Curating and Exhibition Management

Exhibitions are core activities in museums and art galleries.

Our online Curating and Exhibition Management short course provides a step-by-step guide on how to develop, manage and deliver successful art gallery or museum exhibitions as well as curating exhibitions.

The exhibition and art gallery management course is organised around a series of unique tutorials and invited guest lecturers expert in their own niches. You will explore current curatorial practice, programming, audiences, as well as legal and other practical aspects.

Taught over 10 weekly evening classes, this engaging and hands-on course prepares you with the vital skills to start an exciting career in exhibition management.

Who is it for?

This course is ideal if you are seeking work within museum and gallery industry, or you are currently employed in the sector in a junior role.

Timetable

The Curating and Exhibition Management short course takes place every Wednesday at 18.30 for 10 weeks.

Guest speakers and topics might be subject to change.

City Short Courses follow the academic year, delivering courses over three terms. These include:

• Autumn - October
• Spring - January
• Summer - April

Benefits

• Takes an immersive approach to learning, combining core topics with talks from experts in a variety of  specialisations
• Provides the knowledge and experience to pursue a career in curating and exhibition management
• Delivered over 10 part-time evening classes, ideal for working professionals
• Accessible online classes

This course will help you to understand the complexities of the arts world.

You’ll learn how to communicate with stakeholders, coordinate large teams and liaison with third parties. We will identify potential challenges and discuss how they can be overcome to minimise the impact.

The Curating and Exhibition Management short course will cover current issues including:

• Beyond the White Cube – philosophy, curation, audiences, programming in public institutions & commercial galleries
• Curating an international art auction - guest speaker
• The role of the Art Critic - guest speaker
• Exhibitions Management Part 1: Budgets, cost sharing, artwork selection, communication, agreements, documentation
• Exhibitions Management Part 2: Logistics, insurance, invitations, press release and social media
• Exhibitions Management Part 3: Condition reports, Health & Safety, installation and display
• Presentation of agreed course assignment

You are also encouraged by your tutor to visit current exhibitions, art fairs and auctions, where you can apply what you learnt during the course and assess a particular event with a professional eye.

Informal assessment will take place through group discussion, classroom activities and questions and answers sessions, as guided by your tutor.

To enhance your studies, you are expected to work with classmates, participate in exercises and prepare and deliver homework.

Depending on the size of the group your tutor may ask you to present your work on during the last class.

You will be awarded an official City, University of London certificate if you attend above 70 percent of the classes, however, our short courses are not formally accredited.

We do not ask for any formal qualifications to enrol on the Curating and Exhibition Management short courses.

You should have a strong interest and enthusiasm for the visual arts industry and enjoy collaborating with other people from all over the world.

English requirements

You will need a good level of spoken and written English to enrol on this course.

This bibliography is grouped under relevant topics. During the course you should read at least one of the references for at least one or two topics. Basic references with which you should be familiar by the end of the course Art Newspaper, Artist Newsletter, Museum Practice, Museums Journal, are available online.

Curation & Exhibition Management

B. O'doherty, 2000, Inside the White Cube: The Ideology of the Gallery Space, University of California Press.
G. Adamson (Contributor), P. Antonelli, (Contributor), & 7more, 2007. What Makes a Great Exhibition? University of the Arts, Philadelphia Exhibitions Initiative, USA.
K. Clark, 1979, What is a Masterpiece, Thames & Hudson.
D. Duffin, Organising your Exhibition, AN Publication.
H. Gombrich, 1960, Art and Illusion, Phaidon Press.
A. Hauser, 1962, The social History of Art, Routledge & Kegan Paul.
H. U. Obrist, 2014, Ways of Curating, Allen Lane.
H. U. Obrist, 2011, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Curating But Were Afraid to Ask, Sternberg Press.
N. Serota, 1996, Experience or Interpretation. The Dilemma of Museums of Modern Art, Thames and Hudson.
Thompson, JMA (ed), 1992, Manual of Curatorship, 2nd edition. Butterworth, London.

Legal Issues

S. Simon, 2003, Art and Copyright, Hart Publishing, Oxford and Portland, Oregon.
McClean and Schubert, 2002, Dear Images: Art, Copyright and Culture, Ridinghouse.
N. Sharp, 1992, Visual Arts Contracts, Introduction, AN Publication.
N. Sharp, 1996, Visual Arts Contracts, Galleries, Dealers and Agents, AN Publication.

Marketing & Sponsorship

V. Head, 1981, Successful Sponsorship, Institute of Directors.
R. Hill, S. O'Sullivan, T. O'Sullivan, 1995, Creative Arts Marketing, Butterworth and Heinemann Publication.
S. Jones, Fundraising, AN Publication.