University of Essex

Art History at Essex

MA Curating Contemporary Art

This programme is a one-year full-time Masters Degree that is specially designed for those wishing to pursue a career in the field of curatorial practice either in museums, galleries and other cultural organisations or institutions, with specific focus on contemporary art.
The MA CCA is designed for those that may already have a professional practice in this area, such as freelance curators, or those with experience of working in other ways with art who wish to move into this field. 

Programme aims: 

This new MA provides academic teaching and professional training in the area of contemporary art curatorial practice in a form that allows you the freedom to pursue your own individual research interests and to develop your own practice as a curator of contemporary art. 

The course offers you the chance to develop practice-led research and combines academic study, and professional vocational training. 

Assessment: 
Throughout the year you take four taught modules in the department of Art History & Theory, plus the Researching Art History course. You write four essays, one for each module, plus other coursework for Researching Art History. 

For your final assessment you will work throughout the year to produce an individual research journal and portfolio of project proposals that will develop ideas, issues and themes that you identify as central to your curatorial practice.
The research journal may contain written and visual material produced and found by you, such as exhibition reviews, book or article reviews, interviews with artists or curators, notes or short pieces of writing, photographs of art works, or galleries, spaces, places, or other cultural material.
The portfolio will contain a series of proposals for exhibitions or other types of curatorial projects. These will describe the proposed projects and detail the context and rationale for each project, plus lists of participants and possible venues, with justification for these choices, and details of all practical matters pertaining to the manifestation of each project.
PLEASE NOTE: there is no expectation that you actually produce these projects. However, if you wish to and have the resources we will support you where we can.

Applications

Contact us about applying
Please feel free to contact us with any questions about applying to our MA Curating degrees

 

 

 

   
   

Last updated: 21 December 2011.