We presented a timeline of Critical Exchange over the last five years which included key moments in the programme history, photos from sessions, artist reflection texts, names of artists who presented, along with an offering for people to creatively respond to the timeline with their own reflections, thoughts and feelings – and contribute to a What Next? invitation. 

We focused the session around reflections on the programme as a whole since it was initiated in 2019, looking at it’s process of evolution and learning, and how it could develop further in a next chapter (reaching the end of sessions being held in the Arch 04 venue due to it’s imminent closure). 

It was a really rich experience to hand over the reigns of the facilitation and have others take the lead and bring their own take and approach to facilitating the Critical Response Process. This offered a lot of learning in letting go, which helped to create a different relationship with the session as a whole. The stand-in facilitators perspectives on the process also highlighted new ways of seeing things. 

Putting together the timeline and looking over the images from the last 15 sessions was so illuminating in seeing a broader overview of how things have evolved and all the wonderful moments of sharing, learning, inspiration and connection over the years. 

Having people feedback and share their experiences was really humbling and helped provide a view for where we are now, what’s going well, and where we can improve. This will help us to navigate how we develop from here based on the responses and perspectives of the group.

Feedback is so integral to what Critical Exchange is about. We value the learning and growth that comes through conversation; expanding understanding and gaining new insights. Knowing the ways we learn and build practices for supporting one another helps to sustain ongoing arts practices and a wider arts ecology drives us to continue to believe in the work. Building supportive networks in the city, understanding our own and others needs as artists, and in the ways we can respond to these as a community makes us stronger.

Hearing individual responses and themes that emerge through this feedback really shapes the way that we do our work – ensuring that artists voices remain at the centre of how we look to grow as a community and understanding how best to support one another as artists in the city.