Online course by Node Center for Curatorial Studies
Course: Writing for Curators: Sharpen Your Voice, Strengthen Your Practice with An Paenhuysen
Duration: November 5 – December 3, 2025
Fee: €189
Maximum Seats: 30
Enrollment Deadline: November 2, 2025
Live Sessions: 2 hours per week
Writing is an essential part of curatorial practice that takes many formats, from concept proposals and interpretive texts to press materials and catalogue essays. Writing is also at the core of the loose and fluid thinking that precedes the concept, making it a tool for developing and refining ideas. In this course, you will learn to cultivate a holistic writing practice that serves you through the phases of curation, from personal ideation to public communication.
Over five weeks, we will explore curatorial writing in its varied modes, practicing how it can carry your voice, reach diverse audiences, and shape the narrative of a show. We will also discover the pleasures of a regular writing practice and consider creative formats, such as a diary to guide the curatorial journey, as well as sketches in notebooks.
Through case studies and practical exercises, you will improve your writing skills, expand your understanding of what curatorial writing can be, and work with its many potentials to enrich your practice as a curator.
Course Outcomes:
- Practice various forms of writing, from exhibition proposals and wall texts to speeches and interviews
- Cultivate a distinct voice and adapt it across different contexts
- Apply writing as a tool for ideating and clarifying concepts
- Experiment with creative writing formats
- Learn strategies to turn curatorial texts into interesting reads
