ARTISTS TALKING
Visual art exhibitions and events with a platform for critical writing
Subscriber resource
A diplomatic role
Sally O’Reilly talks to Penny Johnson, Director of the Government Art Collection, in the sixth and final article in the ’Crossing Over’ series.
Penny Johnson seems to have been clear about her career trajectory from very early on. But, she explains, "It is impossible to plan a career in art, as there are so few jobs' It's more a case of knowing what you don't want to do." She talks more of serendipity than the ambition that has informed her choices. Before leaving school she wanted to work in a gallery or museum, and did voluntary work at the Tate, sorting out artists' catalogues in the library. For a sixth-former just learning about the rudiments of Impressionism, this must have been an incredible eye opener. Johnson then took an art history degree at the University of East Anglia. In her first year Marjorie Althorpe-Guyton (now the director of Visual Arts at Arts Council England) gave a talk about her work at the Norwich Castle Museum and Johnson was so impressed, especially as she found female role models very difficult to come by, that she decided to work in the public sector. She wanted to increase understanding and enjoyment of art – the price tags of the commercial realm held no interest for her. After gaining her degree Johnson applied to University of Manchester for the Museums and Galleries Studies course...
. . . to read the rest of this resource
and access all Knowledge Bank and Publication articles subscribe online - from only £6.
If you are a subscriber please login here.