CCA’s Graduate Program in Curatorial Practice
Deadline: January 5, 2013
Established in 2003, the California College of the Arts’ Graduate Program in Curatorial Practice focuses on the role of the curator in shaping relationships among artists, artworks, exhibition spaces, and audiences. Alongside an investigation of various exhibition contexts and the history of exhibitions, the program seeks to explore collaborative, artist-led, and other curatorial initiatives that challenge and advance existing paradigms.
The curriculum provides a flexible framework for research and investigation into the contemporary art history, theory, and criticism informing curatorial practice, as well as opportunities for the articulation of these in exhibition and publication projects. Students take courses off campus to gain direct experience with the challenges of specific locations and situations. Close, ongoing partnerships with outside organizations (such as SFMOMA and the CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts) bring students into direct contact with artworks, archival materials, and artists, and allow them to engage in original research and collaborative projects. CCA offers many opportunities for interdisciplinary exchange, and we privilege collective forms of practice. The program also organizes numerous exhibitions, lectures, and symposia. In October 2012, for example, we are collaborating with the educational program of the 2012 Shanghai Biennale to offer a curatorial workshop on exhibition typologies in Shanghai.
Our core faculty members include curators, art historians, and other art professionals from prominent Bay Area institutions, as well as an international roster of visiting curators and artists who expose students to many possible modes of operation in intensive seminars, critiques, and studio visits. More than 200 curators, critics, scholars, and artists from around the world have taught courses here since the program was launched. And more than 75 students have graduated and gone on to successful careers in independent curating, museums, galleries, public art agencies, and arts publishing.
Qualifications for Admission
We particularly encourage students who are interested in thinking broadly about innovative forms of exhibition making, and who find inspiration in current artistic practice and potential in the curatorial role. We welcome highly motivated applicants from a broad spectrum of cultural, professional, and academic backgrounds.
Undergraduate degree in the history of art, fine art, or other appropriate area of the humanities or social sciences;
Relevant practical experience in the visual arts and a demonstrated commitment to curating;
Strong interest in contemporary art.
For full details on the application process and requirements, visit cca.edu/admissions/grad or contact program manager Sue Ellen Stone at sstone@cca.edu or 415 551 9239.
