Image of Prof John Byrne

Prof John Byrne

Liverpool School of Art and Design

Faculty of Arts Professional and Social Studies

Email: J.Byrne@ljmu.ac.uk

Telephone: 0151 904 1128

See My Tutor

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The Uses of Art Lab

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L'Internationale Online

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The Association of Arte Útil

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Use Value and Art

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John Byrne is a Professor of Useful Art at Liverpool John Moores University’s School of Art and Design. Byrne is also currently Head of The Institute of Art and Technology at Liverpool John Moores University’s Faculty of Arts, Professional and Social Studies.

From 2019 Byrne has also occupied the position of Researcher and Writer in Residence at The Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester UK (www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk). As part of this Residency Byrne co-produced and developed the ongoing online Research Platform ‘Decentralising Political Economies’ (or www.dpe.tools) which acts as a critical Research intersection between The Whitworth Art Gallery, The Association of Arte Útil (www.arte-util.org) and IAT at LJMU

Since 2020 Byrne has also acted a member of the Adivsory Board for Ty Pawb – a hybrid market, cultural hub, gallery space and community garden in Wrexham, Wales (www.typawb.wales). In 2022 Ty Pawb was an Art Fund Museum of the Year Shortlisted Finalist.

From 2013 – 2018 Byrne also acted as LJMU/LSAD Co-ordinator for "The Uses of Art- the legacy of 1848 and 1989" (2013 – 2018) EU Funded Project: GA 2013-1183. ‘The Uses of Art’ Project is a 5 yearlong project which will align research developed around the theme of ‘Useful Art’ from LJMU/LSAD alongside Grizedale Arts (Coniston UK), The University of Hildesheim (Hildesheim, Germany), The Victoria and Albert Museum (London, UK) and the L’Internationale consortium of Museums and Galleries: Moderna Galerija (MG=MSUM, Ljubljana, Slovenia); Museo nacional centro de arte Reina Sofia (MNCARS, Madrid, Spain); Museu d’art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA, Barcelona, Spain); Museum van Hedendgaagse Kunst Antwerpen (M HKA, Antwerp, Belgium); SALT (Istanbul and Ankara, Turkey) and Van Abbermuseum (VAM, Eindhoven, NL); Grizedale Arts (Coniston, UK); University of Hildesheim, (Hildesheim, Germany). The Uses of Art has received funding of € 2.5 million from the European Union. The tangible outputs of the ‘The Uses of Art: The Legacies of 1848 and 1989’Programme are: (1) Collection mobility through an exchange of 500 works and the streamlining of procedures for internal loans (2) Mobility of 600 cultural professionals (3) 20 exhibitions, which will show 1500 works (4) 12 symposia/seminars (5) 5 publications (6) L’Internatioale Online platform (7) 5 magazines (8) a special education program for 60 young Europeans (9) 4 commissioned art projects with contemporary artists (10) an estimated public of 2.5,000,000 visitors and participants.

In September 2015 – 2018 Byrne took on the role of Co-ordinator for the L’Internationale ‘Constituencies’ Research Strand. This saw Byrne collating Bench Mark research around the relationship between Museums/Galleries and Publics between September 2015 and April 2016. From April 2016 – October 2016 Byrne was responsible for coordinating research around examples of experimental practice between L’Internationale partners and their publics (with a view to developing International practice standards for Knowledge development and co-production). From October 2016 to March 2018 Byrne was responsible for organizing an editorial team to produce a major historical and critical publication on the ‘Constituent Museum’ for publication by L’Internationale as part of the "The Uses of Art- the legacy of 1848 and 1989"

In July 2015 Byrne also became a Narrator/Curator of the L’Internationale ‘Glossary of Common Knowledge’ Project, based at Moderna Galerija Ljubljana. In March 2016 Byrne and Zdenka Badovinca (Director of Moderna Galerija) co-curated a ‘Constituencies’ Glossary of Common Knowledge Seminar that was held in Liverpool at Liverpool John Moores University’s School of Art and Design.

Byrne’s continued work with The L’Internationale Group of Museums and Galleries from 2013 -20018, and also a continued Research Relationship with The Van Abbemuseum (NL) and The Whitworth Art Gallery from 2019 onward around Constituency and The Constituent Museum formed one of the three Impact Case Studies submitted as part of UoA32 from Liverpool School of Art and Design/LJMU for REF 2021.

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