Course Syllabus

Description of Course

Explore the contemporary art scene in Copenhagen through this explorational course on curating today. How do you work with artists, funders, partners, communicators, and design teams to create thought provoking and visually compelling art exhibitions in a competitive landscape of (cultural) entertainment? What is the role of exhibitions today and how can curators keep up?
You will gain insights into the art of curating as you meet artists, curators, gallerists and learn from experienced art professionals in Copenhagen. With your fellow students, you will debate curatorial strategies, dilemmas, management and exhibition design while learning new skills and putting them into practice by curating your own art exhibition as your final assignment.
Since the 1960s, curators have moved from an organizer role behind-the-scenes to taking on a visible position in contemporary culture as important producers. Curators and curatorial theorists whose approaches we will discuss are: Bruce Ferguson, Elena Filipovic, Helen Molesworth, Brian O’Doherty among others.

Faculty

Natalia Gutman, Mag. art. Art History, University of Copenhagen, 2008. Independent curator.

Office Hours: Preferably before class

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course you will be able to:               

• Understand the curator's role in the cultural and economic ecosystem of the arts
• Analyze and critically assess works of art by a diverse selection of artists
• Form an understanding of processes involved in exhibition making in a variety of contexts
• Understand the broader role of exhibition making in contemporary society
• Understand the work of art professionals through meetings with various art professionals

Reference

·       O'Neill, Paul, Culture of Curating and the Curating of Culture(s), MIT Press (2012)

·       George, Adrian, The Curator's Handbook, Thames & Hudson (2015)

·       Marincola, Paula, What Makes a Great Exhibition?, Reaktion Books (2007)

·       Bishop, Claire, Radical Museology, Walther König Verlag (2013) 

·       Smith, Terry & Fowle, Kate, Thinking Contemporary Curating, Independent Curators International (2012)

·       Miwon Kwon, One place after another – site-specific art and locational identity, MIT Press (2004)

·       www.theartstory.org

 

Course Evaluation

Assignment	Percent
Draft exhibition proposal (2-3 page)	10%
Presentation of exhibition proposal	15%
Final exhibition proposal (4-5 pages)	50%
Active class participation (includes informed questions/engagement in conversations with art professionals we meet and Padlet-posts)	25%

To be eligible for a passing grade in this class you must complete all of the assigned work on time.
If an assignment is not handed in/uploaded on time it will be registered as not handed in.

Disability and Resource Statement
Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should immediately contact Office of Academic Support (acadsupp@dis.dk) to coordinate this. In order to receive accommodations, students should inform the instructor of approved DIS accommodations.

On site learning
Depending on temporary exhibitions and availability of curators, educators, designers etc. whom we will be meeting, we will visit art institutions such as: Statens Museum for Kunst, The Hirschsprung Collection, GL Strand, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Den Frie.

Note that changes may be made throughout the course due to availability of curators, institutions, artists etc.