This course introduces students to the history and profession of curatorship, and explores the roles of curators across varying collecting environments, with a focus on art collections. Students will become familiar with the main factors for consideration when preparing exhibitions and displays. They will also be introduced to the organisation of museums and the various professions within the museum environment. Topics will include the development of art galleries and museums, especially in the 20th century; the development, management and display of art collections; and approaches to documentation and publication. The course will study issues related to the responsibilities of the curator to the community (accessibility, education, exhibition and public relations) as well as responsibility to the objects (conservation, storage, accessioning and loan policies). There is a focus on Australian institutions and collections at national and regional levels.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- describe the roles of an art curator in the modern world both orally and in written form;
- evaluate current discourses related to museums and galleries;
- evaluate art exhibitions and permanent collections and communicate their views in written and oral form; and
- describe and discuss the processes involved in staging an art exhibition.
Indicative Assessment
- Tutorial Participation (10) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Tutorial Presentation, 10 mins and Tutorial paper, 1500 words (10% each) (20) [LO 1,2,3]
- Exhibition Review, 600 words (10) [LO 4]
- Exhibition Proposal, 500 words, and short class presentation, 10 minutes (10% each) (20) [LO 3,4]
- Exhibition Package, 2500 words (40) [LO 4]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
130 hours of total student learning time made up from:a) 36 hours of contact over 12 weeks: 24 hours of lectures and 12 hours of tutorials and tutorial-like activities; and
b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.
Inherent Requirements
Not applicable
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
There are no specific texts for this course. Students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the following journals, available as full-text electronic journals through the ANU Library Curator. The Museum Journal, Museum Management and Curatorship.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2023 | $3960 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2023 | $5100 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
