By Rute Ferreira, author of the online course Art Curating - Exhibition
What is an art curator – the curatorial activity
The words curatorship, curation, curating, art curator are known to those who work with the assembly of exhibitions, or even by those who recognize the routines of a museum.
It refers to the supervision, protection and preservation of an art exhibition, from its conceptualization to its implementation and consequent management (Castillo, 2008).
What is an art curator – the role of the art curator
The role of the art curator is much more than choosing objects to display.
The curator prepares the exhibition locations; he communicates with the artists and the public; he performs a whole process of cultural mediation.
What is an art curator – the origin of art curation
The curatorial process is not recent.
To anderstand what is an art curator we have to look in the cabinets of curiosities.
Places that preceded the museums in the collection of a countless number of objects, such as natural finds (like stones or animals) or human creations (like works of art).
Cabinet of curiosities Frans II Francken in 1636, Credits – Wikipedia
Collecting has become a common habit.
To compose a collection, it was necessary to select the objects and arrange them in the cabinet, as it happens nowadays in museums and other exhibition places, through the curatorial process.
Next we will see the most important tasks of the art curator.
What is an art curator – tasks
Although its definition as we understand it today is recent, the activity of art curatorship itself has already traced a long way.
According to Maria Bruno, the curatorial actions consist in:
- Observing
- Collecting
- Keeping
Actions that are not separate from others, of a more technical and administrative nature, which would be:
- Control
- Organization
- Management
When we analyze these aspects of art curatorial work, we understand that it is a collective task.
The work of the curator must be cooperative, so that actions can be carried out interdependently and tasks can be delegated by the curator in charge.
The art curator tasks
Although its definition as we understand it today is recent, the activity of art curatorship itself has already traced a long way.
According to Maria Bruno, the curatorial actions consist in:
- Observing
- Collecting
- Keeping
Actions that are not separate from others, of a more technical and administrative nature, which would be:
- Control
- Organization
- Management
When we analyze these aspects of art curatorial work, we understand that it is a collective task.
The work of the curator must be cooperative, so that actions can be carried out interdependently and tasks can be delegated by the curator in charge.
You might be interested in the online courses
About Art curating – exhibition online course
In this course you will acquire the knowledge, know the methods and obtain work tools necessary for the realization of exhibitions.
Who takes this course
The Art curating – exhibition course is for anyone who wants to know how to organize an art exhibition for personal or professional reasons.
It is particularly useful for art curators, museologists, artists, art historians, gallery owners and students of art, art history and museology or cultural communication professionals.
It is also very useful for teachers and cultural mediators.
It has no access requirements.
Certificate
At the end of the course, a training certificate will be issued .
3 Comments.
It’s interesting to know that an art curator is really the one who manages the artistic contents of a museum or gallery. Now I realized that an exhibition’s success can depend on the ability of this individual to put together the right art pieces. It would be a pleasure to enter a gallery that has been expertly curated by a professional. https://www.mashgallery.com/artworks/
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