Program Overview
MFA Curating
The MFA Curating at Goldsmiths is designed for students who wish to take up the challenge of artistic, social and critical curating with a contemporary approach to the subject. It also helps students to develop their professional practice.
Why study MFA Curating at Goldsmiths
- You’ll get to explore curating from a contemporary perspective. We cover the subject from many different angles, including aesthetic, social, political and philosophical enquiries, practices and discourses relevant to present-day culture.
- You’ll learn about the history of curation through the study of the genealogies of curating as a discipline, but this degree is firmly focused on contemporary practices and the future of curation.
- The Masters provides a practice-led research context for aspiring curators, cultural organisers and producers. It’s also open to creative practitioners at an early stage of their professional development, and professionals looking to take a different route in their career in the arts sector.
- The programme is interdisciplinary and promotes the principles of critical thinking, listening and collaboration. This will help you develop the style and area of curatorial practice that you want to pursue. Whether exhibition-making, public programming, commissioning social or public projects, or working with artists and practitioners from other disciplines, the degree will give you the skills and confidence to take your next steps into the professional world of curating.
- This is a leading programme in its field. It’s recognised worldwide for producing highly qualified curators and arts professionals, as well as those pursuing further academic study at PhD level.
Length
- 2 years full-time or 4 years part-time
Fees
- Home - full-time: £11250
- Home - part-time: £5625
- International - full-time: £27200
Department
- Art
Develop your practice
The MFA gives you the chance to develop your practice. You’ll have the opportunity to apply to work with organisations like Chisenhale Studios, Gasworks, Forma, Artangel, the Government Art Collection and our close collaborator Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary Art to develop curatorial projects.
Such placement opportunities and internships with the likes of Tate Modern, The Mosaic Rooms, and Create London will underpin your learning and give you the practical skills you need for your future career.
Goldsmiths has its very own public art gallery on campus, where you can experience world-class exhibitions and engage with a public events programme.
As an MFA Curating student at Goldsmiths you'll be able to access placement and internship opportunities with the likes of Tate Modern.
Opportunities for dialogue and collaborations
Based in our world-renowned Department of Art, the MFA Curating allows for dialogue and potential collaborations with emerging practitioners about contemporary and future practice, and the most pressing concerns of our day.
Junior Fellowships
Upon graduation, art alumni are eligible to apply for one of four Junior Fellowships, designed to further your professional development. Currently we offer two fellowship to work with the MFA Curating course itself, taking part in the delivery of an academic programme, and two fellowships based at Goldsmiths CCA, supporting the delivery of exhibitions and public programmes.
What you'll study
MFA Curating
The MFA Curating is a two-part programme, giving you you the freedom to experiment and innovate in the expanded and interdisciplinary field of curatorial practice.
Year one
- You'll develop an Independent Research Project with the guidance of tutors.
- You’ll also be introduced to current curatorial concepts and practices through group critique and guided research. You’ll explore significant ideas in curatorial history, contemporary art and curating, philosophy and cultural theory to help you think broadly about your own practice.
- You’ll also gain a practical understanding from site visits and writing classes.
- The year is made up of the following modules:
- Curatorial Practice I
- Critical Studies I
Year two
- You’ll develop a second Independent Research Project and continue to receive group and individual tutorials.
- This year your teaching is mainly delivered in the form of monthly intensive student-led workshops, which look in-depth at current artistic and cultural themes drawn from students’ interests.
- The year is made up of the following modules:
- Curatorial Practice II
- Critical Studies II
Teaching on the MFA
Teaching on this programme is dynamic. You’ll expand your artistic and curatorial knowledge through ongoing conversations in the form of seminars, collective research, presentations, tutorials and reading groups.
As well as being taught by leading academics from the Department of Art, you’ll also learn from some of the art world’s most influential professionals through our visiting lecture and guest speaker programmes.
Recent speakers have included independent curators, artists, and professionals from galleries such as the Tate Modern and The Courtauld, London; CAPC, Bordeaux; TBA21 Academy, Vienna; MACBA, Barcelona; and Palais de Tokyo, Paris.
Student work
Below are some examples of MFA Curating student work and practice.
- Viktor Timofeev: Proxyah (v2), at JupiterWoods.
- Exquisite Collapse, at Blip Blip Blip.
- Chris Lux: Sometimes I say, hey, hey Mark.
Careers
Recent employers
Our graduates find employment in a range of leading arts-based organisations and sectors. Recent graduates have gone on to work in international museums, commercial galleries, art fairs, magazines, alternative spaces and not-for-profit organisations. Recent employers of our MFA Curating students and graduates include:
Public sector
- Tate Britain, London
- Tate Modern, London
- National Portrait Gallery, London
- Guggenheim Museum, New York
- Documenta, Kassel
- Venice Biennale
- Athens Biennial
- Sydney Biennale
- Portikus, Frankfurt
- Witte de With, Rotterdam
- FRAC Lorraine, Metz
- Hayward Gallery, London
- Hayward Touring Exhibitions, London
- Museo d’Arte Moderna, Bologna
- Modern Art Oxford
- London Olympic Park (art sector)
- Artists Space, New York
- Henry Moore Institute, Leeds
- Art on the Underground, London
- Art Space, Auckland, New Zealand
- Austrian Cultural Foundation. London
- Romanian Cultural Institute, London
- Spike Island, Bristol
- Nottingham Contemporary, Nottingham
Private sector
- Bloomberg Space, London
- Christie’s, Amsterdam
- Deitch Projects, New York
- Deste Foundation, Athens
- Frith Street Gallery, London
- Haunch of Venison, Berlin
- Kadist Art Foundation, Paris
- Kate MacGarry Gallery, London
- Kurimanzutto, Mexico City
- Lisson Gallery, London
- Matt’s Gallery, London
- David Roberts Collection, London
- White Cube Gallery, London
- Vienna Art Fair, Vienna
Publications
- Artforum, New York
- Frieze, London
- Flash Art International, Milan
Other projects and enterprises
Some of our graduates have founded their own projects and galleries. Among these are:
- Lu Jie, Founder and Director, Long March Space, Beijing (number 95 in Art Review Power 100 List 2009)
- Sarah Wang, Founding Director of the Creative Intelligence Agency, London
- Zhang Wei, Founder and Director, Vitamin Creative Space, Guangzhou
Other careers
Other graduates choose employment as:
- Artists’ studio managers
- Managers and directors of commercial galleries
- Arts education programmers
- Museum public talks and events organisers
- Independent curators
- Cultural policymakers
- Gallery archivists
- Teachers and academics
- Writers and critics
- Editors
- Registrars
Skills
Through the course of the MFA you'll develop key skills in:
- Independent research and practice
- Public presentation
- Oral and written communication
- Project development
- Exhibition administration
- Concept development
- Collaboration
- Intellectual analysis
- Catalogue, essay and review writing
- Research organisation and presentation
What our students say
Laura Bruni
The course played a huge role in shaping the kind of curator I have become.
Facilities
Students studying this programme are based in dedicated postgraduate studio space in the Laurie Grove Baths, at the centre of the campus, right next to Goldsmiths CCA.
Entry requirements
Applicants for Year One
- You must have or expect to be awarded an undergraduate degree of at least second class standard (or international equivalent), plus an element of professional experience (interning in a gallery or equivalent institution, curating your own shows or degree shows etc). This experience is absolutely essential to demonstrate that you have a clear sense of current trends and activities in contemporary art. This experience should be expanded upon in your personal statement.
Applicants for entry directly onto Year Two
- You must have already completed and passed the coursework of one year for an equivalent Masters programme in Curating. You must also show through interview and (where appropriate) portfolio that you have established a professional practice. This experience should be expanded upon in your personal statement.
International qualifications
- We accept a wide range of international qualifications. Find out more about the qualifications we accept from around the world.
English language requirements
- If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score (or equivalent English language qualification) of 6.5 with a 6.5 in writing and no element lower than 6.0 to study this programme.
Funding opportunities
- Explore the Goldsmiths scholarships finder to find out what funding you may be eligible for.
- If you are a UK student you may be eligible for a postgraduate loan.
How to apply
- You apply directly to Goldsmiths using our online application system.
- To complete your application, you will need to have:
- Details of your academic qualifications
- The email address of your referee who we can request a reference from, or alternatively a copy of your academic reference
- Copies of your educational transcripts or certificates
- A personal statement
Staff
Dr Anna Colin
Programme Director of MFA Curating
- Anna's practice encompasses the curatorial, the pedagogical, the social and the ecological.
You will also be taught by:
- Helena Reckitt, Reader in Curating
- Paul Clinton, Lecturer in Curating
- Chris Hammond, Lecturer in Curating
- Kirsty Ogg, Lecturer in Curating
- Professor Andrew Renton, Professor of Curating
- Dr Irene Revell, Lecturer in Curating
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