Just a reminder that we will start the class on Wednesday with two student presentations. Madeleine Brookman will give a 10 minute talk about Jessica Morgan’s “What Is a Curator?” (chapter 1), and Justine Hanrahan will give a 10 minute talk about Juan A. Gaitan’s “What Is the Public?” (chapter 2). Both chapters come from Jens Hoffman’s Ten Fundamental Questions of Curating. We will follow these presentations with a general class discussion. Here are some questions I would like you to consider as you are preparing for the class:

1. What kind of curating activities have you participated in?
2. Have you ever visited a gallery or museum? If so, what do you remember about the presentation of the works you saw? Think broadly about the term museum so that you include science & history museums.
3. What have you collected in your lifetime, and how have you presented this material for others to see? What steps did you take to make the collection understandable to others? Did you use different tactics for different audiences?
4. What do you expect as a viewer from a museum or gallery experience? What goals, experiences, or learning opportunities?
5. What is the role of an exhibition, according to Gaitan? Do you agree? Why or why not?

 

“Curating, after all, produces ephemeral constellations that disappear, and, as a consequence, there are no memories of curating.” — Hans Ulrich Obrist, 2007

This course focuses on the development, organizing, and mounting of exhibits. Students in this course will work on two specific shows: Game Changers video game exhibit to be held during the month of March in downtown Vancouver and a special exhibit of media art ephemera for the ELO 2016 Conference & Media Art Festival taking place at the University of Victoria from 10-12 June 2016.

Students in the class will also gain background in theories relating to curating and come to understand it as a critical practice.