“Curating and Money” Workshop by OnCurating Academy Berlin with Martin Fritz
Lecturer: Martin Fritz
Course dates: 25.04 + 09.05.2026, 2–6pm (CET)
Maximum participants: 20
Enroll here until April 24, 2026
Fee: EUR 250
Course description
This course provides comprehensive insight into the financial aspects of working as a curator. The curatorial profession encompasses a wide range of positions, each with its own economic implications. Some curators find stability working for public institutions, while others navigate the gig economy or establish their own galleries or art businesses.
The course begins by examining the different legal categories that curators fall under, whether as employees or self-employed individuals. It then delves into the economic realities of the field, including discussions on fees, salaries, and pricing for services. Participants will also gain a solid understanding of the tax system and basic accounting principles. A notable component of the course is devoted to calculating the key elements of an exhibition budget and developing a personal budget for the upcoming year, which entails mapping out income and expenses in detail.
About the lecturer
Martin Fritz studied law in Vienna from 1981 to 1986. Since then, he has worked in the field of contemporary art production in Vienna, New York, and Germany. Among many other assignments, he has worked as Director of Operations for the re-opening of PS1 Contemporary Art Centre (today: MoMA PS1) in New York; Managing Director of In Between – The Art Project of EXPO 2000 in Hanover; General Coordinator of Manifesta 4 – European Biennial of Contemporary Art in Frankfurt am Main; and as Director of the Festival der Regionen in Upper Austria. From 2001 to 2007, he was a member of the Board (Treasurer) of the International Foundation Manifesta. From 2016 to 2020, Martin Fritz headed Merz Akademie Hochschule für Gestaltung, Kunst und Medien, Stuttgart as its Rector. Since 2022 Martin Fritz is Secretary General of the Austrian Commission for UNESCO. As a writer, consultant, and researcher, Martin Fritz specializes in site-specific art, institutional critique, arts administration, cultural policy, and governance.
Preparation for the course
To ensure a smooth experience, please use a headset (or headphones) and choose a quiet place with a stable internet connection. You will receive access to the required reading materials after booking the course; please review them in advance.
Procedure
This intensive, two-part live course will be conducted via Zoom on two consecutive Saturdays from 2:00 to 6:00 PM CEST. Please prepare a brief introduction of yourself and your projects (3-5 minutes). The first session will focus on an in-depth introduction to the topic and workshop research. Assignments for the second session will be provided at the end of the first session. In the second session, you will receive feedback and evaluations. Upon successful completion, you will be awarded a certificate worth 1 ECTS credit.
OnCurating Academy Berlin
The Course is part of the OnCurating Academy Berlin. The OnCurating Academy Berlin provides postgraduate and continuing education in an environment for critical curatorial thinking and new perspectives and formats of curatorial practices. Based on our activities as the OnCurating Journal, we offer an opportunity to deepen and share knowledge and to grow together into a lively community of aspiring curators, artists and art administrators. The programme focuses on cooperative, interdisciplinary working methods, as employed, for example, in film productions or non-government organisations. The CAS in Curating provides opportunities to engage with international institutions, collaborate across disciplines, and explore contemporary curating through a flexible, hybrid format—either remotely or on-site in Berlin at Radialsystem and ZK/U—Center for Art and Urbanistics. Applications open now.
Exhibition-making/curating means the creation of innovative structures for the presentation of cultural artefacts through interdisciplinary collaboration. In this field, art, digital media, design and architecture intermesh in new ways.
OnCurating Academy has offered workshops and symposia with the HEK House of Electronic Arts Basel, documenta fifteen, Taipei Biennale, Bucharest Biennale, ARKO Seoul, Fridericianum Kassel, Kunstmuseum Basel, TBA21, Tai Kwun Museum Hong Kong, KW Berlin, Humboldt University Berlin, Zurich University of the Arts, University of Reading, ICA London, and many more.
Upcoming talks on curatorial practice and theory in Berlin and beyond
On Curating Academy Berlin also hosts a free series of talks on curatorial practice on Fridays from 5–7pm CET in Berlin and on Zoom.
The series brings together key figures from Berlin’s art and discourse infrastructure, including Florian Wüst (artist, film curator, and publisher across major institutions, March 20, 2026, Register here), Mira Anneli Naß (University Stuttgart, March 27, 2026, Register here ), Leon Kahane (artist-researcher on politics, institutions, and border regimes, April 10, 2026, Register here), Hannah Kruse (Goldrausch Künstlerinnenprojekt, April 17, 2026, Register here), Jonas Tinius (Institute of European Ethnology, Humboldt University Berlin, April 24, 2026, Register here), Nabi Nara (SOMA Art Berlin, May 9, 2026, Register here), Solvej Helweg Ovesen (Humboldt Forum , May 15, 2026, Register here) and, Kathleen Reinhardt (Director, Georg Kolbe Museum Berlin; curator of the German Pavilion, Venice Biennale 2026, May 29, 2026, Register here).
Head of the programme: Prof. Dr. Dorothee Richter.
More information about educational programmes: curating.org. For enquiries, please contact info@curating.org. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates.
