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Short course

Curating from Art to Design and Beyond Short Course

Curating from Art to Design and Beyond Short Course | On campus
Explore curating principles across art and design, and develop your exhibition skills.

Next start months
January 2026
March 2026
July 2026
Tutor(s)
Sarah Sparkes
Rob La Frenais
Price
From £620.00

Course description

Course overview

This course is for students who are looking to enhance their engagement with and understanding of contemporary curatorial practice and theory. The course will assist students in contextualising and developing ideas about curating exhibitions, displays and public programmes with a multidisciplinary approach, drawing from contemporary curatorial practice from across the visual arts.

Throughout the course, students will be presented with a selection of historical and contemporary curatorial approaches through a dynamic combination of theoretical and practical sessions.

Students will also engage with a stimulating array of visits to trigger creative links with London's rich contemporary culture, from gallery and museum visits to sessions alongside professional artists, designers and curators.

A series of informal lectures and seminars will give each student a platform from which to develop their own research or curatorial proposal. Students will build a deeper understanding and working knowledge of contemporary curatorial practice, gain confidence and a key network of cultural resources and connections.

Who this course is for

This course is for students of any discipline with an interest in current curatorial practices and the connections between visual arts, design, fashion, architecture and other fields.

The course will be suitable for people with little or no previous experience in curating, but also for people with some experience with an interest to further develop their portfolio and knowledge in the field. The course will put special emphasis on testing new approaches to the expanding field of curating.

Key information

Topics covered

  • Introduction to Curating
  • Curatorial Histories
  • Curatorial Research
  • Curatorial Formats
  • Curatorial Narratives and Writing
  • Curatorial Management

Learning outcomes

  • A basic overview on the history of curating
  • Learn about the different types of curators and curatorial roles
  • Familiarity with curating resources and latest developments in the field
  • Put together a curatorial proposal based on your research interests
  • Digital badge and certificate of attendance

Materials

  • A notepad and pen
  • Oyster card, for visiting galleries around London

Tutor

Sarah Sparkes

Sarah Sparkes is an artist and independent curator whose practice explores the immaterial and how this may be visualised. Since 2008 she has run the curatorial research project GHost. She has organised numerous collaborative and solo projects, working with both U.K. and international artists and realising ambitious events and exhibitions in both public and private spaces - including the London Art Fair and Folkestone Triennial. She holds an MA in Fine Art from Chelsea College of Arts and between 2009 - 2011 was a Research Fellow at the University of London. As well as leading and curating a number of visual arts projects, she frequently exhibits her own work which encompasses installation, painting, performance and film. She was the 2015 the winner of the MERU Art*Science Award, recently had a solo exhibition with New Art Projects. A qualified HE Lecturer, she has taught within both academic and non-academic environments and is currently lecturing in Fine Art and Independent Curating at a number of London institutions including Tate Modern and University of the Arts. She lectures and has published widely on her own practice and curatorial projects.

Take a look at Sarah's website

Rob La Frenais

Rob La Frenais is an independent curator, artist, writer and lecturer, working internationally with artists on original commissions. He believes in being directly engaged with the artist's working process as far as possible, while actively widening the context within which the artist can work. He founded Performance Magazine in 1979 and became an independent curator specialising in performance and installation in 1987. From 1997 - 2014 he was curator of The Arts Catalyst where, along with director Nicola Triscott, he developed an ambitious art/science programme. His last exhibition with the Arts Catalyst was 'Republic of the Moon'. As an independent curator he led a major project by Tomas Saraceno in White Sands, New Mexico, and is visiting professor at Srishti Institute, Bangalore; visiting curator at FACT Liverpool and National Taiwan Museum of Fine Art, where he curated 'No Such Thing As Gravity'; and curator of 'Exoplanet Lot' in the Lot Valley in France. He writes regularly for Art Monthly, UK and makery.info France. He was the first curator to enter zero gravity at Star City in 1999. He has now returned to artistic practice and is working with other artists on performance collaborations. He is partcipating in the performance 'Close To The Water' on rivers around the world in collaboration with rowing clubs. He recently was Artist Laureate with composer Lola Perrin for the EU NGO Transport and Environment.
www.roblafrenais.info

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