Abstract

Temporary public art events modelled after the Nuit Blanche concept attract thousands of people to city centres in search of contemporary art. As a result, these mass cultural events may be dramatically changing how people interact with contemporary art. This qualitative research project utilizes Nocturne: Art at Night, a city wide, night time art event in Halifax, Nova Scotia, as a case study to determine the kinds of learning experiences everyday people have when they engage with art in the context of a temporary public art festival. This research identified factors that influence participants’ understanding and appreciation of contemporary art.
Eleven participants without a Fine Arts background were interviewed before and after attending the event. Findings suggest that participants benefit greatly from being able to select which works to engage with and from having numerous and diverse projects to view. Artworks that build on participants’ past experiences and knowledge of specific installation sites also positively impacted learning. The atmosphere and social aspects of participants’ experiences such as interactions with peers and artists were seen as beneficial to participants’ learning experiences. Short viewing times and lack of adequate signage or contextual information were found to be detrimental to participants’ learning, leading to superficial experiences with art. This study determined that cultural events such as Nocturne provide attendees with a preliminary introduction to contemporary art. However, without additional resources, participants could formulate misconceptions about art that affect their understanding of particular artworks.