Curating Contemporary Art Short Course
Course description
Course overview
Join this course to gain an understanding of professional standards of practice in curating.
The course provides an overview of the history of curating and 21st century curatorial developments; exploring the main trends, institutions and concerns of contemporary curatorial practices.
Participants will also gain practical information about funding, promotion, installation and other professional aspects of curating before moving on to build practical skills in devising exhibition themes and proposals.
Students are encouraged to visit a range of exhibitions and institutions and will have the opportunity to be a part of discussions with industry professionals.
This course is available both on campus or online.
Who this course is for
This course is ideal for anyone with an interest in curating exhibitions of contemporary art. You may be looking to make proposals to venues, apply for gallery internships, follow a career in arts administration or apply for a BA or MA degree in Curating.
Key information
Topics covered
- A history of curating: Lectures on curatorial roles and histories
- Translating ideas into proposals
- Curatorial roles and working methods
- Context and mediation
- Resources for curators
- EXHIBITION: Contextualising your practice
- Taking your proposals to the next stage, context and intention
- Publicity and the press release
- Partnerships, funding, timetables and calculating budgets
- Pitching your project: how to present ideas
Learning outcomes
- Gain vital understanding of professional standards of practice in curating
- Knowledge of structures and institutions of the art world in London and beyond
- Have the tools to write an exhibition proposal, organise a show and apply for funding, this could lead to curatorial projects, assistantships, partnerships or internships in the future
- Digital badge and certificate of attendance
Materials
On campus
- Notebook and pen
- Money for travel and exhibition entry
- Computer, laptop or iPad and internet access for homework activities
- Ideas for exhibitions that you would like to curate
- A USB stick
Online
- Notebook and pen
- Ideas for exhibitions that you would like to curate
If you are taking this course online, please see our Guide to taking online short courses.
Tutor
Kirsten Cooke
Dr Kirsten Cooke is an artist-curator and has co-authored the projects: Material Conjectures, KollActiv and House of Hysteria. This year Cooke completed her PhD in curatorial practice at the University of Reading and she has delivered papers/written texts for projects in London, Paris and LA. Cooke's practice experiments with different forms of staging and deploys architectural environments to choreograph artworks.
Recent exhibitions and projects have been staged at kynastonmcshine (The Old Police Station, London), Beaconsfield (London), Sonce Alexander gallery (LA), and the Université Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne (Paris). In 2016, Cooke has staged the exhibition and performance programme Pressure Chamber: Nematodes at ArtLacuna (London) and will be curating the following exhibitions as part of her co-authored projects: Concrete Plastic in September at Los Angeles Contemporary Archive (LA) and Abandoned Temporary Treatment Facility in October at Beaconsfield (London).
TBC
Dr Kirsten Cooke is an artist-curator and has co-authored the projects: Material Conjectures, KollActiv and House of Hysteria. This year Cooke completed her PhD in curatorial practice at the University of Reading and she has delivered papers/written texts for projects in London, Paris and LA. Cooke's practice experiments with different forms of staging and deploys architectural environments to choreograph artworks.
Recent exhibitions and projects have been staged at kynastonmcshine (The Old Police Station, London), Beaconsfield (London), Sonce Alexander gallery (LA), and the Université Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne (Paris). In 2016, Cooke has staged the exhibition and performance programme Pressure Chamber: Nematodes at ArtLacuna (London) and will be curating the following exhibitions as part of her co-authored projects: Concrete Plastic in September at Los Angeles Contemporary Archive (LA) and Abandoned Temporary Treatment Facility in October at Beaconsfield (London).
Sophia Kosmaoglou
Sophia Kosmaoglou is an artist, tutor, curator and founder of [ART&CRITIQUE], an alternative art education network based in London. Her work employs a broad range of practices including sculpture, installation, video, painting, performance, sound, site-specificity, collaboration and participation to address identity, convention, authority and rationalism. Her current practice blurs the boundaries between art, activism and education to question the ontology of art and its social and institutional functions. She has a practice-based PhD in Fine Art from Goldsmiths and her research interests include institutional critique and the relationship between art and politics, institutions and independent organisations and collective practices. Her PhD thesis is a critical reassessment of institutional critique and of the value of autonomy in art practice. She has previously taught Critical Studies and Studio Practice on BA Fine Art Practice and Joint Honours courses at Goldsmiths. She is a member of Exploding Cinema, Deptford Cinema and The Field New Cross.
View Sophia's website
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