Case study interview:
Liat Rosenthal, winner in the 2020 Fantastic for Families Awards

Professional life has taken interesting twists and turns as live events were cancelled. Instead, I worked on the creation of digital content, produced public art commissions, and designed a playground. I qualified as a relational dynamics coach. I studied tarot. I had a baby and tried to make homeschooling as engaging as possible. However, I’m really just waiting for the moment that we can gather together again. There’s nothing like live events. It’s the creative currency I understand best.

Would love to take Bauhaus Baby Ballroom to new destinations, and will look into this as soon as we can travel and hold live events. There’s a lot of potential to develop this model, but I like to keep it on the simmer alongside other projects until the moment of inspiration strikes.

I’ve been working in collaboration with galleries to consider how we welcome back families, specifically the youngest of audiences. Together with TJ Boulting we’ve developed baby viewings of Kate Dunn’s The Tabernacle, under the umbrella of ‘Goo Gaa Gallery’. Dunn’s exhibition lends itself so well to the format – we start with an introduction from the artist, followed by a ‘performance’, which includes a near black out of the gallery, gabber music played at reduced volume and the artworks animated by UV light – it’s incredible to sense how much movement is generated within the images. This is followed by further  ‘free play’ exploration of the exhibition – involving a torch lit tour of the illuminated artworks. The babies love it. The grownups love it. It’s a sensory wonderland for all. I’m interested in developing contexts in which families can feel most at ease in cultural spaces and where everyone can engage meaningfully with artists and artworks.

I casually drop into conversations that I’m a producer of award-winning events and see if any one notices. Seriously, it was wonderful to gain recognition for this project and to celebrate all the great work taking place across the sector for families. The award is a great way to profile interesting projects and highlight the diversity of practice taking place for family audiences.

I’ve got a long wish list – but let’s see what happens over the coming months regarding lockdown restrictions easing. This period has been a good one for pressing pause, reflecting and creative dabbling. With regards to family audiences – there’s so much to do, and such a pressing need for the arts sector to welcome families back. The lockdowns have made clear how much art and creativity sustain us, but families can only do so much in isolation, and connection with arts venues, artists, and creative work is vital.

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