Chez Derriere is running a free art writing programme from November 2022 until July 2023. The programme is facilitated by Felixe Laing, Te Tuhi’s curatorial intern, who is developing the Chez Derriere programme.
This eight-month professional development programme aims to create a supportive and peer led environment for the group of 16 participants to develop their writing. It will be a space to try out writing exercises in sessions led by different voices from the field, as well as develop peer feedback skills and dialogue about contemporary art and writing. We will be focusing on practical tools and approaches for writing in different contexts such as exhibitions, essays etc.
The programme held its first two hour workshop with curator and art historian Vera Mey at Chez Derriere at Parnell Station in November 2022. Participants met and were introduced to some tips and tricks on writing for exhibitions in different formats and reading for technique.
In January 2023, the group spent the weekend up at Leigh for the writing retreat. Across the two days and had peer and writer Gabi Lardies take us through a series of three workshops focusing on generative exercises, crafting, editing and other practical tips. The group also went swimming, ate homemade pizza, and got to know each other better.
In February, writer Dominic Hoey held a workshop at Chez Derriere with a focus on style, voice and poetic exercises.
From February to July 2023 bi-monthly workshops were held at Chez Derriere, where the group discussed recent exhibitions, wrote reviews, and artists within the group shared their work for generative writing exercises. In June, the participants started working on their drafts for the publication Snacks. They continued to work on their drafts and share feedback at editing sessions. This included an editing workshop with proofreader and editor Marie Shannon.
The publication Snacks is available for purchase on Te Tuhi’s online shop