Course overview
You explore:
- collection development, management (including acquisitions and loans), and historical and contemporary relevance
- research, development and project management of new exhibitions, and curatorial projects and commissioning artists
- interpretation, learning and audience development including digital methodologies
- specialist sector networks and future-proofing your career as a curator.
This course begins by developing your practice across key issues and economic, social and cultural landscapes including decolonisation, diversity and inclusion, place-making and sustainability. You then move onto developing advanced curatorial skills as part of your current employment, providing you with a comprehensive and critical understanding of professional practice, and preparing you for future challenges within the cultural and creative industries.
Developed and delivered in partnership with key stakeholders from the sector and led by established curators from MIMA, this course is embedded in the MIMA programme, allowing you to contribute to a range of events, projects and exhibitions.
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Course details
Course structure
Core modules
Curating Collections and Access
You expand your understanding of curatorial practice through engagement with collections, including inclusive and decolonial frameworks within the context of curatorial display. You gain a critical perspective on institutional practices, through a detailed knowledge of collection management and development incorporating audience development projects, communications, interpretation, events and learning programmes.
You develop your critical awareness of social, political, ethical and conceptual issues in and around curation. You explore key theories and practices, both historical and contemporary, developing your curatorial research, analytical and communication skills.
Major Project: Curatorial Practice
This module offers you an advanced learning environment in which to demonstrate an extended professional practice to a level of distinction. Through project supervision you are inspired to build your own creative voice and original practice in the field of curating. You create a portfolio of research and contextual information alongside a presentation of an exhibition, event or project to an audience.
Modules offered may vary.
How you learn
You learn through intensive week-long sessions of seminars, lectures, workshops and group activities, plus regular smaller seminars delivered online. Research informed teaching is embedded throughout and delivered by MIMA professors, curatorial specialists, the programme team, key speakers and experienced academics.
We encourage independent exploration, allowing you to take ownership of your learning and work with our tutors as collaborators rather than dictators of knowledge. This radical new approach to developing you as a professional creative practitioner promotes independent enquiry, self-direction and responsibility, communication and negotiated learning.
You develop a self-directed student engagement plan demonstrating aims towards professional standards across three areas:
- sustainable and ethical production and partnerships
- developing strength in peer networks and collaboration
- innovative collaborative working towards resilience and inclusion in curation.
How you are assessed
You are assessed through reports, presentations, project research and development work, presentations and visuals, there are no formal exams.
The assessments focus on the analytical, professional, theoretical and practical elements of your study, and you engage in consistent dialogue with tutors about your unique practice and progress towards your engagement plan.
Entry requirements
UG degree or equivalent experience
For general information please see our overview of entry requirements
International applicants can find out what qualifications they need by visiting Your Country
Employability
Career opportunities
You are prepared for a career in curating across the cultural and creative industries including visual arts, museums and heritage, programming and creating projects across media, design, performance, fashion, festivals and cross art forms. Curators are increasingly sought by sectors such as teaching, academia, health and the environment, to improve public engagement and communications. Curators have an increasingly vital role in interpretating and selecting content across many areas and managing creative relationships of all kinds, it is a future facing career choice that is exploding and the government has labelled a priority through its apprenticeship scheme.
Information for international applicants
Qualifications
International applicants - find out what qualifications you need by selecting your country below.
Select your country:
Useful information
Visit our international pages for useful information for non-UK students and applicants.
