On the panel of this event was Kevin Wilson the director of Artworkers Alliance, Jodie Cox from Urban Art Projects and QUT Art Museum curator Vanessa Van Ooyen.

Artworkers director Kevin Wilson was originally an artist before turning quite by chance to working in galleries.  He worked in several regional galleries and spoke about the limitations here as you have to curate for your audience.  For example, in Noosa the audience was not very open to cutting edge contemporary artwork.  Collections and shows are designed to suit the audience.  Earlier in his career Kevin received a grant for an internship in the White Chapel Gallery in London which proved to be an excellent skill and knowledge gaining opportunity.  He is not only interested in creating shows but in developing audiences and he thinks it is important to relate shows to the people who will view them.  

Jodie Cox began her journey to curatorship as a sculptor and now works for Urban Art Projects.  Urban Art Projects is a "design consultancy creating site-specific art and design commissions for architectural and landscape environments".  Jodie's role is as Curatorial Team Manager for these projects.

Vanessa Van Ooyen had been curating collections and shows for institutions and galleries for many years before she officially earned the job title Curator.  She has a degree in Art History and Curatorship and is QUT Art Museum's Curator.

What is Curatorship?

Originally curator meant 'the keeper of the collection'.  It used to be a very academic thing - curators would spend a year or more planning, preparing and researching for it but these days the panelists described it as a product with exhibitions produced very regularly. They summed up curatorship as designing projects and exhibitions and emphasised that the key to curatorship is good project management.    

The difference between a regular project manager and curator was elucidated by the panelists.

Kevin spoke passionately about the joy of working with artists, discussing ideas with them as they work in response to a specific curation.  Jodie said that one aspect of curatorship is about asking artists to respond in a certain way and finds it exciting when the artists produce something completely unexpected.  

Vanessa offered her perspective as curator in an institution pointing out that there are a few models for curatorial projects.  There are the artist based ones where you have the opportunity to work personally with artists creating new work specifically for the show and then there are projects within the larger institutions where the work involves writing acquisition proposals and labels with much less contact with the artists.  She pointed out that in curatorship there is a lot of negotiation involved, many challenges and it requires lots of research.

In large institutions you are often collaborating with others and you are most frequently told what projects you are doing by a project manager, rather than choosing the project yourself.

The panelists discussed economic imperative and how it affects art production and the art market.  Within art institutions it's more about getting the attendance numbers rather than the sales.  They talked about how visions can be compromised because of the economic imperative to curate something that will be popular.  They argued that commercial galleries and auction houses are the big 'taste-makers'.  It is difficult to find opportunities to create a project completely from the curators own vision.

Key advice:

1. Immerse yourself in the arts by seeing and reading as much as you can.  You must have a discerning eye.

2. The ability to write about art is ESSENTIAL

3. Avoid 'Curating from your address book'.  Look more broadly. Network.  

4. Do freelance projects and/or work for a regional gallery where you have the opportunity to curate shows from your own ideas. Curating a challenging or controversial show is excellent experience because it teaches you to defend your own ideas.

5. If you have an idea for a show you can write up a brief and pitch it to the galleries but keep in mind that institutions work at least two years in advance.  Many institutions accept briefs though they wont necessarily do a call out.  Some places will call for submissions.

6. Take advantage of the grants that are available for curators

7. Must learn the practicalities.  You need to be able to work within a budget and within a space.  

8. Learn about lighting and how to design shows within a space.

9. A degree isn't necessary but studies in Art History are highly advantageous.

10. It is important to have a vision for yourself and what you want to do in curating.  Do you want to work for an institution?  Do you want to work freelance?  How often do you want to produce shows?

Good qualities in curators:

1. Push boundaries, be innovative 

2. Know what is current: choosing upcoming artists is often like betting on a horse

3. Be politically mature

4. Work with 'other-thinkers'

5. Take artists into new places with their work eg. into the public realmThe most essential piece of advice: Just get started.  If you are passionate about it you can make it happen.

The Life after Uni forums occur monthly and are free for anyone. The next one is Wednesday 12 May, 6pm - 7pm and focuses on Taxation for artists.  For the full list of upcoming forums check out the Artworkers page here.

If you missed first forum on 'Dealing with Galleries' you can check out Alistair Craig's great write-up here.

Special guest writeup by Rachel Marsden

Also check out: Curating and Collecting Fashion by Foluke Abigail Zrobok, Dealing with Galleries // {Writeup} {Artworkers Alliance}, Viewfinder Exhibition // {Nine Lives} {Gallery}, Peter Madden // {Come Together} {Talk} {IMA}