As coordinator of Asian programs at the Art Gallery of New South Wales since 1993, Ann MacArthur has worked to increase audience participation, understanding and enjoyment of Asian art through the permanent collection and temporary exhibitions. Her approach is characterised by the involvement of community groups and individuals. She initiated Asian artist workshops for school students and the Community Ambassadors Program, which trains speakers of community languages to provide tours and promote the Gallery. Her major exhibition programs have included  INDIA: Dancing to the flute in 1997 which featured eleven weeks of daily music and dance performance and twenty puja ceremonies with Hindu clergymen. She also organised the public program for the 2001-02 exhibition BUDDHA: Radiant Awakening, comprising over 200 separate events focused around the Wisdom Room, a dedicated space within the exhibition where Buddhist community groups took up weekly residencies.

A native of the USA, MacArthur holds a Bachelor of Arts in East Asian studies from Mount Holyoke College and a Master's of International Management from the American Graduate School of International Management.

ABSTRACT

Including language: the Community Ambassadors program at the Art Gallery of New South Wales

Art museums want visitors and the culturally diverse audience adds spice to the mix. The arts ambassador model has been used in various arts organisations to get the word out to new target audiences. A unique variation of the ambassador concept at the Art Gallery of New South Wales moves the focus from marketing to a more educative role. The Gallery’s Community Ambassadors are volunteers trained to provide tours of the collection in Mandarin, Cantonese and Japanese and to publicise the Gallery through their own networks. Devised with the help of a grant from the Ian Potter Foundation Art Museums Collection Accessibility Initiative, the program sets different languages apart, yet its effect is inclusive. It creates a space where ownership of flows of information and creating meaning is expanded to include individuals of non-English speaking backgrounds. This paper presents the findings from the program now entering its second year and discusses the organisational issues of establishing a new initiative in a large public museum.