What is one key skill that students will learn from this course?

We’re just as focused on the development of practical skills as we are on building an understanding of conceptual and theoretical aspects of contemporary curating, so weekly practical workshops are a crucial aspect of the course. If I had to choose one key skill that students will take away, it would stem from our very first workshop, in which students develop their own concept for a small display of multi-media objects drawn from the collections of either the Victoria & Albert Museum [V&A] (London) or the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam). Students learn how to juxtapose works of art to create meaningful dialogues between them and build a narrative that will engage with their audience—a core competency for any curatorial practice. Because it isn’t just about what you know, but how you apply that knowledge in a practical and effective way.

Can you share a curation activity or project that students might participate in?

The course culminates in an exhibition project, in which students collaborate within a team to devise, develop, and deliver an exhibition proposal for a venue of their choosing. From writing a curatorial brief to designing the look and feel of the exhibition that will shape visitor experience, the project is an outstanding opportunity to bring together your knowledge and understanding of exhibition making in real world terms.

What is an insight about curation that most people don’t know?

Too often, people see curating as a process of selection and arrangement—‘I’ll have that, that, and that…and I’ll display them there, there, and there.’ Contemporary curatorial practice demands that we take on the roles of storyteller, facilitator, mediator, strategist, fundraiser, budget holder, and project manager simultaneously—all within a rapidly changing local and global landscape.

Can you describe a project or exhibition you’ve curated that was particularly meaningful to you?

Contributing to the delivery of the Medieval and Renaissance Galleries at the V&A in 2009 was a pivotal and formative experience. Working on a capital project to open a suite of 10 new permanent galleries that bring that period to life for visitors in a relevant and contemporary way is something I’m enormously proud of.

But the single most meaningful project I’ve ever worked on was at the V&A’s Digital Design Festival last year—Clare Strand’s A Butterfly and a Horse—a participatory artwork that invited participants to expose their own analogue photograph to reveal images generated by AI, trained on the artist’s own photographic practice. It was a brilliantly nuanced and outright fun project that involved a pop-up recreation of her darkroom—all delivered by a team of Sotheby’s Institute MA student curators, mentored by me and Hannah Redler-Hawes.

Do you have a favorite exhibition—past or present—that’s had a lasting impact on you, and why?

I’ll never forget visiting Sensation: Young British Artists from the Saatchi Collection at the Royal Academy of Arts in 1997. Visiting as an MA student, I had a palpable sense of just how great an impact this exhibition was going to have on contemporary British art, sparking both admiration and controversy. More recently, last year’s Now You See Us: Women Artists in Britain, 1520-1920 at Tate Britain felt so empowering. The exhibition challenged gender norms and a well-established art historical narrative to celebrate how artists who are women broke boundaries over centuries and inspire future generations.

What are your favorite places in London to visit for art inspiration?

I enjoy encountering and engaging with art ‘off the beaten track,’ so to speak, and in spaces where we might least expect it, like the Leake Street Graffiti Tunnel. Private residences turned public museums are particular favorites of mine and make for compelling contemporary art interventions—especially the fabulous interiors and outstanding collections of Sir John Soane’s Museum, Two Temple Place, and Cosmic House.