The program starts off with looking at what being a curator at the start of the 21st century entails and examining the potential the role holds through an exploration of the curatorial profession and exploring the different roles of the curator which include not only exhibition-making but also pedagogy, collection building and management, authorship, scholarly research, acting as a producer, and being a specialist in working with living artists.
Blending theoretical with practical examples, the 5-session program will look closely at different curatorial tools including developing and conceptualizing the curatorial framework for a solo or a group exhibition, how to conduct a successful studio visit and the best way to create a captivating exhibition proposal. A selection of guest speakers will present on their own roles within both the commercial art world as well as the traditional institutional space of the museum. To round things up, the course touches on how these art professionals embrace newly designed roles and engage with developments around digital initiatives and the virtual exhibition space.
This course aims to expand students’ understanding of the curatorial profession and its myriad of approaches to exhibition-making. Students will be expected to apply what they have learned in order to submit a short but compelling exhibition proposal.
Adjunct Faculty, Online
Monique Long lives and works in New York City as an independent curator of contemporary art and arts writer. She has organized exhibitions at the Museum of Arts and Design, the United Nations Headquarters and The Studio Museum in Harlem and is the recipient of multiple writing and curatorial awards. A frequent contributor to print and online arts publications, her articles often focus on the work of makers and cultural producers of color. Her recent traveling exhibition, Elegies: Still Lifes in Contemporary Art, (San Francisco, California and Savannah, Georgia) was on view at Telfair Museums, Jepson Center. Long holds an MA in American Studies from Columbia University, with a specialization in post-war contemporary art and African American studies.
Read MoreDay 1: The curator: wearing many hats.
Day 2: How to prepare for and conduct a studio visit.
Day 3: What is an exhibition checklist and how does it function?
Day 4: Interpretation and description: how to write gallery texts.
Day 5: The exhibition proposal: creating a compelling prospectus.
This live online course is delivered with live-streamed lectures featuring group discussion and Q&A. All live sessions are also recorded and available on the course platform typically within 24-48 hours for participants unable to attend the posted times. The course will include a final project with personalized feedback from the course instructor. All participants will have access to the recordings for an additional 90 days after the final course lecture.
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
For successfully completing this course, you receive a verified Certificate of Completion from Sotheby’s Institute of Art as well as 14 IACET Continuing Education Units. *
Our digital certificates allow you to share new skills with various social media platforms, including LinkedIn. Successful completion is defined by each instructor in the course syllabus and consists, at the least, of regular, thoughtful participation in online activities and timely submission of assigned papers or projects.
*As an IACET Accredited Provider, Sotheby’s Institute of Art offers IACET CEUs for its learning events that comply with the ANSI/IACET Continuing Education and Training Standard.