View the full article and download the resources here
A teaching resource for university art tutors to deliver professional development to students on how to stage an exhibition and events programme, including issues of copyright and IP.
‘A curating tool kit’ proposes 5 x 2.5 hour seminars, focusing on a different aspect of staging an exhibition. Each is accompanied by audio recordings (made from the live project) by industry experts and consolidated links to other relevant materials from across the Artquest website. These can be used as either preparatory or follow up listening/reading.
The whole session series would ideally be preceded by a group visit to an exhibition, with a talk about the types of exhibitions that go on there. This can then be used as an example for students to think of when doing the practical exercises. Alternatively, films in our Gallery Films series may be used if an exhibition visit is not possible.
If run in partnership with a gallery or similar, these workshops can culminate in a live exhibition as a possible learning outcome. In the case of the live project used to generate these materials, groups of students collaborated to devise an exhibition proposal for DACS given as a 10 minute presentation/pitch. One of these proposals was selected to be realised. If following this approach you may wish to divide your students into groups that work together as a team through the different sessions to completion of the project.
Through participating in the sessions students will develop skills and knowledge of:
- Approaches to working collaboratively (to plan a project / exhibition).
- Basic copyright and legal issues when exhibiting work.
- Approaches to securing funding and sponsorship for exhibitions.
- How to publicise and promote their exhibitions.
- Ways of devising an engaging public talks, workshops and outreach programme to accompany a show.
- An understanding of different audiences an exhibition might have and how to reach them.
While originally developed with curators and students from the BA Culture, Criticism and Curation at Central Saint Martins, these materials would be equally useful for other disciplines where students stage their own exhibitions. These resources were also developed from a live student project that culminated in an exhibition at DACS (an artist-founded licensing organisation, artists estates and resale right collecting society).