166 00:10:51,146 --> 00:10:54,616 that's super important is part of the thing we should all have access to. 167 00:10:55,336 --> 00:10:55,561 So I 168 00:10:57,986 --> 00:11:00,376 approach Compton with that in mind. 169 00:11:00,856 --> 00:11:05,356 And thinking about what are the values of Compton Verney and our 170 00:11:05,356 --> 00:11:09,796 values as we currently articulate them are that we're collaborative, 171 00:11:09,916 --> 00:11:13,466 sustainable, bold, inclusive, and fun. 172 00:11:14,116 --> 00:11:21,196 And it's one of the very early projects that I did here and almost used it 173 00:11:21,196 --> 00:11:25,156 as a way to kind of get to know the organization, get to know the people 174 00:11:25,156 --> 00:11:30,226 here, was to start to think about what might our values be going forward. 175 00:11:30,346 --> 00:11:36,641 We had values, et cetera already, but, how could we think about A small number 176 00:11:36,641 --> 00:11:40,971 of values that were really memorable, that people could really get behind 177 00:11:40,971 --> 00:11:43,191 that meant something to everybody. 178 00:11:43,611 --> 00:11:49,411 And I also really believe that I want everybody to be able to understand 179 00:11:49,411 --> 00:11:53,191 the values and everybody to feel like they can see them in their work. 180 00:11:53,731 --> 00:11:55,711 And we are a complex organization. 181 00:11:55,711 --> 00:11:58,591 We've got people doing lots of different functions here. 182 00:11:58,591 --> 00:12:01,591 As you can imagine, you might be working in finance, you might be 183 00:12:01,591 --> 00:12:04,381 working in the restaurant, you might be working in the landscape. 184 00:12:04,436 --> 00:12:08,076 Not lots of people are doing lots of different kinds of jobs it was really 185 00:12:08,076 --> 00:12:13,476 important to have the conversations around values to get us to think about yeah how 186 00:12:13,476 --> 00:12:18,066 can everybody say, 'oh yeah, I can see how I do that in my day-to-day work'. 187 00:12:18,546 --> 00:12:22,146 So yeah we did it as quite a large project. 188 00:12:22,266 --> 00:12:26,286 In that, when you are new somewhere and you're full of enthusiasm and 189 00:12:26,286 --> 00:12:29,761 you really want to set up and to take people with you on that journey. 190 00:12:29,811 --> 00:12:33,171 Thought about it as well as alongside updating our mission, 191 00:12:33,171 --> 00:12:34,891 our vision, and our values. 192 00:12:34,891 --> 00:12:37,081 So yeah, really thought about those. 193 00:12:37,451 --> 00:12:42,071 I mainly worked internally with staff on them, so with staff and volunteers, 194 00:12:42,131 --> 00:12:46,211 and then with our board as well to think about what the values were. 195 00:12:46,661 --> 00:12:52,246 And then since then, I. Like I say, I've, we touched on them again last 196 00:12:52,246 --> 00:12:56,026 ,year when we were developing our new strategy and I did a bit more work 197 00:12:56,026 --> 00:12:58,536 externally had sensing conversations. 198 00:12:58,536 --> 00:13:01,486 I dunno if you know someone called Otto Scharmer. 199 00:13:01,776 --> 00:13:06,366 And, as part of his theory, he talks a lot about having sensing conversations and 200 00:13:06,366 --> 00:13:10,876 enables you to almost feel a new future. 201 00:13:10,876 --> 00:13:12,976 And he thinks about data really broadly. 202 00:13:12,976 --> 00:13:16,186 So data through, yeah, what you observe. 203 00:13:16,286 --> 00:13:20,731 And his big strap line is about observing, 'observe, observe, observe', 204 00:13:21,091 --> 00:13:23,641 and using all the data that you gather. 205 00:13:23,641 --> 00:13:27,481 How we are relating to each other in this conversation is data. 206 00:13:27,731 --> 00:13:32,066 That is, informing my opinion about who you are, how we are engaging, 207 00:13:32,066 --> 00:13:36,236 so he's really helps you to think about, particularly as kind of 208 00:13:36,236 --> 00:13:40,316 visual organizations, what's, we need to take everything that we 209 00:13:40,316 --> 00:13:42,986 see as part of a communication. 210 00:13:42,986 --> 00:13:46,866 So yeah, using that theory was a really important tool as part 211 00:13:46,866 --> 00:13:48,216 of our strategy development. 212 00:13:48,751 --> 00:13:49,621 Claire Bown: Super interesting. 213 00:13:49,621 --> 00:13:54,361 I will look it up as those words, observe, observe, observe write up 214 00:13:54,361 --> 00:13:59,191 my street, and probably a lot of the listeners to this podcast as well. 215 00:13:59,591 --> 00:14:04,181 We talked off air a little bit about values being more than just a piece 216 00:14:04,181 --> 00:14:06,056 of paper that you stick to the wall. 217 00:14:06,156 --> 00:14:12,426 So how do you ensure that these values actually guide the work at Compton Verney 218 00:14:13,091 --> 00:14:15,391 Geraldine Collinge: Yeah, I think because some of them are kind of so 219 00:14:15,391 --> 00:14:19,851 close to my heart, so we immediately started doing some things that 220 00:14:19,851 --> 00:14:22,041 were instilled by those values. 221 00:14:22,071 --> 00:14:26,781 And offline, you asked me a brilliant question about my values and about 222 00:14:26,781 --> 00:14:30,651 Compton Verney values, and that was like really helpful to reflect on 223 00:14:30,651 --> 00:14:34,001 in terms of like, what things are my values as well as Compton Bernie's 224 00:14:34,001 --> 00:14:37,901 values and where do those converge and where might they be slightly different? 225 00:14:38,351 --> 00:14:42,221 So it made me think about some of the things that I arrived thinking 226 00:14:42,221 --> 00:14:46,291 about, like, how is Compton Verney the birthright of local people? 227 00:14:46,541 --> 00:14:49,926 We've got a paywall, so that's quite complicated to 228 00:14:49,926 --> 00:14:51,906 articulate it as a birthright. 229 00:14:52,236 --> 00:14:56,241 But you know, we started thinking about creating community passes 230 00:14:56,271 --> 00:14:59,691 that give a 97% discount for some of the groups that we work with. 231 00:14:59,691 --> 00:15:03,651 So straight away you are enabling access to something that might 232 00:15:03,651 --> 00:15:05,271 have been perceived as a barrier. 233 00:15:05,631 --> 00:15:09,861 And one of the things that we did last year is that as part of the 20th birthday, 234 00:15:10,071 --> 00:15:14,501 we created a two pound pass for people on pension credit and income credit. 235 00:15:14,781 --> 00:15:19,316 And we sold 850 of those over the year.. Actually being able to say, yes, there 236 00:15:19,316 --> 00:15:22,916 are ways of making sure that we are giving people access to Compton Verne. 237 00:15:23,186 --> 00:15:27,846 That it isn't elitist and thinking about yeah, what, how we might present ourselves 238 00:15:27,846 --> 00:15:30,036 and what we need to do to channel that. 239 00:15:30,566 --> 00:15:35,176 So I suppose some of it is through doing and through making some of those changes. 240 00:15:35,516 --> 00:15:39,756 And other things are, really practical things like in our annual reviews. 241 00:15:39,756 --> 00:15:42,696 So I've just had my annual review with the chair. 242 00:15:42,926 --> 00:15:46,466 We all start those by thinking about really specific examples 243 00:15:46,466 --> 00:15:48,341 of how we've met our values. 244 00:15:48,341 --> 00:15:52,091 So what are the things that we actually did that were 245 00:15:52,151 --> 00:15:54,221 tangible demonstration of value. 246 00:15:54,221 --> 00:15:56,871 Being able to do that all the way through the organization's, 247 00:15:56,921 --> 00:15:58,631 I think is really important. 248 00:15:59,151 --> 00:16:02,381 I personally would use them as a guide or a challenge. 249 00:16:02,381 --> 00:16:05,771 If you're trying to make a decision or you're in a dilemma or a tricky 250 00:16:05,771 --> 00:16:09,451 position, then thinking, okay, how can our values help us with this? 251 00:16:09,451 --> 00:16:11,251 What do they tell us to do? 252 00:16:11,791 --> 00:16:15,851 And, particularly at the moment, things aren't easy in the world, are they? 253 00:16:15,901 --> 00:16:19,351 If you are making a decision where you might think, oh, this is gonna compromise 254 00:16:19,351 --> 00:16:21,091 our values... Are we prepared to do that? 255 00:16:21,091 --> 00:16:21,811 What does that mean? 256 00:16:21,811 --> 00:16:26,341 So being really conscious, I suppose, about our decision making. 257 00:16:26,851 --> 00:16:30,721 And I talked a bit about our strategy and that absolutely at the heart 258 00:16:30,721 --> 00:16:32,521 of our strategy going forward. 259 00:16:32,561 --> 00:16:35,561 So that enables us to live them because then we're saying, yeah, 260 00:16:35,661 --> 00:16:38,961 these are the changes we're gonna make, these are the new initiatives. 261 00:16:39,391 --> 00:16:42,751 And thinking about where those values might get to. 262 00:16:42,801 --> 00:16:48,891 Sustainability is a really important value for us, environmentally, financially, 263 00:16:49,091 --> 00:16:51,611 in all ways thinking about sustainability. 264 00:16:51,981 --> 00:16:54,771 But, I really want to move beyond sustainability to 265 00:16:54,771 --> 00:16:56,391 thinking about regeneration. 266 00:16:56,391 --> 00:16:59,751 A lot of our strategy is thinking about a regenerative future. 267 00:17:00,546 --> 00:17:04,626 So what do we need to do to get there and that all of our values will help 268 00:17:04,626 --> 00:17:07,266 us to get to a regenerative future. 269 00:17:07,596 --> 00:17:08,916 And of course, they're on the wall. 270 00:17:08,946 --> 00:17:10,146 I can see them next to me. 271 00:17:10,816 --> 00:17:15,256 You know those old fashioned ways that they're around us as well. 272 00:17:15,336 --> 00:17:15,606 Claire Bown: Yeah. 273 00:17:15,606 --> 00:17:19,306 Always good to to think about your values in that way as well as, that kind of 274 00:17:19,306 --> 00:17:21,091 compass that you can come back to mm-hmm. 275 00:17:21,386 --> 00:17:22,286 Whenever you need to. 276 00:17:22,286 --> 00:17:25,256 And particularly in, in times like we are in, at the present time as 277 00:17:25,256 --> 00:17:29,146 well, more challenging situations come up, you know, how do we think about 278 00:17:29,186 --> 00:17:31,076 any of those challenging situations? 279 00:17:31,076 --> 00:17:34,126 Are they in line with our values or do we have to step outside 280 00:17:34,126 --> 00:17:37,156 our values in order to cope with the things that are thrown us? 281 00:17:37,211 --> 00:17:37,631 Geraldine Collinge: Mm-hmm. 282 00:17:37,816 --> 00:17:42,146 I'm just, I actually, I was just gonna say, I remember when John Prescott 283 00:17:42,146 --> 00:17:47,306 died, people quoted him saying, 'changing times, enduring values'. 284 00:17:48,831 --> 00:17:50,616 I thought that was such a, yeah. 285 00:17:50,616 --> 00:17:51,726 A brilliant quote. 286 00:17:51,726 --> 00:17:54,876 So I've been thinking about that particularly in very 287 00:17:54,876 --> 00:17:56,376 changing times at the moment. 288 00:17:56,496 --> 00:17:57,216 Claire Bown: Absolutely. 289 00:17:57,216 --> 00:17:57,996 Absolutely. 290 00:17:58,046 --> 00:18:00,686 I'm really intrigued by one of your values. 291 00:18:00,686 --> 00:18:02,506 Well, I think they're all super interesting. 292 00:18:02,506 --> 00:18:06,456 I like the use of bold in there as well, but fun as a core value. 293 00:18:06,456 --> 00:18:06,546 Mm-hmm. 294 00:18:07,086 --> 00:18:09,546 So this is not something if you look at. 295 00:18:10,051 --> 00:18:12,781 I dunno, the major museum and heritage sites around the world, 296 00:18:12,781 --> 00:18:16,261 but you probably wouldn't see the word fun come up in value. 297 00:18:16,261 --> 00:18:17,881 So this is one of your core values. 298 00:18:19,036 --> 00:18:24,286 And I think also in a sector that takes itself quite seriously a lot of the time 299 00:18:24,686 --> 00:18:29,046 and can feel intimidating to some, we have those barriers to entry that we're 300 00:18:29,046 --> 00:18:30,786 often talking about on the podcast. 301 00:18:30,786 --> 00:18:35,526 So how does fun play into your work and how does it change 302 00:18:35,526 --> 00:18:39,456 the way people engage with your collections and your exhibitions? 303 00:18:40,526 --> 00:18:42,806 Geraldine Collinge: I want it to be a value for everybody. 304 00:18:42,806 --> 00:18:48,086 We spend a lot of our lives at work, and yes, it can be serious. 305 00:18:48,086 --> 00:18:52,406 There are big decisions to make, but I would hope that we can do 306 00:18:52,436 --> 00:18:57,286 that within a context that is fun and enjoyable and pleasurable. 307 00:18:57,586 --> 00:19:01,836 I'm not playing practical jokes all the time, or, but hopefully is a 308 00:19:01,836 --> 00:19:06,096 place where people enjoy spending time and want to spend time. 309 00:19:06,756 --> 00:19:11,246 And I think as a recruiter and an employer, it's also important to think 310 00:19:11,246 --> 00:19:13,106 about, how you are attracting people. 311 00:19:13,566 --> 00:19:15,961 Like I say, we spend a lot of our times in the workplace. 312 00:19:16,291 --> 00:19:21,311 We also work a lot with volunteers and our board members, our chair was at a staff 313 00:19:21,311 --> 00:19:26,211 and volunteers meeting the other day and, she explaining her role to people and have 314 00:19:26,246 --> 00:19:28,616 people to understand, how a board works. 315 00:19:29,006 --> 00:19:31,276 And she said, you know, ' I don't get paid. 316 00:19:31,306 --> 00:19:32,261 I do it for the love'. 317 00:19:32,591 --> 00:19:35,861 And I thought that was such a nice way of expressing it as well. 318 00:19:36,271 --> 00:19:39,761 And, our board, our chair, particularly our volunteers, are 319 00:19:39,761 --> 00:19:41,501 very generous with their time. 320 00:19:41,831 --> 00:19:45,431 And, I want to respect them, but also for them to get. 321 00:19:45,831 --> 00:19:50,081 Pleasure, fun from the experience as well as hopefully lots of other things. 322 00:19:50,131 --> 00:19:52,951 You know, it is not to undercut the challenge of the endeavor, but it 323 00:19:52,951 --> 00:19:57,031 is to say, yeah, let's make sure we get our balances right here. 324 00:19:57,131 --> 00:19:59,681 Let's think about how we do that. 325 00:20:00,191 --> 00:20:04,211 And it is an incredible place and it is a place where lots 326 00:20:04,211 --> 00:20:05,711 of people have a lot of fun. 327 00:20:05,711 --> 00:20:09,211 So in the ways that you might imagine, there've been school groups 328 00:20:09,211 --> 00:20:13,181 here today who've been, running around the site, playing outside. 329 00:20:13,186 --> 00:20:14,521 It's a beautiful day. 330 00:20:14,821 --> 00:20:20,251 They were all drawing portraits earlier, so watching that, sense of fun and 331 00:20:20,351 --> 00:20:25,516 engagement and joy but then also really thinking about, okay, well, what can we 332 00:20:25,516 --> 00:20:27,976 do that maybe takes that a bit further? 333 00:20:28,026 --> 00:20:32,256 Like you say, how might people engage with the collections and the exhibitions? 334 00:20:32,566 --> 00:20:36,566 One of the collection re-displays that for me really embodies that 335 00:20:36,566 --> 00:20:39,136 value is our Naples collection. 336 00:20:39,466 --> 00:20:43,856 So our Naples collection, I should say, is a collection of, predominantly 337 00:20:43,856 --> 00:20:48,616 oil paintings, but not just oil paintings from the Naples region. 338 00:20:49,066 --> 00:20:52,996 Naples was one of Peter Moore's absolute passions. 339 00:20:53,256 --> 00:20:55,116 Somewhere he spent a lot of time. 340 00:20:55,476 --> 00:20:59,706 A lot of the paintings are of people on the grand tour or the kinds of things 341 00:20:59,706 --> 00:21:01,446 that they would've seen on the grand tour. 342 00:21:01,836 --> 00:21:06,196 We've got great big paintings of volcanoes, we've got paintings of 343 00:21:06,526 --> 00:21:10,546 villas with people playing music, quite a lot of religious paintings. 344 00:21:10,996 --> 00:21:15,826 And a few years ago we took the time to re-display that collection. 345 00:21:16,126 --> 00:21:20,161 We painted the rooms a very vibrant blue color. 346 00:21:20,581 --> 00:21:24,981 We hung the paintings at a lower level and the interpretation 347 00:21:24,981 --> 00:21:26,151 at a lower level as well. 348 00:21:26,151 --> 00:21:31,551 Straight away you are engaging with those artworks on a much more individual basis. 349 00:21:31,861 --> 00:21:34,411 And yeah, particularly if you are a smaller person or perhaps 350 00:21:34,411 --> 00:21:37,771 you're a wheelchair user, you're not looking up at the paintings. 351 00:21:38,281 --> 00:21:42,831 And also then sort through the five senses about those paintings. 352 00:21:42,911 --> 00:21:48,971 And specifically incorporating smell, sound, touch into the gallery. 353 00:21:49,271 --> 00:21:53,381 And there's an amazing volcano inspired play table as well that sits 354 00:21:53,431 --> 00:21:55,706 at the heart of one of the galleries. 355 00:21:56,256 --> 00:22:00,896 Visitor numbers have doubled since we did that re-display, doubled to that 356 00:22:00,956 --> 00:22:05,966 collection, and I know when I bring visitors anyone, to be honest, to the 357 00:22:05,966 --> 00:22:08,246 galleries, it's generally where I start. 358 00:22:08,546 --> 00:22:13,136 It's really brought those paintings to life, brought that collection to life. 359 00:22:13,556 --> 00:22:18,156 You can play, there's a painting of someone holding a guitar and 360 00:22:18,156 --> 00:22:22,236 you can play and with a piano and you can play the tarantella and 361 00:22:22,236 --> 00:22:24,036 it plays out loud in the space. 362 00:22:24,216 --> 00:22:28,816 So straight away disrupts, so it is not shush, we're here to look at 363 00:22:28,816 --> 00:22:32,056 these beautiful, important paintings. 364 00:22:32,176 --> 00:22:32,746 Yes. 365 00:22:32,746 --> 00:22:35,906 But also, you suddenly see them differently. 366 00:22:35,906 --> 00:22:40,076 So in another painting, you suddenly notice the musicians sitting along the 367 00:22:40,076 --> 00:22:46,976 wall by the castle, or you, if you think about touch when there's a painting of 368 00:22:46,976 --> 00:22:51,676 Jesus and the Virgin Mary, and someone's reaching towards his wound and suddenly 369 00:22:51,786 --> 00:22:54,906 you see the poignancy of that touch. 370 00:22:55,096 --> 00:22:58,576 And another thing we were able to do as part of that re-display is 371 00:22:58,576 --> 00:23:02,686 we commissioned some new work and there's a piece by, and we work with 372 00:23:02,786 --> 00:23:07,676 unlimited, who are an organization that specifically works with disabled artists. 373 00:23:08,086 --> 00:23:11,296 And we work with someone called Aaron McPeake, who's a blind artist 374 00:23:11,356 --> 00:23:15,226 and he does quite a lot of work with Bells and thinking about sound. 375 00:23:15,226 --> 00:23:20,021 And he produced these three bells that are surrounded with volcanic rock 376 00:23:20,351 --> 00:23:23,831 and visitors are encouraged to touch them, and they clang together and 377 00:23:23,831 --> 00:23:26,411 they make this beautiful bell sound. 378 00:23:26,681 --> 00:23:30,361 That's one of the first things you see when you go into the gallery spaces. 379 00:23:30,671 --> 00:23:35,271 I know when the gallery's waking up in the morning, you hear the clang 380 00:23:35,351 --> 00:23:36,961 of the bells, so you know, yeah. 381 00:23:37,231 --> 00:23:38,671 You know that people are in there. 382 00:23:38,951 --> 00:23:40,091 And thinking about smell. 383 00:23:40,091 --> 00:23:44,861 So there's beautiful little scents dispensers next to some of the paintings. 384 00:23:44,911 --> 00:23:49,511 If you are unlucky, you get a whiff of sulfur next to the so volcano 385 00:23:49,511 --> 00:23:54,161 paintings, or you might get beautiful lemons and oranges and think about 386 00:23:54,161 --> 00:23:59,151 difference of Italian smells, but yeah, it's really revolutionized the space. 387 00:23:59,401 --> 00:24:03,761 Young people go in pulling their parent grandparent, carer's hand, 388 00:24:03,811 --> 00:24:06,991 they're leading the journey, they want to go in and explore. 389 00:24:06,991 --> 00:24:12,231 So art isn't, it isn't feeling intimidating, they're wanting 390 00:24:12,231 --> 00:24:13,731 to engage underneath it. 391 00:24:16,386 --> 00:24:20,896 Reminded me, we've got a Louise Bourgeois spider here at the moment and I was going 392 00:24:20,896 --> 00:24:22,666 for a walk at lunchtime the other day. 393 00:24:23,036 --> 00:24:28,096 And there was a young girl, I guess three, four-ish walking up the drive with 394 00:24:28,096 --> 00:24:33,736 a, an older person and then she said, I'm just going to run under the spider. 395 00:24:34,066 --> 00:24:38,786 And, just that like setting off and it's like, wow, you know, it's Louise Bourgeois 396 00:24:38,806 --> 00:24:41,476 Spider and she's off to run underneath it. 397 00:24:41,906 --> 00:24:46,256 We want people, young people to experience the art, to engage with it, 398 00:24:46,256 --> 00:24:51,351 to feel like they can be artists, so to try and get rid of some of those 399 00:24:51,351 --> 00:24:57,661 intimidating, serious barriers whilst, at the same time still asking serious 400 00:24:57,661 --> 00:25:02,191 questions, still interrogating, it is not, we're not a bouncy castle, you 401 00:25:02,191 --> 00:25:04,461 know, we are still asking questions. 402 00:25:04,461 --> 00:25:09,881 We are still wanting to engage people and I think getting that getting that balance 403 00:25:09,881 --> 00:25:16,631 right so that we've got that mix of energy challenge, joy, we're finding a way of 404 00:25:16,631 --> 00:25:18,851 keeping those things in a healthy tension. 405 00:25:19,251 --> 00:25:22,806 But yeah, it's really brilliant to see how it's changing, how 406 00:25:22,806 --> 00:25:24,276 people can engage with art. 407 00:25:24,546 --> 00:25:24,966 Claire Bown: I love it. 408 00:25:25,026 --> 00:25:28,731 And it seems to me leading on from that there's play at the center here. 409 00:25:28,731 --> 00:25:30,771 There's a really playful approach. 410 00:25:31,111 --> 00:25:34,602 So can you tell us more about this kind of philosophy around play as 411 00:25:34,616 --> 00:25:36,821 a way to engage people with art? 412 00:25:37,606 --> 00:25:40,606 Geraldine Collinge: Yeah, so the team have developed a play strategy 413 00:25:40,636 --> 00:25:43,286 and take a play first approach. 414 00:25:43,646 --> 00:25:47,006 We've got a playground with all the traditional things you'd expect in 415 00:25:47,006 --> 00:25:49,536 a playground next to the car park. 416 00:25:49,626 --> 00:25:51,876 And of course, playgrounds are put next to car park. 417 00:25:51,876 --> 00:25:54,986 So you know, they don't disturb the art and, leave the screaming 418 00:25:54,986 --> 00:25:58,666 children down there and, you know, drop 'em off and then, go away again. 419 00:25:59,036 --> 00:26:03,926 Whereas we've really thought about how do we take play across the whole site? 420 00:26:04,286 --> 00:26:05,306 How do we. 421 00:26:05,496 --> 00:26:07,086 How do we think about play for everybody? 422 00:26:07,086 --> 00:26:10,966 Not, I know I've spoken a fair bit about play for children, but we want 423 00:26:10,966 --> 00:26:16,306 everybody to engage in different ways with art and with creativity and 424 00:26:16,306 --> 00:26:17,896 in fact with the landscape as well. 425 00:26:17,896 --> 00:26:19,276 So to think playfully. 426 00:26:19,306 --> 00:26:22,336 So yeah, so it's about inside and outside. 427 00:26:22,336 --> 00:26:27,616 It's about young and old we've worked with a few artists to help us with that. 428 00:26:27,616 --> 00:26:32,416 So with Woodland Tribe, who I'm sure you and lots of your listeners know who 429 00:26:32,416 --> 00:26:37,786 do brilliant, play and creativity that is allowing people to do things that 430 00:26:37,786 --> 00:26:41,896 may be, other people might say, oh, don't do that, or You can't do that. 431 00:26:41,896 --> 00:26:46,126 Obviously everything is risk assessed and it is safe, but, really letting 432 00:26:46,126 --> 00:26:48,846 people experiment and try things out. 433 00:26:49,286 --> 00:26:53,306 Also quite a lot of work with there's an artist called Matt Shaw, and Sarah Hunt. 434 00:26:53,306 --> 00:26:57,521 So they do a lot of work that's just like building things, creating things. 435 00:26:57,621 --> 00:27:02,221 We've got an exhibition of drawings for the, from the Sir John Soane Museum at the 436 00:27:02,221 --> 00:27:08,736 moment, and at the end of the exhibition there's cardboard and we are encouraging 437 00:27:08,736 --> 00:27:10,566 people to make their own structures. 438 00:27:10,566 --> 00:27:14,336 The exhibition is showing some structures that are kind of amazing, 439 00:27:14,396 --> 00:27:18,506 you know, thinking about putting the Taj Mahal inside the pyramid at Giza. 440 00:27:19,171 --> 00:27:22,561 For example, or, St Paul's (Cathedral) inside another building or what 441 00:27:22,561 --> 00:27:24,181 happens if you merge this and this? 442 00:27:24,181 --> 00:27:27,361 But you know, through those we can get people to think about 443 00:27:27,361 --> 00:27:28,951 how they want to be playful. 444 00:27:29,231 --> 00:27:33,431 We've got a lot of kind of Lego type building things here at the moment, and 445 00:27:33,431 --> 00:27:38,321 it definitely is not just the children that are there for hours building things. 446 00:27:38,721 --> 00:27:44,291 You know, everybody is enjoying exploring their own creativity and thinking. 447 00:27:44,661 --> 00:27:46,101 Having the pleasure of making. 448 00:27:46,151 --> 00:27:50,131 And also another important element is lots of loose form play. 449 00:27:50,131 --> 00:27:53,521 Lots of open-ended play, so it doesn't necessarily have a 450 00:27:53,521 --> 00:27:55,561 kind of really strict outcome. 451 00:27:55,901 --> 00:28:00,896 But we've got some wooden blocks that, are there for people to play on in 452 00:28:00,896 --> 00:28:05,306 the ground and people are encouraged to make whatever forms they want to 453 00:28:05,306 --> 00:28:07,346 make and to use their imaginations. 454 00:28:07,646 --> 00:28:13,066 And then the blue blocks sit in our Adam Hall, which is one of the few remaining 455 00:28:13,096 --> 00:28:15,166 Robert Adam features of the building. 456 00:28:15,346 --> 00:28:16,846 It's right at the heart of the building. 457 00:28:17,456 --> 00:28:22,286 Surrounded by the collection spaces and it will be full of young people playing 458 00:28:22,286 --> 00:28:24,596 with these big blue blocks, you know? 459 00:28:24,596 --> 00:28:26,726 And that makes me very happy. 460 00:28:26,996 --> 00:28:33,056 Claire Bown: So do you find that adults being slightly more reticent towards play 461 00:28:33,056 --> 00:28:38,336 and being playful, we kind of learn not to be playful as we get older in life. 462 00:28:38,336 --> 00:28:41,786 Do you find you have to work harder to get adults to engage as well? 463 00:28:43,136 --> 00:28:46,526 Geraldine Collinge: Yeah, we're not gonna make everybody be playful. 464 00:28:46,866 --> 00:28:50,366 And there are people who want to come and see the art and, have some 465 00:28:50,366 --> 00:28:53,966 food and do their day in the way that they want to do their day. 466 00:28:53,966 --> 00:28:57,506 I'm not going to insist that everybody must be playful. 467 00:28:58,046 --> 00:29:01,151 But for those that want to engage. 468 00:29:02,071 --> 00:29:04,501 It absolutely is there for them to do that. 469 00:29:04,551 --> 00:29:07,311 But also, some of the artwork is playful. 470 00:29:07,361 --> 00:29:11,561 I think two pieces particularly that are in the sculpture park that we've got. 471 00:29:11,561 --> 00:29:14,891 So we've got a Sarah Lucas piece called Perceval, which 472 00:29:14,891 --> 00:29:16,841 is a beautiful old shire horse. 473 00:29:17,261 --> 00:29:21,311 With a cart with two oversized marrows on the back of it. 474 00:29:21,581 --> 00:29:26,711 It's a huge piece that sits at the edge of our south lawn. 475 00:29:27,111 --> 00:29:31,316 In a moment it'll be totally surrounded by wild flowers, which is really beautiful, 476 00:29:31,626 --> 00:29:33,446 and it's a really playful piece. 477 00:29:33,446 --> 00:29:38,496 You would not expect to see an oversized, shire horse sitting in a landscape. 478 00:29:38,776 --> 00:29:42,486 And near to that, we've also, got a sculpture by an artist 479 00:29:42,486 --> 00:29:43,726 called Nicolas Deshayes. 480 00:29:44,026 --> 00:29:46,596 And his sculpture is in a fountain. 481 00:29:46,906 --> 00:29:49,756 And the fountain is lots of intestines. 482 00:29:50,146 --> 00:29:54,751 And so you see the water kind of spurting from these kind of innards in the fountain 483 00:29:54,751 --> 00:29:59,911 piece and people are sitting having their lunches, tea, coffee, whatever, looking 484 00:29:59,911 --> 00:30:02,401 at this incredible exploding fountain. 485 00:30:02,911 --> 00:30:07,591 And Perceval it references the fact that it used to be farmland. 486 00:30:07,591 --> 00:30:10,201 It would've been farmed with Yeah. 487 00:30:10,261 --> 00:30:16,281 Animals like Perceval and also, in our folk art collection, we've got 488 00:30:16,281 --> 00:30:20,361 lots of those little figures that would've sat on people's mantle pieces. 489 00:30:20,361 --> 00:30:23,676 You know, you can imagine them, the kind of small versions of the shire 490 00:30:23,696 --> 00:30:25,416 horse that would've been there. 491 00:30:25,416 --> 00:30:30,216 So I suppose thinking about yeah, artwork that's playful and that, 492 00:30:30,486 --> 00:30:33,781 yeah, might get you to engage with art in different ways as well. 493 00:30:34,611 --> 00:30:38,001 Claire Bown: And all of this is working towards your values of making art more 494 00:30:38,001 --> 00:30:42,951 accessible to people who might otherwise feel intimidated by such a space. 495 00:30:42,951 --> 00:30:44,481 Yeah, yeah, exactly. 496 00:30:44,691 --> 00:30:48,321 Geraldine Collinge: And you know, we are in a beautiful historic landscape. 497 00:30:48,321 --> 00:30:51,131 We are in a very manufactured, shaped landscape. 498 00:30:51,146 --> 00:30:52,661 It's absolutely beautiful. 499 00:30:52,851 --> 00:30:56,351 We're in this beautiful old stately home, but you know, some 500 00:30:56,351 --> 00:30:57,791 people will be put off by that. 501 00:30:57,791 --> 00:31:02,951 Some people will think, yeah, this is a place that isn't for people like me. 502 00:31:03,281 --> 00:31:07,961 And we absolutely want it to be for everybody. 503 00:31:08,261 --> 00:31:12,911 So there was some feedback after an event recently and somebody 504 00:31:13,241 --> 00:31:15,511 written on the feedback form. 505 00:31:15,871 --> 00:31:20,051 I came to come to Compton Verney and realized that it was a place for people 506 00:31:20,051 --> 00:31:22,511 like me and that felt really special. 507 00:31:25,956 --> 00:31:26,766 That's a win. 508 00:31:26,856 --> 00:31:31,636 So yeah, definitely was really, really proud of those moments. 509 00:31:32,666 --> 00:31:35,516 Claire Bown: And you referred to the outside space there, which we 510 00:31:35,516 --> 00:31:37,256 haven't yet really talked about. 511 00:31:37,256 --> 00:31:42,256 Being surrounded with all this nature, this landscape around you, even your 512 00:31:42,256 --> 00:31:46,426 mission talks about connecting people with art and nature and creativity. 513 00:31:46,726 --> 00:31:48,196 So how does the setting. 514 00:31:48,601 --> 00:31:52,531 Unique setting, I guess, influence your approach? 515 00:31:56,071 --> 00:31:56,551 Geraldine Collinge: Yeah. 516 00:31:56,601 --> 00:32:02,421 I think in the early days we were more about the building and about the things 517 00:32:02,421 --> 00:32:07,966 being inside the building and probably over the last kind of eight years, Compton 518 00:32:07,966 --> 00:32:10,636 Verney's built more things outside. 519 00:32:10,636 --> 00:32:13,906 There was a big restoration project of the ground starting to 520 00:32:13,906 --> 00:32:19,096 interpret the grounds more and now it feels really, really integral. 521 00:32:19,096 --> 00:32:20,941 For me it's one experience. 522 00:32:20,941 --> 00:32:26,251 So I want people to experience the whole thing, not just either come to 523 00:32:26,251 --> 00:32:30,291 the grounds or go to the gallery, I really want people to have a great 524 00:32:30,291 --> 00:32:35,061 experience of art, nature and creativity across both inside and outside. 525 00:32:35,541 --> 00:32:40,281 A lot of our visitors talk about Compton Verney, being a place 526 00:32:40,321 --> 00:32:42,601 that really makes you feel better. 527 00:32:42,931 --> 00:32:46,051 And that sense of it as being a restorative place. 528 00:32:46,371 --> 00:32:50,121 Once you are into Compton Verney itself, you walk through some lovely 529 00:32:50,121 --> 00:32:51,861 woods and you get to a bridge. 530 00:32:52,161 --> 00:32:57,771 And people often talk about that sense of going over the bridge and being 531 00:32:57,771 --> 00:32:59,791 like, oh, you're taking a deep breath. 532 00:32:59,791 --> 00:33:03,481 You go over the bridge and you are into this kind of wonderland. 533 00:33:03,531 --> 00:33:06,161 So I think it's part of the whole experience. 534 00:33:06,161 --> 00:33:10,471 It is part of what visitors describe about being really special about here. 535 00:33:10,921 --> 00:33:15,151 And yeah, it's absolutely at the core of what we do. 536 00:33:15,791 --> 00:33:18,931 It also makes you think about all the different ways that 537 00:33:18,931 --> 00:33:20,131 you can be regenerative. 538 00:33:20,131 --> 00:33:24,051 So whether you are experiencing nature or whether you are experiencing 539 00:33:24,051 --> 00:33:27,851 art inside, the different ways that you can have that experience. 540 00:33:28,181 --> 00:33:32,671 And lots of school teachers and parents talk about that kind of the 541 00:33:32,671 --> 00:33:34,231 magic that's around each corner. 542 00:33:34,231 --> 00:33:38,441 So the things that you can discover, the wonder of it, and that's 543 00:33:38,551 --> 00:33:41,001 definitely feels super important. 544 00:33:41,331 --> 00:33:46,401 So being in relation to landscape absolutely shapes who we are. 545 00:33:46,451 --> 00:33:50,901 We've worked with artists who work specifically thinking about landscape. 546 00:33:50,901 --> 00:33:55,578 So we did a brilliant installation in a coppice called Living Symphonies 547 00:33:55,578 --> 00:34:01,308 and, each species was programmed with a different sound, so you sat in 548 00:34:01,308 --> 00:34:07,383 the coppice and you experienced the different sounds, depending on whether 549 00:34:07,383 --> 00:34:11,133 it was a cloudy day or if it started raining, you started getting different 550 00:34:11,133 --> 00:34:15,743 sounds around you and it was such a beautiful, beautiful experience. 551 00:34:16,043 --> 00:34:18,503 And that when you went each time it was different. 552 00:34:18,503 --> 00:34:22,313 So in some ways it was a bit like itself that, each time you go, you 553 00:34:22,313 --> 00:34:23,723 could just give us something new. 554 00:34:24,103 --> 00:34:28,293 And that was, yeah, it was a really beautiful thing to experience in 555 00:34:28,293 --> 00:34:32,073 the landscape that was about the landscape, but enhance the landscape. 556 00:34:32,413 --> 00:34:36,403 And I mean for me it was a complete treat, to go each lunchtime and 557 00:34:36,403 --> 00:34:40,333 to spend some time, sitting in this incredible installation. 558 00:34:40,903 --> 00:34:46,933 And we, so we launched a sculpture park last March for our 20th anniversary. 559 00:34:46,933 --> 00:34:52,548 So having had sculpture through the grounds and sculpture that I suppose 560 00:34:52,548 --> 00:34:57,588 challenges us to think about what's in the landscape, who's the landscape's for. 561 00:34:57,918 --> 00:35:02,388 Obviously, when Capability Brown was working on it, he was thinking about 562 00:35:02,778 --> 00:35:06,738 particular kind of people and we might be thinking about a broader public now. 563 00:35:06,738 --> 00:35:11,818 Really trying to challenge who's the landscape for, it talks about a very 564 00:35:11,968 --> 00:35:15,778 kind of quintessential englishness with the beautiful lake and the bridge 565 00:35:15,778 --> 00:35:21,178 and we'll have sheep and lambs in a minute, all being, very perfectly 566 00:35:21,178 --> 00:35:23,608 beautiful in the bucolic landscape. 567 00:35:24,028 --> 00:35:29,158 But I'm really keen that we ask ourselves questions about, yeah, there wouldn't 568 00:35:29,158 --> 00:35:33,788 have been any sculpture by women in the landscape, years ago, Capability Brown, 569 00:35:33,788 --> 00:35:35,438 Robert Adam wouldn't have imagined that. 570 00:35:35,438 --> 00:35:38,608 And, we've got Helen Chadwick's 'Piss Flowers', we've got Louise Bourgeois 571 00:35:38,608 --> 00:35:40,958 Spider, sitting right next to the house. 572 00:35:40,958 --> 00:35:46,918 So yeah, it's super important and, but it is interesting, but I don't necessarily 573 00:35:46,918 --> 00:35:50,378 think of it in a separate box, like I really want to think of it as one thing 574 00:35:50,378 --> 00:35:52,748 together, and one whole experience. 575 00:35:53,258 --> 00:35:57,458 And, the landscape enables us to do things that other people can't do. 576 00:35:57,858 --> 00:35:59,418 We're super lucky to have it. 577 00:35:59,418 --> 00:36:04,184 So we work with this company called Digbeth Dining from Birmingham, which 578 00:36:04,184 --> 00:36:09,324 is not too far from here, so 45 minutes up the road and that is a dining 579 00:36:09,324 --> 00:36:13,454 experience, so loads of different popup vans with different kind of food. 580 00:36:13,454 --> 00:36:19,424 They had DJs and the first time we did that, there was 2000 people arrived 581 00:36:19,424 --> 00:36:23,144 on site and just had a gorgeous time hanging out on the grounds. 582 00:36:23,144 --> 00:36:24,674 And, we do wild swimming. 583 00:36:24,674 --> 00:36:26,224 We'll do, birdwatching? 584 00:36:26,274 --> 00:36:28,184 You know, really thinking about other things that we 585 00:36:28,184 --> 00:36:30,104 can, that the grounds enables. 586 00:36:30,154 --> 00:36:32,164 Claire Bown: And tell me about breathing with the forest as well. 587 00:36:32,164 --> 00:36:35,574 'cause that bridges the indoor outdoor experience as well, doesn't it? 588 00:36:35,619 --> 00:36:36,414 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 589 00:36:36,464 --> 00:36:38,504 Geraldine Collinge: Yeah, breathing with the forest is a piece by 590 00:36:38,504 --> 00:36:44,074 Marshmallow Laser Feast, who are an incredible digital first company. 591 00:36:44,414 --> 00:36:48,584 And I first experienced their work at the Royal Shakespeare Company. 592 00:36:48,634 --> 00:36:52,234 They were talking to us about sharing some of their practice, 593 00:36:52,234 --> 00:36:54,304 just exchanging how they worked. 594 00:36:54,674 --> 00:36:58,424 And I remember it so clearly, I was queuing in the green room for some food 595 00:36:58,764 --> 00:37:02,874 and they shared this headset experiences, VR experience that they'd made. 596 00:37:03,174 --> 00:37:05,019 And suddenly I was in a forest. 597 00:37:05,829 --> 00:37:09,459 You know, I wasn't standing by the sausages in the queue. 598 00:37:10,029 --> 00:37:11,259 Sort of like, wow. 599 00:37:11,559 --> 00:37:14,389 And a lot of their work has been forest-based. 600 00:37:14,409 --> 00:37:18,399 They've done a lot of work thinking about trees, forest, natural world. 601 00:37:18,739 --> 00:37:22,949 And breathing with the landscape was set in a Colombian rainforest. 602 00:37:23,379 --> 00:37:27,984 So there was a digital experience that we had in the Adam Hall and the 603 00:37:27,984 --> 00:37:29,904 space that I've just talked about. 604 00:37:30,244 --> 00:37:33,474 And it was the first time in a long time that we've had an 605 00:37:33,534 --> 00:37:37,359 artistic experience for everybody. 606 00:37:37,359 --> 00:37:40,329 So it just being an artistic experience in that space. 607 00:37:40,839 --> 00:37:47,249 And what was really lovely is that they embedded it into our place, so that you 608 00:37:47,249 --> 00:37:51,779 arrived at the welcome center and you were encouraged to walk through the ground. 609 00:37:51,779 --> 00:37:55,349 We've got this beautiful avenue of Wellingtonia trees, so to 610 00:37:55,349 --> 00:37:58,619 walk through those Wellingtonia trees to spend some time. 611 00:37:59,074 --> 00:38:02,764 Breathing our, breathing our forest, breathing with arteries. 612 00:38:03,074 --> 00:38:06,604 Thinking about what the world might be like in the future, what these trees 613 00:38:06,604 --> 00:38:10,989 might be like in the future, their ancient, very special ancient trees. 614 00:38:11,419 --> 00:38:16,009 And then to, so to spend that time in our landscape and to walk into 615 00:38:16,009 --> 00:38:20,049 the space and you went through the you walked through the galleries. 616 00:38:20,559 --> 00:38:24,909 And then went in through our Northern European Gallery into the Adam Hall 617 00:38:25,239 --> 00:38:29,959 and yeah, there was huge, great big screens with incredible scans of 618 00:38:29,959 --> 00:38:35,299 the trees in the rainforest and you could see the bubbles of the water 619 00:38:35,299 --> 00:38:40,159 and the sap and, the insects that surrounded them and the sound of that. 620 00:38:40,159 --> 00:38:42,949 So it was a really beautiful meditative experience. 621 00:38:43,229 --> 00:38:47,089 And some people spent, an hour or more in there, really enjoying it. 622 00:38:47,144 --> 00:38:50,494 And again, for everybody, I think people found particularly young 623 00:38:50,494 --> 00:38:55,404 people with maybe additional needs, really suddenly totally calmed in the 624 00:38:55,404 --> 00:38:57,714 space and really appreciated that. 625 00:38:57,774 --> 00:38:59,984 And, I'd had a stressful board meeting, to be honest. 626 00:38:59,984 --> 00:39:02,684 I appreciated spending some time with that. 627 00:39:03,054 --> 00:39:06,174 So yeah, it was a real treat and a really brilliant work that 628 00:39:06,254 --> 00:39:09,554 yeah, that crossed the threshold between the inside and the outside. 629 00:39:09,974 --> 00:39:15,794 And yeah we're sad to see it go, but space is now full of other activities, so yeah. 630 00:39:15,974 --> 00:39:16,664 Claire Bown: Absolutely. 631 00:39:16,664 --> 00:39:18,194 Sounds so magical as well. 632 00:39:18,194 --> 00:39:19,424 Totally immersive. 633 00:39:19,424 --> 00:39:21,434 Tell me what's next for Compton Verney? 634 00:39:21,434 --> 00:39:25,004 Any exciting initiatives, exhibitions that are coming up. 635 00:39:25,799 --> 00:39:26,309 Geraldine Collinge: Yeah. 636 00:39:26,359 --> 00:39:30,349 We've got a new sculpture arriving, which I can't talk about yet. 637 00:39:30,439 --> 00:39:32,449 This is very exciting. 638 00:39:32,849 --> 00:39:34,799 So that will come in summer. 639 00:39:34,799 --> 00:39:39,089 We've got a small turnaround, so if people want to see spider, they need to come 640 00:39:39,489 --> 00:39:43,989 before the end of July and that leaves and then something else will come in. 641 00:39:43,989 --> 00:39:46,329 So yeah, I'm super excited about that. 642 00:39:46,899 --> 00:39:52,269 We've got an exhibition by Emma Talbot, who's a Italian based artist 643 00:39:52,269 --> 00:39:55,089 and she does a lot of work on silks. 644 00:39:55,339 --> 00:39:57,229 And about Greek myths. 645 00:39:57,599 --> 00:39:58,589 Really beautiful work. 646 00:39:58,589 --> 00:40:03,509 And it's her first UK big UK show, so it'd be great to see that here. 647 00:40:03,959 --> 00:40:07,269 And yeah we're heading into summer, loads of brilliant events over 648 00:40:07,269 --> 00:40:11,939 summer, we had some of the hits from last year are coming back. 649 00:40:12,279 --> 00:40:16,769 We had lots of fun with inflatables and with bubbles last year, so 650 00:40:16,769 --> 00:40:18,089 there's more of that to come. 651 00:40:18,499 --> 00:40:22,689 So yeah, a really brilliant range of great activity. 652 00:40:22,989 --> 00:40:25,959 And our housemartins will be back on the front of the house 653 00:40:25,959 --> 00:40:27,369 and that is always a treat. 654 00:40:27,719 --> 00:40:32,559 That's one thing I. I love about comp money is watching the changing seasons. 655 00:40:32,559 --> 00:40:38,249 And last week, on Monday I don't know, somewhere between Monday and Tuesday, 656 00:40:38,339 --> 00:40:41,919 the cowslips all came out and now the grounds are covered in cowslips. 657 00:40:42,129 --> 00:40:43,929 And then the migrating birds will come. 658 00:40:43,929 --> 00:40:45,069 It's just, yeah. 659 00:40:45,069 --> 00:40:49,779 It's really extraordinary to get, to see that kind of changing landscape, like 660 00:40:49,779 --> 00:40:53,724 I say, is a treat for me and the other people who are here really regularly. 661 00:40:53,724 --> 00:40:58,224 So we are lucky that we've got some great members who come a lot and also enjoy 662 00:40:58,224 --> 00:41:00,294 seeing those kind of changing seasons. 663 00:41:00,729 --> 00:41:00,939 Claire Bown: Yeah. 664 00:41:00,939 --> 00:41:01,599 Wonderful. 665 00:41:01,599 --> 00:41:04,449 And you talked about members who come a lot, visitors. 666 00:41:04,719 --> 00:41:08,139 We've talked about your values, we've talked about play and connecting 667 00:41:08,139 --> 00:41:13,639 art and nature, making it accessible and open to lots of people. 668 00:41:13,639 --> 00:41:16,799 So what do you hope that visitors take away from their 669 00:41:16,799 --> 00:41:18,659 experience at Compton Verney? 670 00:41:19,479 --> 00:41:21,969 Geraldine Collinge: We talk about people having a day full of joy. 671 00:41:23,664 --> 00:41:26,994 That's one of the things that we really want people to have is a day full of joy. 672 00:41:27,324 --> 00:41:29,694 And also that thing I talked about a bit earlier on, about 673 00:41:29,694 --> 00:41:32,154 kind of energy, joy, and surprise. 674 00:41:32,434 --> 00:41:34,894 But yeah, those, all those gorgeous emotions. 675 00:41:35,304 --> 00:41:36,114 So yeah. 676 00:41:36,174 --> 00:41:37,644 Want people to have a brilliant time. 677 00:41:37,974 --> 00:41:38,544 Claire Bown: That's brilliant. 678 00:41:38,544 --> 00:41:42,174 That's a wonderful note to end our conversation on as well. 679 00:41:42,454 --> 00:41:45,664 How can people find out more about you and get in touch? 680 00:41:47,044 --> 00:41:50,794 Geraldine Collinge: So we're on all the major social media channels, 681 00:41:50,794 --> 00:41:52,624 Facebook, Instagram, TikTok. 682 00:41:52,964 --> 00:41:55,294 comptonverney.org.uk. 683 00:41:55,624 --> 00:42:00,944 is our website or if you are local, please come and visit us. 684 00:42:00,944 --> 00:42:04,364 We are open Wednesday to Sundays, 10 till five, sometimes later 685 00:42:04,844 --> 00:42:06,344 if we've got a special event on. 686 00:42:06,744 --> 00:42:08,504 But yeah, come and have a look, see what you think. 687 00:42:09,239 --> 00:42:09,689 Claire Bown: Lovely. 688 00:42:09,749 --> 00:42:11,309 I will, next time I'm in the area. 689 00:42:11,309 --> 00:42:14,309 Thank you Geraldine, so much for being on The Art Engager 690 00:42:14,729 --> 00:42:15,239 Geraldine Collinge: Not at all. 691 00:42:15,239 --> 00:42:15,854 Thank you Claire. 692 00:42:15,854 --> 00:42:16,814 Really nice to meet you. 693 00:42:17,939 --> 00:42:20,189 Claire Bown: So a huge thank you to Geraldine for sharing 694 00:42:20,189 --> 00:42:21,869 her insights with us today. 695 00:42:22,229 --> 00:42:25,769 You can find out more about Compton Verney on their website 696 00:42:25,799 --> 00:42:28,229 or follow them on social media. 697 00:42:28,754 --> 00:42:33,794 If you've enjoyed this episode or if any of our previous episodes have 698 00:42:33,794 --> 00:42:39,314 helped you in your work, please consider supporting the Art Engager on Patreon. 699 00:42:39,734 --> 00:42:43,904 Your monthly subscription helps keep this content coming, and I'm really 700 00:42:43,904 --> 00:42:46,484 grateful to all of our supporters. 701 00:42:47,654 --> 00:42:52,214 Don't forget to visit my website to learn more about the Art Engager book 702 00:42:52,514 --> 00:42:55,094 available now, wherever books are sold. 703 00:42:55,859 --> 00:42:56,969 That's all for today. 704 00:42:56,969 --> 00:43:00,689 Thank you so much for joining us, and I'll see you next time. 705 00:43:03,509 --> 00:43:07,809 Thank you for listening to the Art Engager podcast with me, Claire Bown. 706 00:43:08,849 --> 00:43:12,629 You can find more art engagement resources by visiting my website, 707 00:43:12,989 --> 00:43:17,039 thinking museum.com, and you can also find me on Instagram 708 00:43:17,039 --> 00:43:21,719 @thinkingmuseum, where I regularly share tips and tools on how to bring 709 00:43:21,749 --> 00:43:24,689 art to life and engage your audience. 710 00:43:25,844 --> 00:43:30,074 If you've enjoyed this episode, please share with others and subscribe to the 711 00:43:30,074 --> 00:43:32,864 show on your podcast player of choice. 712 00:43:33,824 --> 00:43:36,764 Thank you so much for listening, and I'll see you next 713 00:43:36,764 --> 00:43:37,454 time.