Masters Degrees (Curating)

Sunderland's MA Curating is one of the few courses in the UK to specialise in curating across art, design, media and culture and has a unique delivery system which aims to fit the needs of national and international working arts professionals, as well as full-time international students.

Course overview

This course is for people who want to work either in the traditional areas of curating fine art and cultural artefacts or in emerging areas such as curating digital art, media or live art. We will equip you for careers in the gallery, non-gallery and digital sectors.

By the end of the course, you will have advanced skills in collecting, organising, interpreting and exhibiting cultural items. You will also have expertise in effective teamwork and collaboration with artists and practitioners. All this will be grounded in a rigorous understanding of the historical contexts of curating, arts administration and museums.

The course features three week-long blocks of intensive delivery in October, February and June, plus weekly online contact, meaning national and European candidates can fit attendance and travel around work or family commitments, whilst regular online contact supports the completion of assignments. The course is also a full-time MA for international students, who will attend both intensive blocks and weekly contact onsite. The second intensive block will take place in London in February, accessing key curators and institutions during visits to organisations including Tate, V&A, and Wellcome Collection.

This block is also available as a professional development short course, building on a history of masterclasses including in New York and the UK. With accreditation of prior learning, this 60-credit block can also be taken as an accredited qualification leading to a Postgraduate Diploma.

Graduates from Sunderland can be found in curatorial and academic roles across the world, in cities such as New York, Stuttgart, Vancouver and London. Our graduates are also employed here in the North East by galleries and archival services.

You will be taught by academic staff with research interests that range across art, design, media and culture, with particular specialisms in public art, performance art, and new media art. We provide a well-regarded resource for curators and exhibitors of new media art, known as Curatorial Research for Upstart Media Bliss (CRUMB).

For a specialist web pages about the course and the activities of students, please see: http://www.macurating.net

Course content

The content of the course is shaped by your personal interests with guidance and inspiration from Sunderland's supportive tutors.

Modules on this course include:
Curating 1 – Certificate (60 Credits)
-Genealogies of Curating
-Mechanics of Curating

Curating 2 – Postgraduate Diploma (60 Credits)
-Contexts of Curating
-Visions of Curating

Curating 3 – Masters Degree (60 Credits)
-Curatorial Practice
-Major Project and Report

Teaching and assessment

Compared to an undergraduate course, you will find that this Masters requires a higher level of independent working.

We use a wide variety of teaching and learning methods which include lectures, seminars, study visits and group work. These are supported by a range of guest speakers from diverse academic and industry backgrounds. You will also have high levels of contact with tutors who give regular feedback and support.

Field trips and practical workshops are important elements of the course, giving you direct contact with curators. Host organisations have included the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Workplace Gallery, the Northern Gallery of Contemporary Art, the National Glass Centre and Shipley Art Gallery.

Facilities & location

The University has invested in modern facilities that include generous studio spaces and state-of-the-art teaching space and resources as part of a vibrant and outward-looking learning environment.

Arts and Design Library
Our Arts and Design Library has a specialist collection of over 120,000 books, CD-ROMs, videos, slides and one of the largest electronic information networks in the sector.

Journals and research
We subscribe to a comprehensive range of print and electronic journals so you can access the most reliable and up-to-date articles. Some of the most important sources include:
-Art Full Text + Art Abstracts, which is a major resource for media and arts information
-Design and Applied Arts Index, which covers journals featuring both new designers and the development of design and the applied arts since the mid-19th century
-British Universities Film and Video Council (BUFVC), which provides resources for the production, study and use of film and related media
-JSTOR (short for ‘Journal Storage’), which provides access to important journals across the humanities, social sciences and sciences

Employment & careers

Postgraduates are highly employable and, on average, earn more than individuals whose highest qualification is an undergraduate degree. On completing this course, you will be equipped for roles throughout the creative industries.

Specific opportunities include working in curatorial institutions and event management. Recent Sunderland graduates are now working in institutions such as the BALTIC, the Arnolfini (Bristol), Klomp Ching Gallery (New York), Banff Centre (Canada), Shipley Art Gallery and Tyne & Wear Archives and Museums.

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The programme is designed for students who wish to take up the challenge of contemporary curating as an artistic, social and critical undertaking, and who wish to develop their professional practice in this area. http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/mfa-curating/

This two-part programme is designed to develop professional and academic excellence in the field of contemporary curatorial practice. It's aimed at curators and those with related academic and practical experience who wish to achieve professional excellence in their practice, to innovate in the expanding field of curatorial practice.

MFA Curating at Goldsmiths focuses in-depth on aesthetic, social, political and philosophical questions that are brought to bear in any place or at any event in which contemporary art is situated.

The programme is designed to provide a practice-led research context for students at any stage of their professional practice.

It also enables you to experiment and innovate in the expanded field of curatorial pedagogy, to collaborate on an interdisciplinary basis and extend your and other students' knowledge through this process.

Goldsmiths' MFA Curating programme is recognised worldwide for producing highly qualified curators and other arts professionals.

Our graduates find employment in top international museums, commercial galleries, auction houses, magazines, alternative spaces and not-for-profit organisations. Others choose employment as artist’s studio managers; arts education programmers; museum public talks and events organisers; gallery archivists and registrars.

Recent speakers

Recent speakers have included: Iwona Blazwick OBE, Whitechapel Gallery, London; Francesco Bonami, MCA Chicago; Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, 14th Istanbul Biennial; Julia Bryan-Wilson, University of California at Berkeley; Céline Condorelli, artist and co-founder of Eastside Projects, Birmingham; Diedrich Diedrichsen, Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna; Alex Farquharson, Nottingham Contemporary; Ryan Gander, artist; Mark Godfrey, Tate Modern, London; Boris Groys, Center for Art and Media Technology, Karlsruhe; Matthew Higgs, White Columns, New York; Jens Hoffman, Jewish Museum, New York; Laura Hoptman, MoMA, New York; Anthony Huberman, CCA Wattis Institute, San Francisco; James Lingwood, Artangel, London; Gregor Muir, ICA, London; Paul O’Neill, CCS Bard College, New York; Scott Rothkopf, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Adrian Searle, The Guardian; Polly Staple, Chisenhale Gallery, London.

Recent Visiting Tutors

Chris Evans, artist; Lisa La Feuvre, Henry Moore Institute; Goldin+Senneby, Stockholm-based artists; Luis Jacob, Toronto-based artist; Tom Morton, frieze magazine; Paul O Neill, critic and curator; Sally O'Reilly, independent critic and curator; Mike Sperlinger, Lux; Rob Tuffnell, 83 Page Street; Alex Sainsbury, Raven Row; Lucy Byatt, Contemporary Art Society; Gavin Wade, Eastside Projects; Lydia Yee, Barbican Art Gallery; Form/Content

Work experience

The Tate Modern annually offers two hands-on internships to Goldsmiths MFA Curating students, who are given the opportunity to work directly on an exhibition matched to the students' interests. Accepted Goldsmiths curating students are given details on how to apply for a Tate Modern internship prior to starting the school year.

Other institutions with which the Goldsmiths MFA Curating programme has collaborated on real-life curatorial projects include 176/Zabludowicz Collection, London; Form/Content, London; ICA/Fourth Plinth Project, London, and more.

Each year, part 1 Goldsmiths curating students are invited to pitch an exhibition proposal to the Government Art Collection, using works from this important national collection as the basis for a contemporary art exhibition. The successful projects are realised during the final year.

Guest Research Student

If you are an international student and would like to study a 'tailor-made' programme (for up to a year), you may be interested in applying as a Guest Research Student.

Contact the department
If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Helena Reckitt.

Modules & Structure

In Year One, you're introduced to a series of curatorial concepts and practices through group analysis and guided research. There are also group seminars that look into significant ideas in philosophy and cultural theory to help you think broadly about your own practice

In Year Two, intensive workshops look in depth at a set of artistic and cultural themes chosen by the students. In Year Two you further develop independent curatorial research and practice, working either on your own ideas or with a London-based gallery or institution. The summer term of Year One acts as a transition to Year Two.

Government Art Collection

Each year, part 1 Goldsmiths curating students are invited to pitch an exhibition proposal to the Government Art Collection, using works from this important national collection as the basis for a contemporary art exhibition. The successful projects are realised during the final year.

Skills
Independent research and practice; public presentation; oral and written communication; project development; exhibition administration; concept development; collaboration; intellectual analysis; catalogue, essay and review writing; research organisation and presentation.

Careers

Graudates from the MFA in Curating go on to work in galleries and museums; as managers and directors in commercial galleries; independent curators; cultural policy makers, teachers and academics; writers and critics.

Recent employers of our MFA Curating students and graduates include:

Public sector

Tate Britain, London
Tate Modern, London
Guggenheim Museum, New York
Documenta, Kassel
Venice Biennale
Athens Biennial
Sydney Biennale
Portikus, Frankfurt
Witte de With, Rotterdam
FRAC Lorraine
Hayward Gallery, London
Hayward Touring Exhibitions, London
Museo d’Arte Moderna, Bologna
Modern Art Oxford
London Olympic Park (art sector)
Artists Space, New York
Henry Moore Institute, Leeds
Art on the Underground, London
Art Space, Auckland, New Zealand
Austrian Cultural Foundation. London
Romanian Cultural Institute, London
Spike Island, Bristol
Nottingham Contemporary, Nottingham

Private sector

176 Gallery, Zabludowicz Collection, London
Bloomberg Space, London
Christie’s, Amsterdam
Deitch Projects, New York
Deste Foundation, Athens
Frith Street Gallery, London
Haunch of Venison, Berlin
Kadist Art Foundation, Paris
Kate MacGarry Gallery, London
Kurimanzutto, Mexico City
Lisson Gallery, London
Matt’s Gallery, London
David Roberts Collection, London
White Cube Gallery, London
Vienna Art Fair, Vienna

Publications

Artforum, New York
Frieze, London
Flash Art International, Milan

Some of our graduates have founded their own projects and galleries, among these:

Lu Jie, Founder and Director, Long March Space, Beijing (number 95 in Art Review Power 100 List 2009)
Sarah Wang, Founding Director of the Creative Intelligence Agency, London
Zhang Wei, Founder and Director, Vitamin Creative Space, Guangzhou

Other entry requirements

Work experience is absolutely essential to demonstrate that you have a clear sense of current trends and activities in contemporary art. This should be demonstrated through your experience, and expanded upon in your personal statement.

Funding

Please visit http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/fees-funding/ for details.

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This well-connected degree is for those wishing to explore curating and develop curatorial skills in one or more of the following areas: fine art, digital media, film, festivals and social history.

Key benefits

You will work at least one day a week with your partner institution to gain experience in a real curatorial setting and develop skills required by industry.

Course detail

You will study alongside an intentionally small and supportive group of students with backgrounds in areas including fine art, sculpture, art history, architecture, 3D design, film studies and history, sharing practice and ideas and providing opportunities to work creatively and collaboratively on group projects.

You will benefit from unique and professional mentoring from a curator in one of our partner museums, galleries or other cultural spaces for the duration of the course, culminating in the delivery of a real-world curatorial project. Our partners are renowned creative and cultural organisations: Arnolfini, Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, Encounters Film Festival, M-Shed, Royal West of England Academy, Situations, Spike Island, Watershed, National Museum of Wales, Cardiff and ss Great Britain. A mentor is allocated based on your skills, interests and career aspirations and brings current industry insight and valuable support and guidance.

Through the final live project with your partner institution, you will gain interesting and relevant curatorial experience, sourcing venues, developing audiences, planning, programming and project management whilst developing key contacts.

Structure

The full masters course comprises 180 credits divided into three 60 credits stages: Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, and Masters. Students work incrementally through the three stages and must pass all modules at each stage in order to progress to the next.

The course is made up of five modules taught over three semesters (January - December).

Modules

• Curatorial Histories
• Developing Practice and Audiences
• Professional Practice: Curating
• Curating and Project Management
• Final Project: Curating (MA) or Final Project: Curating (MFA)

Format

You are taught through a series of lectures, seminars, practical workshops, master classes and projects. Guest speakers and study visits enhance learning and provide valuable industry insight.

Assessment

You will be assessed through a combination of practical and written work at the end of each module.

Careers / Further study

MA Curating graduates have gone on to work in a range of professions in areas of social history, fine art, museum curating and film programming in various arts, culture and heritage-related organisations. There are also curating and programming opportunities at film festivals both nationally and internationally and options to teach or progress to further PhD study.

How to apply

Information on applications can be found at the following link: http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/study/applyingtouwebristol/postgraduateapplications.aspx

Funding

- New Postgraduate Master's loans for 2016/17 academic year –

The government are introducing a master’s loan scheme, whereby master’s students under 60 can access a loan of up to £10,000 as a contribution towards the cost of their study. This is part of the government’s long-term commitment to enhance support for postgraduate study.

Scholarships and other sources of funding are also available.

More information can be found here: http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/feesandfunding/fundingandscholarships/postgraduatefunding.aspx

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Programme Overview

MA in Visual Arts Management and Curating offers sustained engagement with the visual arts from an intercultural perspective, training students in marketing, public relations, development, management, curating and gallery education within a visual arts context. The programme brings art and design historians, theoreticians, professional practitioners and studio artists together to; 1) offer a thorough grounding in the interdisciplinary, theoretical and methodological issues related to the study of the visual, and 2) equip students with the professional skills and experience to work successfully in a variety of arts and cultural industries.

Why Study MA in Visual Arts & Curating?

MA in Visual Arts Management and Curating is designed to develop professional excellence in the field of contemporary curatorial practice. The course aims to develop Arts Management Leaders and Curators.

The programme focuses contemporary discourse and practice in curating and arts management
Archiving - Research and Relevance
Arts Curating Contemporary Arts/Historical Context
Public Relations and Marketing in the Visual Arts
Studio Art and Contextual Presentation
Commercial Perceptions and Value

Recent guest lecturers and visiting speaker

Danny Birchall, Wellcome Collection ; Russell Dornan, Wellcome Collection; Joanna Banham, V&A; Justine Locker, Tate; John Stack, Tate; Luisa Ulyett, Tate; Anita Bennett, Tate; Caro Howell, The Foundling Museum; Synthia Griffin, Tate; Emma Law, Camden Arts Centre; Jessica Stockford, Arts & Business; Kate Oliver, Horniman Museum; Tiana Tasich, Digitelling Agency; Matthew Cain, The Guardian; Claudia Lastra, The Arts Catalyst

Recent Study Visits – London

V&A; Tate; Wellcome Collection; British Library; Geffrye Museum; Serpentine Gallery; British Museum; Frieze Art Fair; Sotheby’s; Christies; National Art Library; British Museum; Camden Arts Centre; National Gallery; National Portrait Gallery; South London Gallery
Recent Study Trips – International:
Venice, Berlin, Istanbul

Core Modules

Arts Management & Marketing
Arts Policy
World Arts
Curating
Arts Education
The International Art Market

How to Apply

Apply online using the application form available at http://www.richmond.ac.uk/admissions/postgraduate-admissions/ Please send your completed form to us by email to [email protected] or by mail to the following address: Admission Office, Richmond, the American University in London, Queens Road, Richmond Upon Thames TW10 6JP, UK.

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This programme, delivered by School of Arts and specialist visiting lecturers, develops your skills and provides experience relevant to a career in curating.

Based at the School of Arts Studio 3 Gallery, you are involved in all aspects of the running of the Gallery. You work closely with partner organisations such as Canterbury museums and the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA).

You have the opportunity to develop your own project, working within the Gallery’s exhibition programme.

Visit the website https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/96/curating

About the Department of History & Philosophy of Art

The History & Philosophy of Art Department within the School of Arts, provides opportunities for graduate study with well-established researchers in the fields of art history, philosophy of art and aesthetics. Staff research covers contemporary art and aesthetics, modernism, theories of art, the historiography of art and the Cold War; biographical monographs, the photograph (in its historical, contemporary and critical contexts), and the historical interplay of image, theory and institutions from the Renaissance to the present (especially European and North American).

Developing areas of interest include the cultural and historical significance of the print, and the role of performance and new media in contemporary art practices, which draw upon our links with other subjects within the School of Arts and the Faculty of Humanities. In particular, postgraduates have the opportunity to participate in the activities of the multidisciplinary Aesthetics Research Centre and the Art History and Visual Cultures Research Centre. There is also a full programme of visiting speakers from across the constituent subject areas within the School of Arts, which includes Film and Drama.

Course structure

Compulsory modules provide an overview of the history of collecting and exhibitions through a series of case studies, taking advantage of our proximity to major London collections. We also cover theoretical issues relating to curating and museology.

Optional modules focus on providing practice-based opportunities for developing curatorial skills.

Modules

The following modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This list is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation. Most programmes will require you to study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. You may also have the option to take modules from other programmes so that you may customise your programme and explore other subject areas that interest you.

HA826 - History and Theory of Curating (30 credits)
HA827 - Curatorial Internship (60 credits)

Assessment

Assessment is through a combination of coursework essays, critical logbooks and practice-based exercises. A long dissertation is required for the Exhibition Development and Design module.

[[Programme aims
This programme aims to:

- create and interpret knowledge at the forefront of the discipline through the development of critical, conceptual and practical abilities

- develop a self-directed programme of practice and related research

- contextualise and theorise practice in relation to, and through critical evaluation of, the work of contemporary practitioners and leading researchers within the discipline

- develop a comprehensive understanding of methodologies applicable to independent research

- develop autonomy in practice work within a context that fosters collaborative learning

- sustain an advanced practice that encompasses the disciplines of writing, discussion and producing practice-based outcomes

- achieve high-level skills and competencies as a preparation for professional practice and further development in the field of curating

- embed your research within the context of the University and utilise the resources offered in the research environment such as staff expertise, symposia and colloquia

- develop public outcomes outside the University in a range of formats

- attract students from a diversity of arts contexts and contexts that inform artistic practice, including fine art, history of art, sociology, journalism, English literature, film studies architecture and philosophy

- attract intellectually able and talented students who are enquiring, open to experimentation, discussion and collaboration as well able to work independently

- provide a forward-thinking, dynamic learning environment that responds to the current climate of debate and production in the arts.

- forge an international identity within the field of study through developing partnerships with international universities and non-HEIs

- support specialism and progression by allowing students to opt for specific routes of study that include curating, art history, cultural history, arts management, conservation or museum studies.

Research areas

The Department has a collective interest in developing interdisciplinary projects, including projects informed by art history and philosophy of art or aesthetics. Shared areas of research interest include: photography, art theory from the Renaissance to recent times and contemporary art.

Careers

Arts postgraduates have gone on to work in a range of professions, from museum positions and teaching roles to marketing and gallery assistants. Our graduates have found work with Tate Britain, the V&A, Museum of Childhood and other arts, culture and heritage-related organisations.

Find out how to apply here - https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/apply/

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A first of its kind, this new MA in Film Curating explores both the traditional and the rapidly changing ways in which films are programmed by curators and received by spectators. In film exhibition today, the old and the new coexist: audiences still watch films in cinemas, but digital technology and the internet have multiplied ways of consuming moving images. Digital technology has also transformed the relationship between film and art: galleries and museums now routinely exhibit film in shows and installations. Film festivals are flourishing in new formats and locations as never before. These changes have profoundly affected practices of curating and programming.

This intensive (1-year, full-time) MA includes in its curriculum: the old and the new aspects of programming and curating; theoretical considerations of audience; spectatorship and reception; and the changing spaces and temporalities of film exhibition. The MA combines these strong critical, theoretical and academic foundations with site visits and internships in London galleries and exhibition spaces, as well as screenings and programming in the Birkbeck Cinema. Students will be taught by internationally distinguished academics and cultural practitioners such as Professor Laura Mulvey. Lectures from industry professionals and experienced curators provide a first step towards possible careers in art and film or for further research into the cultures of curating.

Why study this course at Birkbeck?

Arts and humanities courses at Birkbeck are ranked third best in London and 11th in the UK in the Times Higher Education 2015-16 World University Subject Rankings.
The award-winning Birkbeck Cinema is central to the course. The cinema is equipped with 35mm and state-of-the-art DVD projection, offering students the opportunity to experiment with programming and curating.
The Birkbeck Institute for the Moving Image programmes conferences, screenings and film-related events of all kinds throughout the academic year.
The inaugural Essay Film Festival, jointly run by the Birkbeck Institute for the Moving Image and the ICA, was held in March 2015.
Located in central London, in the heart of historic Bloomsbury, Birkbeck is within easy reach of cinemas and galleries, as well as facilities such as the British Film Institute and the British Library.
Editing workshops with the Derek Jarman Lab enable students to experiment with the compilation and assemblage of archive material.

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MA/MFA Contemporary Curating explores the notion of exhibition practice in contemporary culture and considers curatorial methods and strategies in the context of the gallery and museum, as well as in projects such as biennials, public art works and commissions. The course considers ways in which different kinds of art works and projects are mediated through the exhibition process.

The shifting relationship between artist-institution-curator-critic/writer forms a central element to the course. The course also explores the potential of seeing curating as something that can be applied to different forms of knowledge: publications, symposia, events and interventions.

Features

-Opportunity to work on Holden Gallery exhibitions programme which generates four new shows a year, artists have included: John Baldessari, Sophie Calle, Liam Gillick, Jenny Holzer, Cornelia Parker, Roman Signer, Mark Wallinger
-Curator talks and seminars from a range of galleries and programmes,such as: Liverpool Biennial, Manchester Art Gallery, Open Eye, Tate Liverpool, Whitworth Art Gallery among others
-Partnership arrangements with Castlefield Gallery and Home for placements and work experience.

Course Content

You will establish key theories and issues relating to Contemporary Curating, Design Cultures and Contemporary Visual Culture and then develop these into more complex approaches.

You will also be encouraged and supported to extend your experience in the professional sphere either through a practical project, research context, exchange, work experience, or other negotiated professional set of interactions with an external partner, groups of students and creative industry.

Towards the end of the programme you will undertake a major project to consolidate your past research and practice into fully realised collections, pieces, proposals, business plans, or exhibitions – whatever means is appropriate to the work. You will also have developed a strategy for the continuation of your practice located and contextualised to the profession or discipline.

If you choose to progress to MFA Contemporary Curating award you will study a further two units of 60 credits each.

This award is focused on the continuation of your practice aligned to the research and selection of appropriate public or professional venues and platforms to disseminate a significant body of work. You will be required to produce work for a public audience in the most relevant and appropriate form along with any implicit publicity and dissemination material.

Resources

We have developed a dedicated postgraduate area occupying an entire floor of the main School of Art building, offering an exciting space to be, both intellectually and practically. The centre is located in the newly refurbished Chatham Tower with studios, design laboratories, seminar rooms and extensive workshops that form the nucleus of this vibrant, cross-disciplinary learning environment.

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Our MA Curating offers a practical and theoretical training in devising and curating exhibitions, as you work towards the preparation of an exhibition at our on-site Art Exchange gallery.

Our course combines practice, theory and histories of curating in equal measure. You will develop an essential base skills for a successful exhibition – from object handling to managing exhibition budgets – through visiting lectures by active museum professionals; practical workshops using our on-site collection and galleries; and competitive placements at leading institutions.

You will build your own confident grasp of the history and theory of exhibition-making, studying with academics who besides being active curators are producing new key texts on the curatorial history and theory. You study topics including:
-How an exhibition can be used as a means of social or political critique
-The historical role that museums have played in society
-Participation and social engagement between spectators, artists and curators
-A choice of history of art options

One of the major reasons for choosing Essex is the quality of the education you will receive. Our Art History programme is 6th in the UK for research excellence, with 89% of our work rated “world-leading” or “internationally excellent” (REF 2014), and we achieved an exceptional 95% student satisfaction in the 2016 National Student Survey.

Our expert staff

Our staff consists of a dynamic group of art historians. While our research interests span a range of cultures and media, from the early modern to the present, core specialties include exhibition design, modern and contemporary art, public engagement and activism.

Here are a few examples of recent or current projects by staff members:
-Dr Gavin Grindon, Lecturer in Art History and co-director of our Centre for Curatorial Studies, recently co-curated the Disobedient Objects exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, one of the best attended shows in the museum’s history. He has also widely published on activist art in leading journals such as Art History.
-Dr Adrian Locke, a Visiting Fellow in Art History and Senior Curator at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, has curated a diverse range of exhibitions, including Mexico: A Revolution in Art, 1910–1940 (2013) and Radical Geometry: Modern Art of South American from the Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Collection (2014). He also co-curated the exhibition Ai Weiwei, which opens at the Royal Academy in September 2015.
-Dr Matt Lodder, Lecturer in Art History with an emphasis on modern and contemporary visual culture, is co-curating the exhibition Tattoo: Ancient Myths, Modern Meanings, which opens next year in the U.S.
-Dr Michael Tymkiw, co-director of the Centre for Curatorial Studies, has a book under contract entitled Nazi Exhibition Design and Modernism. He has also just launched an interdisciplinary research project that focuses on using digital technologies to expand disability access in museums—a project that involves collaborations with several museums in Colchester and London including firstsite and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Specialist facilities

At Essex, you have the best of both worlds: on the one hand, you are part of a tight-knit, campus community with close ties to several small but excellent museums in the nearby town of Colchester; on the other hand, you can travel from campus to London in an hour, which puts the world’s best museums and galleries at your fingertips.

Our facilities enable you to gain curatorial experience and engage in object-based learning, a cornerstone of our approach when teaching the history of art and its modes of display:
-Our Essex Collection of Art from Latin America (ESCALA) is the most comprehensive Latin American art research resource in the UK and has a state-of-the-art teaching and research space. Many of our students gain work and research experience through our collection
-Our onsite gallery Art Exchange runs an ongoing programme of contemporary art exhibitions, talks and workshops by curators and artists, as well as exhibitions organised by our postgraduate curatorial students
-Colchester’s iconic Firstsite gallery features an exciting programme of contemporary art exhibitions, film screenings and talks, and exhibitions organised by our curatorial students
-Our Centre for Curatorial Studies is home to staff who specialise in the history of exhibition design and curate high-profile exhibitions

Your future

The visual arts and culture industries have become an increasingly significant part of the national and international economy, and our art history graduates leave Essex with the skills to take advantage of this growing opportunity.

Graduates from our programmes are ideally prepared for roles in the media, in advertising, in museums and galleries, in education (in schools, universities, and cultural institutions), as conservators, as auctioneers, dealers and antiques specialists, in charities, in publishing, as specialist arts lawyers, as PR agents, in fashion, or to run their own galleries.

Our recent graduates have gone on to work for a wide range of high-profile companies including:
-National Portrait Gallery
-Victoria and Albert Museum
-Sotheby’s New York
-Momart Ltd
-John Lewis

We also offer research supervision for PhD and MPhil for those who want to continue with research. We cover the major areas of European art and architecture from 1300 to the present, as well as the art and architecture of Latin America and the United States.

We work with our university’s Employability and Careers Centre to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.

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The Sydney Master of Art Curatorship provides candidates with a sophisticated awareness of the full range of cultural, theoretical, social, political and economic issues underlying the art gallery and museum system.

A highly valued aspect of the course is the project-based internships supervised by industry professionals in local, national and international visual arts organisations which provide invaluable workplace experience, training and networking opportunities.

The Master of Art Curating is designed and taught collaboratively by the Department of Art History and Film Studies and Sydney College of the Arts. The course emphasises the skills required for curating in a variety of contemporary contexts.

The program will provide students with a rich combination of academic core skills, art-historical and art-critical knowledge and community-engaged experience, creating pathways to careers and professional development in art institutions of all types. Graduates will possess a strong foundation in the history of art museums and their cultural impact, and an awareness of the changing nature and role of curators in society and the current challenges they face.

The program provides critical insight into and practical knowledge of both traditional institutions, such as museums and galleries, and the expanding field of contemporary curating and its wide range of non‑traditional exhibition spaces. These include artist-run and community art spaces, public art projects, festivals and commercial spaces.

Graduates will develop specialist knowledge and understanding of major developments and issues in the field of the history of art, and to be able to apply these to the care, display, and interpretation of objects, performances and art practices in curatorial contexts.

The course brings students into major Sydney art institutions for seminars. It includes an internship placement and students may choose to complete a second internship as part of their studies.

To ask a question about this course, visit http://sydney.edu.au/internationaloffice/

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Run jointly with the Design Museum, this course is taught by leading curators and designers within the field. Through its projects at the Design Museum and with prestigious cultural organisations, including the British Council, Architecture Foundation, British Museum and the V&A, the course gives you the opportunity to curate live projects and build your own professional profile. Ambitious international projects are an integral part of the curriculum, and graduates have gone on to successful careers around the world.

Key features]
-As the course is taught in partnership with the Design Museum, London, you will benefit from the experience of studying at one of the world's best-known design museums.
-Professional practice modules at the Design Museum underpin modules on the history and theory of curating design taught at Kingston University.
-Work experience and study visits are an important part of the course.

What will you study?

You will gain a grounding in the professional aspects of curatorial practice as well as first-hand experience in planning and organising exhibitions. This practical experience will be supported by modules in history and theory, ensuring you have a thorough knowledge of the ideas and context underpinning the display and curating of contemporary designed objects. There is a strong emphasis on gaining key employability skills for the sector, ensuring a high level of professional development. We develop live projects with leading organisations such as the British Council, Crafts Council and V&A Museum.

Assessment

Curatorial project briefs, seminar presentations, essays, and dissertation.

Course structure

Please note that this is an indicative list of modules and is not intended as a definitive list. Those listed here may also be a mixture of core and optional modules.

Modules
-Professional Practice
-Interpreting Contemporary Design
-Theory of the Contemporary Object
-Making of the Modern World
-Curating Contemporary Design Dissertation and/or Project

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The MA in Art History and Curating offers a theoretical and critical approach to the study of art history and curatorial practice. Focusing mainly on the modern period (19th and 20th centuries), the programme will address key developments in art and art history up to the present day. For students who do not wish to undertake a full MA, a Postgraduate Certificate is also available.

The programme would appeal to graduates who have studied Fine Art, Art History or any other Arts and Humanities discipline, or those from non arts backgrounds wishing to pursue a new subject. It will also appeal to those already working in the museums or galleries sector wishing to undertake Continuing Professional Development (CPD). There are opportunities to participate in overseas study tours and in recent years the department has visited Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bilbao, Milan, Paris, Florence, Venice and New York. London visits and regional exhibition visits may also take place, depending on the exhibition programme for the year. The Arts play a significant and growing role in wealth creation and the regeneration of urban and rural environments. Visiting galleries and museums has never been more popular. The numbers of Art Education and heritage sites are expanding and all look to recruit postgraduates with a background in the Arts and Art History.

Study Details / Module Information

At the outset you will be introduced to the Art History and Curating programme through a series of lectures, seminars and tutorials, delivered by specialist academic staff. Your tutors will provide you with a firm foundation and knowledge of visual cultures and applied arts primarily in Europe and the U.S. enabling you to understand your own learning and study needs within the context of the subject. A contextual journal is introduced that will underpin your academic studies facilitating a personal and individual perspective.

You will continue to develop your theoretical skills through continuous tutorial consultation and supervision enabling you to devise your own work programme from the range of courses on offer. Teaching is by lectures, seminars, tutorials and gallery visits to enable the first hand study of artworks; their context and curation. We expect a critical approach towards writing with an awareness of contemporary art practice and the historical socio-political and cultural forces that inform it. Your programme of study will be agreed with your subject tutors, and will make full use of the museums and galleries on Merseyside and beyond.

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Are you fascinated by visual culture and exhibition practice?

Do you want to pursue a career in the gallery and arts sectors?

The MA in Art History and Curating is one of the few postgraduate programmes in the country that offers you the opportunity to work in a team with academic and museum professionals to curate an art exhibition in a public gallery. This will take place in the Barber Institute of Fine Arts on campus or at Grand Union in Birmingham city centre.

This unique programme enables you to develop the knowledge and skills to conduct original research into art objects, to understand at first hand the history, theory and contemporary practice of their curation, to co-curate a public art exhibition and complete a 15,000-word dissertation.

The core components of the programme include the 40-credit module ‘Curatorial Practices’ that provides you with a range of skills to curate an exhibition, and two single modules, 'Postgraduate Research Training and Methods,' which will help you to develop essential research skills, and 'Criticism and Methods in the History of Art and Visual Culture,' which provides a theoretical foundation for your studies.

The programme also offers you the flexibility to select a further two options from a range of complimentary practical, theoretical and historical modules. These include: a 12-week placement with a local gallery or other arts organisation set up on your behalf; the history and theory of exhibitions; aesthetics and the philosophy of art. As a result, this unique programme will provide you with the knowledge, experience and employability skills invaluable to the museum, commercial and academic sectors whilst enabling you to establish professional networks in both.

You will complete the programme with a 15,000-word dissertation, supported through one-to-one tutorials with your academic supervisor.

About the School of Languages, Cultures, Art History and Music

The School of Languages, Cultures, Art History and Music brings together a number of internationally renowned departments to offer an extensive portfolio of innovative and interdisciplinary programmes in an exciting and creative environment, underpinned by a vibrant research culture.
We received outstanding results across the School in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) exercise, with at least 75% of our research judged to be ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ across all subject areas.
The Department of Art History, Curating and Visual Studies is located in the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, which houses the Barber Institute gallery and an exceptional Fine Art Library. The Department of Music is based in the Bramall Music Building, with state-of-the-art facilities including the 450-seat Elgar Concert Hall, a suite dedicated to the study and performance of early music, five electroacoustic studios and a large rehearsal room. We also have one of the best music libraries in the country, with special collections including materials on 20th-century English music, Baroque music and an extensive microfilm collection.
In addition to housing one of the UK’s largest groups of internationally renowned researchers in the national cultures of Europe, the Department of Modern Languages also hosts a Language and Media Resource Centre which specifically supports language learning through the latest interactive learning technology. We have a vibrant, international postgraduate community and offer excellent study and research opportunities in a supportive working environment.

Funding and Scholarships

There are many ways to finance your postgraduate study at the University of Birmingham. To see what funding and scholarships are available, please visit: http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/postgraduate/funding

Open Days

Explore postgraduate study at Birmingham at our on-campus open days.
Register to attend at: http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/postgraduate/visit

Virtual Open Days

If you can’t make it to one of our on-campus open days, our virtual open days run regularly throughout the year. For more information, please visit: http://www.pg.bham.ac.uk

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Our research programmes are designed for curators who would like to explore and develop their understanding of their practice, and in so doing to contribute to the wider cultural context through original critical work. http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/mphil-phd-curating/

In all Art research subjects (whether you specialise as an artist, a curator or a writer) you may either register for practice-based research or register to undertake research leading to a thesis submitted in accordance with the normal provisions of the University.

At research level the Department of Art's aim is to support the development of original practice in the form of artworks, curatorial production and writing. As an artist registered for either practice-based research or by written thesis only, you will work alongside curators and writers and participate in our rich critical research environment. You will normally work with two supervisors who will meet you to discuss the development of your research project on a regular basis, as well as have the opportunity to organise and participate in training workshops, seminars, screenings, displays and research symposia.

You will apply with a well-developed idea for an individual research project that you have begun to plan artistically as well as to contextualise with reference to contemporary and historical examples of artworks, exhibitions, designs, social, political and philosophical ideas, etc. We consider all elements- the written element and the artistic or curatorial production for practice-based research - to be sites of rigorous formal experimentation. Throughout your period of study you will be expected to articulate the shape and form of your research and the relation between its elements and to discuss them in research fora on a regular basis.

If you are an international student and would like to study a 'tailor-made' programme (for up to a year), you may be interested in applying as a Guest Research Student.

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Professor Michael Newman.

Modules & Structure

If you are registered for a practice-based research project you are expected to produce a series of artworks and/or documentation of a series of exhibitions or events developed whilst on the programme as well as a dissertation of 20,000 words. If you are registered according to the normal provisions of the University your final text has a target of 40,000 words. All research students are registered first for an MPhil then may either transfer registration to PhD following the successful completion of an upgrade exam or finish their study at this stage by submitting their research for an MPhil exam.

We provide full-time practice-based research students with studio or office accommodation as appropriate; we expect part-time students to have their own studio or office as appropriate, which is subject to the same conditions as for part-time MFA in Fine Art students.

We recommend that all applicants contact us initially to discuss their proposal and identify a potential supervisor from the Art Department academic staff with whom they would like to work. All applications must be accompanied by a digital portfolio or website. If shortlisted, applicants will be expected to attend an interview (international applicants may be interviewed by skype).

Assessment is by either:

Thesis, including practice; viva voce
Thesis and viva voce

Department

We have a world-leading reputation that brings together students and researchers from all over the globe

We specialise in making, curating and writing about contemporary art in a dynamic, critical and interdisciplinary environment.

And we work with a network of artists, curators, galleries and museums in both London and internationally to create an inspiring and dynamic place in which to study and develop an artistic practice.

Our alumni go on to do great things. Many of them are among the most recognised names working in art today, and since 1990 they’ve been nominated for the Turner Prize more than 30 times, winning the prize on seven occasions.

Skills

Our Art programmes aim to equip you with the necessary skills to develop independent thought and confidence in your practice. In addition, these skills are of use in other career paths you may wish to follow.

Careers

Our students have been successful in many fields including media, museums, galleries, education, the music business and academia. Many have continued to be successful, practising artists long after graduating, and have won major prizes and exhibited around the world.

The Turner Prize shortlist has consistently included at least one of our former graduates. Six of the prize winners have studied here:

Grenville Davey
Antony Gormley
Damien Hirst
Gillian Wearing
Steve McQueen
Mark Wallinger
Laure Prouvost

How to apply

Before you apply for a research programme, we advise you to get in touch with the programme contact, listed above. It may also be possible to arrange an advisory meeting.

Before you start at Goldsmiths, the actual topic of your research has to be agreed with your proposed supervisor, who will be a member of staff active in your general field of research. The choice of topic may be influenced by the current research in the department or the requirements of an external funding body.

If you wish to study on a part-time basis, you should also indicate how many hours a week you intend to devote to research, whether this will be at evenings or weekends, and for how many hours each day.

Research proposals

Along with your application and academic reference, you should also upload a research proposal at the point of application.

This should be in the form of a statement of the proposed area of research and should include:

delineation of the research topic
why it has been chosen
an initial hypothesis (if applicable)
a brief list of major secondary sources
if appropriate, you can submit slides and supporting material along with your application

Funding

Please visit http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/fees-funding/ for details.

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The MA Curating the Art Museum accepts 12 students annually and offers students a unique balance of lectures, hands-on experience and internship placements. Its purpose is to extend and develop graduates’ art historical interests, expertise and scholarship into the area of curatorship and active engagement with collections and exhibitions in the museum and gallery realm.

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Gain the skills to take part in the exciting world of museums, galleries and the cultural heritage sector.

On this MA, you’ll work with academics and museum professionals – these have previously included senior staff from the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, the V&A, the National Trust, the Science Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum and Museum of Modern Art in New York – to explore the history, theory and politics of art institutions and to build a critical framework for the practice of curating.

This MA introduces you to:
-Curatorial scholarship and its methodologies (including conservation-led research and technical art history)
-The histories of museums and their collections
-The ethical and legal frameworks within which curators and museums work
-The nature and politics of museum displays

You visit a number of museums in Sussex and in London, allowing you to learn first-hand about institutional histories, collections, permanent galleries and temporary exhibitions.

How will I study?

In the autumn and spring terms, you take museum skills modules with seminars at Sussex and visits to local and national collections alongside core modules and options. The summer term is taken up with a work placement at a local or national museum or gallery.

Throughout the course, you are encouraged to participate actively in the taught sessions and museum visits. With your tutors and classmates, you debate a range of ethical concerns facing museum curators. You also develop your own research interests through the dissertation.

Assessed work includes:
-Term papers
-Practical assignments
-A learning journal (written during the placement as a reflection on that experience)
-A 12,000-word dissertation

Scholarships

Our aim is to ensure that every student who wants to study with us is able to despite financial barriers, so that we continue to attract talented and unique individuals.

Chancellor's International Scholarship (2017)
-25 scholarships of a 50% tuition fee waiver
-Application deadline: 1 May 2017

HESPAL Scholarship (Higher Education Scholarships Scheme for the Palestinian Territories) (2017)
-Two full fee waivers in conjuction with maintenance support from the British Council
-Application deadline: 1 January 2017

USA Friends Scholarships (2017)
-A scholarship of an amount equivalent to $10,000 for nationals or residents of the USA on a one year taught Masters degree course.
-Application deadline: 3 April 2017

Careers

You gain knowledge about objects and collections, and develop a critical awareness of museum practices.

You develop communication and project management skills. These skills provide the practical and theoretical foundation for careers in:
-Museums
-Galleries
-Heritage at curatorial level
-The cultural sector more broadly

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