Bath Spa University

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Curatorial Practice

This innovative course benefits from collaborative relationships with museums and galleries of national and international significance, notably the Holburne Museum, Arnolfini, Bristol and Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery. It covers a wide range of curatorial approaches, from management of the historical collection to creative curating of cutting edge contemporary art, craft and design.

The course takes a broad view of curatorial practice and the programme includes consideration of activities in the private domain of the domestic interior, and in virtual reality, as well as commercial treatments, such as shop window display.

Course Structure and Content

The course is offered in both full and part-time modes. It is normally one year, (3 trimesters) in duration in full time mode or 6 trimesters in part-time mode. The first two trimesters comprise taught sessions and assessed projects, while the Master's Project in the final part of the course is by negotiated project only. Completion of the first 2 modules on the course lead to the award of the Postgraduate Certificate, and completion of the first 4 modules leads to the award of the Postgraduate Diploma. Subsequent completion of the MA double module leads to the award of MA Curatorial Practice.

Modules

• Research Methodologies: Part one introduces generic research methodologies with part two considering subject specific material, analysis and evaluation techniques.
• The Role of the Curator: The Role of the Curator considers the changing role of the curator and the 'politics' of curating. It addresses developments in critical theory and their impact on curatorial practices and includes topics such as representing communities, ethnicities, gender issues, 'interventions', gallery learning, the 'post-museum' and creative curating.
• Collections and Collecting: This element of the course considers private activities in the domestic interior, as well as public collections and their management. It covers material culture, the urge to collect, the collection as shrine, oral history and its methods, object studies, research in the archiving and management of historical collections, with the collection at the Holburne Museum in Bath providing an important case study.
• Cultures of Display: The module looks at public and private modes of display. As well as considering a range of museum and gallery practices, it includes studies in domestic display, commercial display and digital display.
• Master's Project: The Master's Project is capable of accommodating a variety of approaches for assessment. Examples might include (but are not restricted to) the traditional written dissertation, perhaps drawing on historical or archival case studies, research into and/or curating of an exhibition in a particular venue, and forms of digital production, such as the construction of a museum or gallery specific web site.

Teaching Methods and Resources

The MA adopts a 'practice-led' approach; while some sessions are delivered by Bath School of Art and Design (BSAD) university academics, others are delivered by our collaborators and relate to particular case studies or collections. There are opportunities to work alongside museum and gallery professionals on selected in-house activities and 'real life' projects can be pursued in response to assessment assignments, especially in relation to the final 'Master's Project' double module.

Assessment Methods

• The ability to deal with complex issues in the area of curatorial practice history, theory and context, effectively employing skill in analysis and synthesis as necessary.
• The ability to independently plan and implement research activities in the subject fields of curatorial practice, demonstrating professionalism, self-direction and originality.
• The ability to effectively propose and curate exhibitions, drawing on research and understanding.
• The ability to initiate and contribute to debate and discussion in relation to curatorial practice.
• The capacity to advance knowledge, learning and skills in the subject fields of curatorial practice.

Career Opportunities

Typical career destinations include:

• Curatorial work in museums and galleries;
• Freelance curatorship;
• Galleries/Arts administration;
• Public Art;
• Critical writing, such as exhibition reviews and catalogue essays.

Entry Requirements

Admission is normally based on a good undergraduate degree in an appropriate discipline together with an interview. Applicants with a good honours degree in a related discipline and/or with relevant work experience will also be considered.

Overseas applicants will be assessed on the basis of their qualifications and statement included in the application form.

To help applicants – especially those from overseas – to decide if this course is appropriate for them, it is advisable to contact the Course Leader prior to application.