Summer School in Curatorial Practice

The School for Curatorial Studies Venice is an ambitious and challenging project promoted since 2004 and conceived as a school committed to experimentation and interdisciplinary thinking. The main goals are to spread knowledge in the field of visual arts and to introduce the students to the professions related to the art world, focusing on contemporary curatorial theory and practice and contemporary museology. The School’s activities are meant for all those interested and passionate of art, graduate students or professionals who want to deepen their knowledge and improve their practical skills. The staff is formed by Italian and international professionals, scholars, historians and art critics of recognized experience. The School brings together students and researchers from all over the globe in a network of artists, curators, galleries and museums both in Venice and internationally. The school’s methodology which aligns specific theoretical lectures to a practical approach. Conceiving, structuring and setting up of an event is one of the goals of the program. Since 2004, those who have continued to operate in the arts are currently engaged in national and international institutions:Foundation Pinault (Venice), Foundation Prada (Venice/Milan),Venice Biennale,Mart(Rovereto),Galerie Perrotin (Paris),BeyondEntropy (London), Careof (Milan), Gagosian Gallery (NY), Palais de Tokyo (Paris), Independent Collectors (Berlin). The intensive program is including visits of artist studio and the examination of specific art venues organized during the International Biennale all over the city of Venice, which is offering several case studies and it gives the opportunity to monitor the development of the contemporary arts, including tracking the trend of presenting art, theoretical discourse and the continuous development of art practices.

The Summer course is divided in three modules, held by different professional figures. In the first module we will discuss history of the art exhibitions, exhibition design and display and exhibition management. The program will consider how the specific forms of exhibition and curating practices have evolved; how exhibitions engender forms of spectatorship, reception, and transmission; and how exhibitions and curators participate in the development of various theoretical art-historical and sociopolitical contexts.
The Summer Course in Curatorial practice is including visits of artist studio and the examination of specific art venues in Venice organised during the International Architecture Biennale or during the Art Biennale, all over the city of Venice, which is offering several case study and it gives an opportunity to monitor the development of the contemporary visual arts, including tracking the trend of presenting art, theoretical discourse and the continuous development of art practices.
The school’s means are to align these specific theoretical lectures to a practical approach. The lectures are going to have besides a series of laboratories and workshops. The aim is to introduce the students to the complicated work of writing critical text, press releases, projects and to structure all the different aspects of a publication. Students will be offered the possibility of a gallery training, specifically focusing on the setting up of an event and concentrating on the possibilities offered by the chosen space.
The first module – 6th June – 7th August 2024
It involves 350 contact hours:
1. History of curatorial practices
2. Exhibition design
3. Aesthetics and Cultural theory
4. Contemporary art history
5. Cultural events management and organization
6. Curating exhibitions
7. Fine arts management.
8. Fundraising and marketing / Workshop
9. Communication strategies and artistic events promotion / Workshop
10. New media and digital technologies
11. Workshop on critical writing
12. Artist studio visits and visits of exhibitions. .
Optional visit:
Trip to a European city.
The second module – 15th – 22nd August 2024
The second module is dedicated to individual researching and finalising the project. During this period of time the students will have to face practical duties, such as coordinating the artists, managing transportation and insurance policies, promoting and curating the promotional material.

The third module – 23rd August — 1st September 2024
The last part of the course lies in the production of the event. During this period of time all the work concerning the final event is going to take place. The students will have to coordinate the arrival and the set up of the works of art. Organize all the different aspects related to the event as promotion, organisation and opening. After the presentation to the public the student will be given the tools to document professionally the event.
Duration and structure
The course has a duration of 450 hours. Lectures will be held from Monday to Friday, from 9.30 am to 1.30 pm and from 02.30 pm to 05.30pm. Theoretical lectures will be held in the mornings, in order to provide conceptual and operational tools to independently manage the setting of an exhibition (35 hours per week). In the afternoon, students will attend seminars, workshops, guided tours to museums and exhibitions which animate the rich cultural life of Venice.

Course leader

The School’s teaching staff is formed by Italian and international professionals, scholars, historians and art critics of recognized experience. Among them: Matt Williams (curator), Angela Vettese (art critic), Chira Barbieri (Peggy Guggenheim Collection)

Target group

The course is particularly tailored for those who are interested in joining professions that valorize cultural and artistic assets, as for those who would like to find stimulating and innovative professional outlets that engage with art and contemporary culture. The School’s activities are intended for all those interestedin and passionate about art, graduate students or professionals who want to deepen their knowledge and improve their practical skills. We would like to remind you that our program is designed for people with a study background in any of the following areas of contemporary art: curatorial studies, theory and philosophy of art, art history, art management and art production, visual arts, fine arts, arts and new media, architecture, interior architecture, photography, interior decoration, installation, design, theater, scenic design and music, as well as university graduates in the cultural studies field and literary studies. The program is also suitable for candidates who have acquired certain curatorial skills through practical experience.

Course aim

Why attending:
To become an integral part of the international art scene that characterises Venice with the Biennale and the many public and private organisations active in the field of contemporary art.

For the solid theoretical preparation of the course put into practice with the conception, structuring and realisation of an artistic event, followed step by step with the school’s tutors.

The school brings together students from all parts of the world and connects them with professionals in an international network of artists, curators, galleries and museums.

The figure of the curator emerges in connection with the most recent history of the visual arts, the social/economic and cultural context, and the most recent historical/critical and theoretical conceptions. Training in the field of visual arts is considered to be connected to knowledge of science and social history, philosophy, sociology, semiotics, economics.

The School combines a solid training in the field of visual arts production with the experience and professionalism of leading national and international figures, for a highly qualified curatorial programme. The conclusion of the Course sees the young curators engaged in the realisation of an exhibition event organised by them in all its phases: from the initial conception to the actual setting up, dealing transversally with marketing and communication aspects.

Since 2004, the School has seen its students collaborate with the Pinault Collection (Venice), Fondazione Prada (Venice/Milan), the Venice Biennale, Mart (Rovereto), Galerie Perrotin, Paris), Beyond Entropy (London), Careof (Milan), Gagosian Gallery (New York), Palais de Tokyo (Paris).

Credits info

20 EC
the duration of the course is of 500 hours

Fee info

EUR 4800: Fee: The total cost for the three modules of the Summer school is 4800,00 euro.
EUR 0: The fee does not include accommodation and travel expenses.

Scholarships

None