Call for applications:
MA in Curating, Managing and Mediating Art (CuMMA)

Admission period: December 1, 2015–January 15, 2016

Aalto University
Admission Services
PO Box 11110
FI-00076 Aalto
Finland

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www.aalto.fi/admissions
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Curating, Managing and Mediating Art (CuMMA) is one of two majors in the Visual Culture and Contemporary Art Master’s Degree programme in Aalto University.

CuMMA is a two-year transdisciplinary major in contemporary art and its publics, providing a structure for reflection and acting, learning and organising in art institutions and the public sphere. At CuMMA we aim to explore possibilities to understand and shift the paradigms of contemporary art and the world around us. Thus we understand curating, educating and organising as ways of being active, of creating relations, and of being open for unexpected encounters, thoughts and knowledge.

The studies give students the opportunity to learn with and from artists, activists, practitioners and theorists. The content is actively developed in relation to the changing demands of the curatorial and cultural field. We put an emphasis on developing ways to promote each student’s own curatorial, theoretical and educational thinking. Our pedagogical models are based on shared expertise and exploratory learning, and are applied in order to create an open, conversational and dialogic space for learning and acting.

The major comprises theoretical lessons, workshops, practical projects, excursions, and a thesis. Theoretical studies respond critically to the current practices of curating, educating and organising in the field of contemporary art. Mutually, the practical side of the CuMMA studies aims to (re)conceptualise and challenge the conventions of the art world. Together with its curatorial and educational core content, the major also gives its students insights in critical management studies of the cultural field. It employs experimental and intensive forms of study to give the students the opportunity to analyse institutional structures and invent new strategies of organisational thinking and practices.

CuMMA is led by Professor Nora Sternfeld in collaboration with lecturer Henna Harri.

There are now three separate international master’s degree programmes open for applications in the Department of Art in the School of Arts, Design and Architecture at Aalto University for study years 2016–2018:
–Nordic Visual Studies and Art Education (NoVA)
–Visual Culture and Contemporary Art (ViCCA)
–Curating, Managing and Mediating Art (CuMMA)
 
Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture
Aalto University, located in the Helsinki metropolitan area in Finland, provides world-class education in the fields of art, technology and business. The combination of the three fields brings a new dimension to studying: in addition to the traditional degree options, the students have the possibility to build a unique study experience that corresponds to their personal preferences and career aspirations. At the School of Arts, Design and Architecture, theory meets practice. The school focuses on learning through practical assignments and projects.

Department of Art
The Department of Art educates professionals in the fields of art education, visual culture, curating, and contemporary art. Studying through the department, you will gain expertise and critical skills in mediating, representing, discussing, and critiquing art and other forms of visual culture. Art and cultural work is understood as shaping perceptions of reality and creating meaning by allowing participants and viewers to critically reflect on, and respond to, the past, present, and future. The programme offerings help build a well-rounded and well-tailored degree that supports both depth and breadth. The department also engages in interdisciplinary studies that enrich learning across Aalto University.