Fine Art (Curatorial Practice)

Program Overview

Fine Art (Curatorial Practice)

MA

Postgraduate degree

Study current practices and build your personal curatorial skills on our innovative Curatorial Practice Master’s.

• Taught by curators, you'll work with a rich and diverse group of partner organisations in the sector.
• Combine contemporary practice with an understanding of theory and history in a flexible approach.
• This curating course highlights the roles of audiences, collections and new contexts.

The role of the curator is changing. This MA Curatorial Practice pathway explores curating as a contemporary practice, and approaches a wide range of curatorial strategies. You’ll engage with theory and history alongside current practice, and gain hands-on experience of curating and presenting work. You’ll be challenged and supported to develop an independent voice in curating.

We encourage you to move beyond traditional collection and exhibition-based curation to engage new audiences, situations and sites of encounter – ranging from art interventions in public spaces and projects in unexpected places to digital and web-based experiences.

Our students have capitalised on many opportunities to collaborate with galleries and museums, artists and curators, businesses and educational institutions. We want you, too, to gain the experience necessary to professionalise your practice.

What you'll learn

Overview

MA Fine Art (Curatorial Practice) at Bath Spa is designed for students who wish to broaden their knowledge and experience of gallery practice, models of curating and the changing nature of the museum.

This Master's degree will challenge your assumptions and encourage you to explore ways to progress within and transform the field. It will also encourage you to build collaborative relationships with other professionals and develop transferable skills.

You’ll take a holistic approach, embedding theory, research, and historical and contemporary practice into your work.

Course structure

This MA in Curatorial Practice runs over one year and is divided into three trimesters.

• Trimester one
  You'll be introduced to a range of key issues in art and curatorial practice, allowing you to explore how your specialism relates to the wider field. You’ll also start to develop your professional practice skills, such as understanding governance, proposal writing, collaborative processes, methods of display, contracts and team leadership. This will begin your critical analysis of current debates and the changing politics of curating, informed by research and practice.
• Trimester two
  Building on the work in the first trimester, you’ll maintain an experimental approach, but start to narrow your focus. Academic staff will help you to evaluate your initial studio developments and to refine your working strategy. You’ll explore what curators need to consider when making live projects and presenting work in public contexts. Live projects might include exhibitions, displays, learning projects or residencies in appropriate settings, on campus, or with any of the School’s external partners. Technical staff will support you to bring your outputs to a finished level for exhibition at assessment.
• Trimester three
  You’ll work in the studio with increasing independence as you establish a professional practice. You’ll devise and complete your Master’s Project, working to a proposal which contextualises your work within your specialist discipline and leads to your final Degree Show.

Course modules

This course includes or offers the following modules. Please check the programme document for more information on which modules are core, required or optional.

• Research Methods
• Theory and Professional Context
• Practice 1 (Fine Art)
• Research Practice
• Theory and Professional Practices
• Practice 2 (Fine Art)
• Masters Project

How will I be assessed?

Your progress is evaluated throughout the course and at the end of each trimester through a mixture of exhibitions, verbal/visual presentations, research folders/blogs and written assignments.

How will I be taught?

You’ll learn through lectures, talks, taught sessions, individual and group tutorials, and studio critiques and seminars.

Visiting lecturers, and seminars with external professionals and internationally renowned designers and artists will help you determine where your current practice sits within the industry.

Our collaborative structure also means that you’ll learn from each other – for instance, Photography or Ceramics students might engage in debates with Curatorial Practice students.

Technical Demonstrators, who manage our workshop facilities, provide teaching and support across a wide range of subject specialisms. Your learning is also supported by specialist librarians.

Opportunities

Study abroad

Exchange potential is global. Opportunities have been established in partnership with, amongst others, Hauser and Wirth, CAL Arts, Xian Academy of Fine Arts and the Freelands Foundation.

Fieldwork

When permitted, Bath School of Art, Film and Media offers field trips throughout the academic year. Past trips have included the British Ceramics Biennial, Jerwood Makers Prize, Collect, Ceramic Art London, V&A Museum, Hauser and Wirth (Somerset), Spike Island, Bristol; Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery; Salisbury Arts Centre; and National Museum Wales' sites in Cardiff.

Competitions and awards

• The Porthleven Prize
• Emerge studio residency

Facilities and resources

Where the subject is taught

As a postgraduate Fine Art (Curatorial Practice) student you’ll benefit from access to comprehensive digital workshops and specialist art and design facilities, including:

• Our student service point at Locksbrook where you can purchase subsidised art and design materials, hire out equipment for free and collect Library resources
• Access to our well-stocked Library at Newton Park
• Specialist technical facilities across all of art and design
• Access to studio space where you can work on projects and refine your practice and your research.

Our workshops

Locksbrook campus

Locksbrook Campus is a Grade II listed building designed by Nicholas Grimshaw in 1976. It has now been transformed into an innovative, open plan space, redesigned to meet 21st century environmental standards, with technical workshops surrounded by flexible studio spaces and large social areas.

Locksbrook has received both a RIBA South West Award 2021 and RIBA National Award 2021, recognising and celebrating what an amazingly inspirational space it is to come together to design, make, do, create and learn in.

Fees

2025 entry

• Student | Annual tuition fee
  ---|---
  • UK full time | £9,950
  • UK part time | £4,975
  • International full time | £18,560

Additional course costs

You may need to pay additional course costs over and above your tuition fees, for example, for specialist equipment or trips and visits. Please check the course Programme Document (linked under the main image on this page) for details of any additional costs. You can also read our Additional Course Costs Policy for further information.

Funding opportunities

Please visit our Funding pages for an overview of the funding options that may be available, including scholarships and bursaries.

Entry requirements

You’ll need a good first degree in Fine Art or its equivalent in terms of learning or experience, and a good working knowledge of fine art contexts and methodologies. See our Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) web page to learn more.

Fundamentally, you’ll be selected on your potential to thrive on the course as demonstrated by your portfolio and interview.

Interview and portfolio guidance

With your application form you should provide images of recent work, either in an attachment or through a link to an online resource. These should be clearly marked with size, date and medium. You should also write a short statement outlining why you want to study for an MA at Bath School of Art, Film and Media and what attracts you to the course. Find out more about submitting a portfolio.

We encourage you to come to Locksbrook, if possible, so that we can meet in person and show you the campus. At interview, you'd usually bring some examples of your work. We'll ask you about the artists you look at and exhibitions you've visited.

We'll discuss your work, how you hope to develop your ideas and the facilities you'll need. If it's not possible for you to attend in person, we offer online interviews, supported by a digital portfolio.

Related courses

• MA Fine Art
• MA Fine Art (Ceramics)
• MA Fine Art (Photography)
• MA Design

Key facts

• Award: MA Fine Art (Curatorial Practice)
• School/s: Bath School of Art, Film and Media
• Campus or location: Locksbrook Campus
• Course length: One year full-time or two years part-time.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

This MA Fine Art (Curatorial Practice) program is designed for students who wish to expand their knowledge and experience of gallery practice, curatorial models, and the evolving nature of museums. The program aims to challenge assumptions and encourage exploration of ways to progress within and transform the field of curatorial practice. It also emphasizes building collaborative relationships with other professionals and developing transferable skills. The program takes a holistic approach, integrating theory, research, and historical and contemporary practice into the curriculum. It encourages students to move beyond traditional collection and exhibition-based curation to engage new audiences, situations, and sites of encounter, including art interventions in public spaces, projects in unexpected places, and digital and web-based experiences.

Objectives:

• Broaden knowledge and experience of gallery practice, models of curating, and the changing nature of the museum.
• Challenge assumptions and encourage exploration of ways to progress within and transform the field of curatorial practice.
• Build collaborative relationships with other professionals and develop transferable skills.
• Integrate theory, research, and historical and contemporary practice into the curriculum.
• Move beyond traditional collection and exhibition-based curation to engage new audiences, situations, and sites of encounter.

Outline:

The MA in Curatorial Practice is a one-year program divided into three trimesters:

Trimester One:

• Introduction to key issues in art and curatorial practice.
• Exploration of how students' specialisms relate to the wider field.
• Development of professional practice skills, including understanding governance, proposal writing, collaborative processes, methods of display, contracts, and team leadership.
• Critical analysis of current debates and the changing politics of curating, informed by research and practice.

Trimester Two:

• Continuation of an experimental approach with a narrowing of focus.
• Evaluation of initial studio developments and refinement of working strategy.
• Exploration of considerations for curators when making live projects and presenting work in public contexts.
• Live projects might include exhibitions, displays, learning projects, or residencies in appropriate settings, on campus, or with external partners.

Trimester Three:

• Independent work in the studio to establish a professional practice.
• Devise and complete the Master's Project, working to a proposal that contextualizes the work within the student's specialist discipline and leads to the final Degree Show.

Course Modules:

• Research Methods
• Theory and Professional Context
• Practice 1 (Fine Art)
• Research Practice
• Theory and Professional Practices
• Practice 2 (Fine Art)
• Masters Project

Assessment:

• Progress is evaluated throughout the course and at the end of each trimester through a mixture of exhibitions, verbal/visual presentations, research folders/blogs, and written assignments.

Teaching:

• Learning takes place through lectures, talks, taught sessions, individual and group tutorials, studio critiques, and seminars.
• Visiting lecturers, seminars with external professionals, and internationally renowned designers and artists help students determine where their current practice sits within the industry.
• Collaborative structure encourages learning from each other, for example, Photography or Ceramics students might engage in debates with Curatorial Practice students.
• Technical Demonstrators, who manage workshop facilities, provide teaching and support across a wide range of subject specialisms.
• Field trips are offered throughout the academic year, including visits to the British Ceramics Biennial, Jerwood Makers Prize, Collect, Ceramic Art London, V&A Museum, Hauser and Wirth (Somerset), Spike Island, Bristol; Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery; Salisbury Arts Centre; and National Museum Wales' sites in Cardiff.
• Students can participate in competitions and awards such as the Porthleven Prize and Emerge studio residency.
• The program provides access to comprehensive digital workshops and specialist art and design facilities, including:
• Specialist technical facilities across all art and design disciplines.
• Access to studio space for working on projects and refining practice and research.

2024 entry Student Annual tuition fee UK full time £9,520 UK part time £4,760 International full time £17,760