CURATORIAL STUDIES

• What is curating? What is/n’t art? What is/n’t an exhibition?

• DIY to formal / institutional curating

• What Is/n’t Ours?

• What Is Your Why — Part 1

• How To Curate:

  • Part 1 — Idea formation: What is driving this effort?

    • Concept-driven; Material/Media focus; Theme-centered; Purpose-driven;

    • Curiosity/Research-driven (surveys, exploration); Solution-driven; Community-driven

  • Part 2 — Research and Collaboration:

    • Research: How and Why;

    • Collaboration: Invent, Recreate, or Invite and Host?

  • Part 3 — Introduction to Planning Methods

    • (see Idea in Action for post-intro points)

• What Is Your Why — Part 2:

  • Driven by Heart or Head?

  • Ca/n’t it be both?

• Traditional and New Media; Performance:

  • Traditional vs Experimental

  • Participatory public works, Social sculpture, Social practice

• What Is/n’t An Exhibition Space:

  • Physical spaces, Traditional Spaces, Formal / Informal Spaces, DIY and Artist-Run Spaces, Educational Spaces, Indoor/Outdoor Spaces, Digital Spaces

  • Not-explicitly-for-art spaces (basements, porches, coffee shops, grocery stores)

  • Communal, Civic, and Political Spaces, Liminal/Non-Spaces, straight to Print/Zine (only) shows, and Art Fairs - alternate reality exhibitions; Biennales, Triennales, etc.

  • Viral Mythology and the separate and ongoing digital experience of exhibitions

• Intential Inclusion and User Experience:

  • Accessible Exhibition/Space Design; Best practices and innovative thinking to break down barriers with inclusive didactics; Content warnings and other considerations for Respecting the dignity of every person, practicing radical empathy, and honoring human stories

• Idea in Action:

  • Timeline planning; Components of successful Calls for Art (own handout); Outreach, introduction, and invitations

  • Expectations and contracts; Can work be for sale? Does it have to be?

• Who is your audience? Exhibition Design, Didactics Design, Writing (part 1)

• Installation:

  • Part 1 — Prep Work:

    • Receiving works; Condition reports; Storage

    • Preparators — Will you need help? Specialists? Equipment? Helpers who are especially trained to use equipment?

    • Lighting; Accessibility; Storage and Shipping

  • Part 2 — Installing works; Documentation

• Reaching your audience:

  • Marketing and Promotion; Opening/Closing Receptions, Performances, Artist Talks, and other Activations: Yes or no?

  • Event planning overview: Timeline, tasks, considerations, and safety

READING LIST:

• What Makes A Great Exhibition by Paula Marincola

• Ways of Curating by Hans Ulrich Obrist

• Curatorial Intervention: History and Current Practice by Brent Levine

• Curatorial Activism: Toward an Ethics of Curating by Maura Reilly (Fwd by L. Lippard)

• A Pedagogy of Witnessing: Curatorial Practice and the Pursuit of Social Justice by Roger Simon

• Conceptual Art in a Curatorial Perspective by Nathalie Zonnenberg

• Art as Social Action: An Introduction to the Principles and Practices of Teaching Social Practice Art by Sholette, Bass, and Social Practice Queens (SPQ)

• Curating Digital Art: From Presenting and Collecting Digital Art to Networked Co-Creation (Making Public)

• Echoing Exhibition Views: Subjectivity in Post-Digital Times – collection of essays edited and designed by A.R. Practice

• The Curator’s Handbook by Adrian George

• Expanding Spacial Narratives: Museum, Exhibitions, and Digital Culture collection of essays

• The Participatory Museum by Nina Simon

• Practical Information

  • Calls for Art — HDR

  • Sample Contract — HDR

  • Sample Condition Report — HDR

  • Exhibition Opportunities One Sheet — HDR

  • Exhibition Proposal One Sheet — HDR

  • Digital Exhibition One Sheet — HDR

  • Local Resources - Ongoing Compilation

STUDENT WORK

Curatorial Work (images) from 2010 - 2015: https://www.heatherduffymade.com/curated-exhibitions-2010-2015