Through this four-day programme you will investigate the role of writing across different modes of curatorial practice.

Each day, you will build your knowledge and skills by engaging in workshops, presentations and discussions with leading writers, curators and researchers.

During the course, you will be invited to engage in independent writing exercises and offered opportunities to work collaboratively in small groups.

Interactive sessions are delivered by tutors from across the School of Arts and Humanities as well as invited guests, providing tailored support and stimulation for the development of your writing in the context of contemporary art and design curating.

Benefits include:

• Developing your writing skills and your understanding of writing in the context of contemporary art and design curating
• Exploring a range of fine art and design disciplines in international contexts, taking writing as a focus
• Engaging with writers, curators, critics, researchers and historians, including the RCA's faculty of experts and visiting speakers from leading institutions
• Learning in an interactive and collaborative environment
• Interaction and networking with international peers from different cultural, academic and professional backgrounds
• Certificate of online attendance

You will learn:

• About current debates in writing in relation to contemporary art and design curating by engaging with sector-leading professionals
• About the latest developments in contemporary writing and curatorial practice by encountering a range of written formats and curated programmes from different institutions and organisations
• How writing is conceived, researched and presented across different modes of curatorial practice, from exhibition-making to commissioning, programming, online presentations, performances, and experimental forms of publishing
• How to develop your independent curatorial writing
• How to work collaboratively

Learning takes place through a dynamic four half-day day programme. Each day features at least two sessions, comprising three-and-a-half hours of live interaction.

These sessions feature:

• Presentations
• Workshops
• Writing exercises
• Introductions to writing projects and publication formats
• Encounters with curatorial projects and institutions
• Feedback through group discussion and peer-to-peer support
• Recommended reading materials and resources

The sessions are delivered by RCA tutors and invited experts.

Participants are taught as a group and work in smaller teams.

Over the central weekend, you will be invited to develop a short piece of writing.

The course is led by Dr Rosie Ram, Visiting Lecturer in MA Curating Contemporary Art and Course Leader of the Curating Contemporary Art and Design: Theory and Practice summer school, and Jeremy Millar, Head of Programme for Writing MA. It is delivered by tutors from across the School of Arts and Humanities as well as invited guests from leading institutions.

Guest speakers for November 2022 to be announced.

Disclaimer: The list of contributors is subject to change depending on availability.

The course is organised in synchronous sessions in a live virtual environment that combines various digital platforms and tools.

Zoom

Using the videoconferencing service Zoom, RCA tutors and invited experts deliver a mix of:

• Seminars
• Presentations
• Workshops
• Collaborative group work and group discussion
• In-depth feedback through ‘crits’
• Project development and presentations
• Participants interact with the faculty and peers in breakout rooms in real time

Miro

Participants engage in cross-functional team work with the use of visual collaboration tools.

Through the online whiteboard platform Miro, participants get to:

• interact with various formats and templates
• plan and brainstorm ideas
• create processes and workshop activities in the digital workspace.

Moodle

The College's learning platform Moodle is personalised according to the course's requirements to provide participants with a secure integrated system where they can access the course content.

The hub hosts a plethora of useful resources to enable the learning experience, including comprehensive timetables, pre-reading materials, course slides, curated videos, tutorials and session recordings.

Slack

Participants stay connected and communicate via the channel-based messaging platform Slack throughout the whole duration of the course.

In this space, the academics, facilitators and delegates get to network, plan the course activities, share documents and files during the live sessions or offline.

You will come away from this course with:

• An understanding of writing in the context of curating, and an appreciation of current debates around writing in the contemporary art and design sector
• An understanding of the process of conceiving, drafting, editing and publishing written elements for curatorial projects
• Insights into the role of writing cross different publication formats and modes of curatorial practice
• Creative and critical skills for developing your writing
• Experience working collaboratively with peers

• Art and design graduates
• Early and mid-career professionals from the cultural sector
• Curators and arts programmers
• Artists and designers
• Writers
• Researchers

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED

Application deadlines 2022

• Participants are advised to apply early to avoid disappointment as places are strictly limited.
• We will start accepting applications from May 2022.
• Applications will be assessed by the RCA course team every 2 weeks until November 2022 or until the course is fully booked.
• We will inform all applicants by email within two weeks after they submit an application about whether or not they have been successful.
• Unfortunately we do not provide further feedback information.
• If the course is fully booked and your application is successful we will add your name to a waiting list.

How will I know that my place is confirmed?

The offer of a place will only be secured and confirmed when the RCA receives 100 per cent of the course fee payment. Places are secured on a first-come basis on receipt of appropriate payment.

How can I pay for the course?

The course needs to be paid in full by one instalment and via the online payment system using a debit or credit card. Once you are offered a place on the course you will receive a secure online booking link. Please complete the registration and booking process to make the booking. Please ensure that you are using the most up to date version of your internet browser. We regret that it is not possible to pay the course fee by instalments.