Tate for All? The Development of the Social Model. Paper given at Museum Ideas 2015 by Synthia Griffin, Curator: Regeneration & Community Partnerships, Tate Modern

1. Tate Local
The Role of the Social
Model
Synthia Griffin
Curator: Regeneration & Community Partnerships
synthia.griffin@tate.org.uk

2. Bankside in 1995:
• South of central London
• Strong heritage but
forgotten
• Deprived area, isolated
• 2,800 local residents
• 3,000 workers

3. Tate Modern
 £137 million
 Total internal floor area of
approximately 34,500m2 (371,350sq
ft)
 Display area 12,402m2 (133,500sq ft)
comprising:
 Gallery suites for display &
exhibitions totaling 7,827m2
(84,250sq ft)
 Turbine Hall 3,300m2 (35,520sq ft)
 Concourse areas that can also be
used for display purposes on Levels
 3,4 and 5 totaling 1,275m2 (13, 730sq
ft)
 Auditorium to seat 240
 2 cafes & three shops
 Education 39
 0m2 (4,200sq ft)
 Members’ Room 150m2 (1,615sq ft)
 Office 1,350m2 (14,530sq ft)
 Support services/art handling
1,500m2 (16,145sq ft)

5. 2000:
• 5.3m visitors in year one
• Balance heritage and
tradition with modern
• Growing partnership –
living, working, visiting
• Culture and food
cornerstones

6. Olafur Eliasson Turbine Hall commission

7. Carsten Holler Turbine Hall commission

8. Tania Bruguera, 1968
Tatlin’s Whisper #5, 2008
Live Performance, Turbine Hall, Tate Modern

9. Social Model
•Involve communities &
partnerships – across the
organisation.
•Museum at the centre of the
local area
•For Tate “community” equals
“society”
• Local, National and
International partnerships.

10. Key Principles
• Encourage dialogue and learning with and from our communities.
• Democratise the work of the museum.
• Create projects and partnerships which are active, participatory and
empower communities in developing our work.
• Put artists and creative practice at the heart of community projects.
• Personalised and active programme.
• Partnerships with other cultural organisations to engage communities in
new dialogues.

11. Ahmet Ögüt

13. Tate Modern & You
An artist collaborates with artists & a community group/neighbourhood

14. Chloe Dewe Mathews
Sunday Service

18. Alex Chinneck – A Pound of Flesh for 50p

20. Ted Riederer – Never Records

27. Catalyst for Development:
• Economic
• Social
• AND Cultural
• The Social Model

28. Evolution of the Social Model
• Recognise your responsibility in the
regeneration process.
• Advocate the value that art and culture create for
a city through political support.
• Need for public support for cultural spaces in
order to generate private support.
• Contribute to the cultural activities that
neighbour you.

29. How to thrive?
• Need for new models beyond top-down and bottom up
process. Identify the existing stakeholders and existing
resources and what makes your area unique.
• Arts can play a key role in creating open platforms for
communication.
• Present yourself as a resource and realise your power
as a citizen.
• Have a clear defined strategy but allow space for being
responsive, taking risks, initiating new partnerships.
• Develop models that integrate new cultural, social,
ecological and economic values.