The Curating Contemporary Art programme is a leader in its field, with an explicitly global perspective on the current role of the curator. Established in 1992, the MA Curating Contemporary Art is the only curatorial course to place the key issues posed by globalisation at the heart of its curriculum. It is also unique in operating on a studio model. It approaches the field critically, theoretically and through best-practice in commissioning, exhibition-making, programming and art writing in museums, galleries and a broad range of alternative contexts. Widely acknowledged as an important marker of current developments in contemporary art, the annual CCA show in the RCA galleries has become known for experimental approaches to working with artists, and for introducing new international artists to UK audiences. In 2011 the graduation show Shadowboxing included works by artists Mariana Castillo Deball, Sean Dockray, Marysia Lewandowska and Wendelien van Oldenborgh, produced in dialogue with the curators as an experiment in collaborative research and production around the question 'What is an Apparatus?', which was taken from the essay of the same name by Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben.
Download Curating Contemporary Art Programme Information Pack (PDF)
The programme offers:
- access to leading curators, artists and arts administrators through an intensive programme of study
- opportunities for group visits to European cities (e.g. Berlin, Leipzig, Budapest, Barcelona, Madrid) currently supported by SEACEX and DAAD
- programmes for international visiting speakers supported by the Goethe Institute, Polish Cultural Institute and Hungarian Cultural Institute
- collaborations with significant galleries and arts organisations in the UK including the Serpentine Gallery, 176/Zabludowicz Collection, Wysing Arts Centre, ACME Studios and Project Space
- international links with other institutions and faculties for research projects and faculty exchange including Jagiellonian University, Krakow; Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest; Programa de Estudis Independents, MACBA, Barcelona; Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo, Seville; California College of the Arts, San Francisco; Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Beaux Arts, Paris; The Orientale University, Naples
- course tutors actively engaged in curatorial/creative practice and research: CCA staff have curated at the Hayward Gallery, South London Gallery, MOMA New York and Documenta
- intensive teaching blocks combined with seminars that provide in-depth theoretical grounding
- regular group visits to a broad range of arts organisations and contexts within London and nationally
- opportunities to work on practical projects and develop real exhibitions, film screenings, publications and public talks throughout both years of the MA
- a student body composed of MA students and curatorial research students
- an established curatorial research environment, attracting European funding
- opportunities for exceptional professional collaborations and contacts.
+44 (0)20 7590 4494
cca@rca.ac.uk
28 November 2011, 2–5pm: Lecture Theatre One, RCA Kensington.
Open Days are held at the College between October and January of each academic year, to enable applicants to explore teaching programmes and meet staff and students.
If you are considering applying to the College for 2012/13, you can prepare for your application by researching the programme, and accessing the Prospectus, Application Guidance and Tuition Fees and Funding information available.