Cultural mediation

Cultural mediation puts visitor experience front and centre, supports two-way conversation and encourages visitors to participate and deepen their own perspectives.

Mediation is a way to remove unwelcoming barriers between UQ Art Museum and its visitors. Unlike a traditional “guided tour”, it offers our visitors the option to explore artworks and exhibitions with staff members who are trained to create space for visitors to ask questions, share ideas, and think deeply about the artworks we share with them.

UQ Art Museum visitors have the opportunity to engage with and experience mediation regardless of age, background or artistic knowledge (whether they know a little about art or a lot).

Visitors are still welcome to explore our galleries on their own and in their own way, but for those who want to enrich their experience, our Mediators offer a friendly and safe way to learn, reflect, listen and explore together.

A mediator talking to visitors in front of an artwork — Ensayos Collective, "Bog is Good, jVivan las Tuberas!, Hol-Hol Tol", 2022. Installation view, "Oceanic Thinking", The University of Queensland Art Museum, 2022. Photo: Louis Lim.

Banner image: Bagu (some with Jiman) by Girringun Art Centre artists, installation view, "We Are Electric", UQ Art Museum, 2023. Photo: Joe Ruckli.

Enriching visitor experience

We want our visitors to feel welcome, and to be heard and empowered to learn and explore with us. Art museums are invaluable spaces for enquiry and exploration, but they can be intimidating for some people.

Artwork labels are useful reference points providing information about artworks and artists, but when visitors discuss artworks with our team, they can contextualise their own reactions to them and explore how they connect with their personal perspectives and experiences.

Broadening our approach to visitor engagement also means we can better support the diverse learning styles of our visitors. This deeper engagement provides an exciting way for UQ Art Museum to help our visitors enjoy the greatest benefit from their experience of our exhibitions.

A new and innovative practice in Australia

Cultural mediation challenges the traditional “top-down” model of museum education and emphasises the value and diversity of visitor experiences and perspectives. We’re one of the first art museums in Australia to offer visitors mediated experiences, alongside Science Gallery Melbourne. Cultural mediation is relatively new in Australia but has become increasingly popular in European institutions including the Palais de Tokyo and the Pompidou Centre.

Learning opportunities for UQ students

Our Mediators are UQ students, employed as part of our mission to provide innovative learning and development experiences across disciplines. Students bring a range of work and education experience to their roles and are studying in disciplines including science, law, allied health, international relations, museum studies and art history.

Our Mediators are well-placed to step into employment in the arts and cultural sectors, or to apply the transferable skills they have developed in communication, relationship-building, audience engagement and teaching in other industries. These are essential skills and perspectives that make our students highly desirable candidates ready to contribute, lead and drive positive change within the arts sector and beyond.

Our Mediation program is supported by the John and Barbara Hay Philanthropic Foundation. With this support, UQ Art Museum has been able to develop and deliver training initiatives focused on visitor agency, peer-to-peer learning, mutual exchange and reflection. These initiatives foster a supportive and inclusive environment for the UQ students employed to practice mediation as well as the visitors who benefit from their interactions with our team.

Regional engagement and learning

In 2019, UQ Art Museum and Museums and Galleries New South Wales established a partnership to develop and deliver national training in cultural mediation practice. This includes involvement in a national regional tour for Mel O’Callaghan’s Centre of the Centre, and a grant from the Australia Council enabling us to send a UQ Art Museum Mediator to travel to each venue, where they teach and demonstrate cultural mediation practice with staff and volunteers.