Curatorial Practice – (M.A.)

The course encourages you to hone your critical understanding of curatorial agendas and strategies, while emphasising the importance of collaboration and dialogue with artists in the development of any curatorial concept. The course is industry facing and individual and team-based projects, supervised by expert professionals, allow you to test your ideas in real situations evolving a curatorial position grounded in practical application.

Through seminars, workshops, lectures and visits - delivered by academic staff, partner organisations and other national and international art-world professionals - the course provides a context in which to develop and critique curatorial practice, and importantly, to establish personal networks and contacts relevant to your specific areas of interest. Students are encouraged to undertake professional practice placements during the course and current students are on placements with The Poly in Falmouth and ProjectBase, while another has been offered an internship with White Cube in London upon graduation.

Building your theoretical knowledge and practical experience you’ll graduate with an in-depth knowledge of art world structures and processes, ready to engage effectively in an increasingly diverse and challenging range of curatorial opportunities.

Our postgraduate Curatorial Practice course is delivered in collaboration with three main partners - Tate St Ives, Newlyn Art Gallery and The Exchange, and visual arts commissioning agency ProjectBase. These partnerships provide opportunities for you to develop the critical and practical skills required for curating in the field of international contemporary art.

The partner organisations, all of whom have regional, national and international profiles, can offer you experience of the curatorial role within the different contexts of a national museum, a publically-funded gallery and a visual arts commissioning agency.