BAN RESEARCH Post-War Painting in Regional Collections We established the ‘Post War Painting in Regional Collections’ Research Group with two aims in mind, first to recognise the excellence of our regional public art collections and in doing so, mount a deliberate challenge to the centre-periphery model that dominates the narrative of British art … Second, to explore how research conducted both within and across the Higher Education and Museums sectors can usefully shape new interpretations of regional post-war collections. Over the last year, our events have increasingly considered questions of diversity in regards to regional collections (is there diversity? How can/should we diversify collections?), guided by the focus and priorities of our Group’s members. Throughout all of this, cross-sector collaboration remains the driving force of our Group’s work, informing and shaping the subjects we look at and the events we arrange. It is built into the structure of our Group, which was established by both academic Art Historians working within universities and by Curators, working in public galleries. We have found this to be a great asset in developing the Research Group, in promoting emerging research into Post-War collections, and facilitating networking in the field. This short article presents our reflections on Curatorial-Academic collaboration, based on our experiences over the last year.
John Michael Wishart, Moths on a Blue Path 1963. © the artist’s estate. Photo: The New Art Gallery Walsall
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