Considered becoming a curator? ArtsHub has asked curators what they most want to ask their colleagues, and why they love their job – to get a pulse on what is driving curators today.
In this article:
What is the question you would most like to ask another curator?
For Rachael Kiang, who was named this week as one of the co-curators of the forthcoming Bankstown Biennale (in Sydney, Australia), her pressing question is: “How do you curate now compared to when you first started out?”
Kiang is also curious to know of her colleagues: “What is the one project you would most like to curate, and why?”
Caitlin Eyre, who is Curator at JamFactory, a hub for craft and design in Adelaide (Australia), says she is “always interested to know what a fellow curator’s dream exhibition would be”.
“It’s fascinating to learn what the curator as an individual is specifically drawn to and what objects truly make their heart sing. Is there an object or idea you just can’t stop thinking about that you feel compelled to create an exhibition around?”
Eyre continues: “It’s interesting to think about the hypothetical exhibition you haven’t curated yet, and who or what would be on your wish list … and making time to consider how you might go about making this dream exhibition a reality.”
The Curator of the regional Mudgee Arts Precinct and Gallery, Lizzy Galloway, is driven by a more practical query. Her top question is, “How do you approach selecting artists and works that resonate with regional audiences, while also ensuring diversity and representation in your exhibitions?”
Good question, and one that is especially current as we recognise our responsibility to our audiences today.
Coming from a different perspective, Melanie Pitkin – Senior Curator of the Nicholson Collection of Antiquities and Archaeology at the Chau Chak Wing Museum, University of Sydney – says for her the big question is: “What is the impact?”
She explains, “As a curator, it is our responsibility to make memorable and meaningful impact through the many different facets of our work. Obviously, impact can be measured and defined in different ways, but in my view, we need to be tackling the hard stuff in order to [improve] museum practices (and practices further afield – especially where it concerns the antiquities market and private collecting), rethink object and exhibition narratives and create new ways of seeing and engaging for our many audiences.
“We also need to be sharing what we do far and wide, and to make our research accessible and relevant to everyone,” Pitkin adds.
Moving from the regional and metropolitan space to the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Curator Megan Robson – who has recently worked on the outstanding exhibition by Japanese photomedia artist Hiroshi Sugimoto – tells ArtsHub, “A topic of conversation that is coming up more frequently in my discussions with other curators, are questions around sustainable working practices, comparing and contrasting ways of working, and how to navigate competing priorities with limited time and resources, in particular in relation to research.”
She adds, “All curators are curious beings, so we often have many questions! Besides the usual questions of what exhibitions they have seen recently or whose work they are enjoying at the moment, I do like to ask other curators about what they are reading – everything from the trashy to the intellectual, fiction or non-fiction, online or in print.
Read: So you want my arts job: Photography Curator
“I am [also] a big music fan, so I love to receive music recommendations and, in particular, live music endorsements (which is my favourite way to listen to music). If I know someone shares my passion, it is highly likely I will ask about who they have seen play lately or who is on their playlist.”
What is it that you love most about your job?
Given this is a moment to focus on the profession of curating, we thought we would also ask our group what it is that gets them out of bed each day with pep in their step.
Robson says what she most loves about her job at the MCA is “working with artists”.
“The journey that you go on together, when developing an exhibition, is something very special. It can be challenging, emotional, exciting, joyful, stressful, hilarious and terrifying in equal measures.”
She continues: “In my experience, every time I work with an artist I learn something new – about myself, about how I work, and what art can do. As a curator, working with artists fundamentally changes how you curate, and how you view the world.”
For Eyre, she is drawn by beauty and interesting and exciting objects. “There is always something to be completely fascinated and captivated by, always something to learn and explore. As a keen researcher and writer, I am truly in my element delving into the conceptual, historical and thematic underpinnings of the artworks I exhibit. It is such a joy to be in close proximity to beauty and to be surrounded by such incredibly talented makers and craftspeople.”
Eyre has been recently working on two glass exhibitions, Gabriella Bisetto: first breath, last breath, everything in between, which opens next week, and the group exhibition Gathering Light, which follows.
Read: Craft and design curators on artists to watch
Pitkin, who also has access to incredible objects and histories at the Museum, says she especially loves “the variety that comes with being a curator”.
“I love that there are so many different moving parts to curatorial work – from conducting rigorous collections-based research, writing and publishing and delivering academic talks, to creative thinking, exhibition development, community engagement and outreach, media work and so on,” she says.
“I’m continually motivated to make a positive difference to people’s lives through culture and love being able to share my passion with people of all ages and backgrounds on a daily basis.”
Both Kiang and Galloway also highlight the diversity of their jobs as curators as being main attractions.
“One minute you may be up a ladder installing art, the next hosting at the exhibition opening. Finding local artists who haven’t had any previous recognition is also one of the best parts of my job,” says Galloway of her job.
And with a sentiment that says it all, Kiang concludes, “There are many aspects of my job that I love – developing and providing platforms for artists, collaborating across disciplines and mentoring the next generation of creatives, but if I had to distill it to one primary factor it would be the ability to enact the curatorial everyday, as a methodology for social enquiry and positive arts-led change.”
