Undergraduate Course: When Artists Curate (ARTX10081)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh College of Art |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | When Artists Curate explores methods of presenting art, collaboratively. You will work in a small group to develop an exhibition and digital presentation, considering ideas around shared agency and collective action within Contemporary Art. |
| Course description |
Working with other creative practitioners is inevitable for artists, particularly when presenting work for an audience. When Artists Curate focuses on how artists navigate collaborative processes of organisation and presentation and the articulation of collective intentions for a public audience.
The course supports you in the development of a small group exhibition and presentation, initially through lectures (weeks 1-4) that examine precedents in art presentation across multiple forms and approaches including exhibitions, interventions, and activism. You will work within a group to plan a collective presentation of artworks where you will need to consider the critical and ethical concerns of group presentation practice. You will be supported by tutorials at appropriate intervals and online resources for further independent development. You will also receive guidance on technical aspects of exhibition-making. In the second half of the course, you will stage your group exhibition for your tutor(s) and peers to view, discuss, and provide feedback. These group critique sessions provide opportunity for discussion and feedback that prepare you for the summative assignment, where you will collate and share documentation of the exhibition in a live group presentation. You are also required to write an independent reflective statement that incorporates your understanding of the complexities and consideration involved in exhibiting art with others.
Emphasis will be placed on communication, project management, peer-to-peer learning and nurturing constructive criticism. It is expected that you will engage independently and collectively with the course materials to consider and develop ways to challenge and deconstruct preconceived expectations around the presentation of artworks within a group exhibition. The course will help you build assertiveness and confidence when presenting and advocating for artworks with other art practitioners, preparing you for negotiating real world contexts beyond graduation.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2026/27, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 6,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 18,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 6,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 1,
Summative Assessment Hours 1,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
164 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
This course has 2 components of assessment.
1. A live group presentation (6-10 min, 10-20 images), 50% weighting, weeks 9-11, assessed against Learning Outcomes 1,2 and 3. Group assessed. This component must be passed.
2. A reflective statement (800 words/images optional), 50% weighting, exam diet, assessed against Learning outcomes 1,2 and 3. Individually assessed. This component must be passed.
The live group presentation communicates the objectives, methodology, and rationale of each groups collaboratively curated project. It should also include how they've digested and integrated the feedback received during the formative group critique. This component is assessed equally in relation to learning outcomes 1,2 and 3.
The reflective statement analyses your own working methods and learning experience in relation to your collaborative project, with reference to course lectures, discussions, and independent research. A key aspect of this reflection is to critically engage with the feedback you received during the group critique and to demonstrate how your analysis of this may inform the development of your artistic practice moving forwards. This component is assessed equally in relation to learning outcomes 1,2, and 3.
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| Feedback |
Formative Feedback
During group critiques (formative presentations weeks 4-10), direct verbal feedback addressing learning outcomes 1,2 and 3 will be provided by tutors and peers in relation to your group's presentation of work. This will aid you in reflecting critically on your learning and help feed forward and inform both summative assessment components (the live group presentation and individual reflective statement). This will be complemented by successive verbal critical group discussions of your peers' group presentations in which you will participate throughout the course. This is intended to help with the holistic development of your critical skills and aid your ability to complete both summative components of assessment, these components are assessed equally.
Summative Feedback
1. For the live group presentation, students will be provided with verbal feedback by their tutors and peers in relation to their ability to demonstrate their collective learning since formative tasks.
2. For the reflective statement, students will be provided with individual written feedback by tutors in relation to their advancement of individual collaborative work to critically evaluate their learning since formative tasks.
Summative feedback will be provided according to University regulations.
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| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Plan, manage, and execute the presentation of artwork(s) as part of a group, informed by contextual precedents.
- Reflect critically on the feedback given during group critique and incorporate this knowledge into the advancement of project work/your practice.
- Communicate collective intentions clearly to specialist audiences.
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Reading List
Fraser, Pamela & Rothman, Roger (eds.) (2020), Beyond critique: contemporary art in theory, practice, and instruction. New York, Bloomsbury Academic.
Green, Alison (2018), When artists curate: contemporary art and the exhibition as medium. Reaktion Books
Latour, Bruno and Weibel, Peter (2005), Making Things Public, Atmosphere of Democracy, edited by ZKM
Staniszewski, Anne Marie (1998), The power of display: a history of exhibition installations at the Museum of Modern Art. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.
Zerovc, Beti (2015) When attitudes become the norm: the contemporary curator and institutional art, translators Rawley Grau, David Limon, and Polona Petek. Ljubljana: Igor Zabel Association for Culture and Theory. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Creativity and inventive thinking
Through collaborative development of a group exhibition and presentation, students explore inventive ways to curate and present artworks for a public audience. By experimenting with exhibition formats and critical frameworks, they learn to think imaginatively and approach presentation and display as integral parts of creative practice.
Self-awareness and reflection
Through active engagement in group critiques with tutors and peers students learn to reflect regularly on their decisions and identify areas for development. The reflective statement consolidates this process, allowing students to critically evaluate their role within the group work and how their learning informs future practice.
Planning, Organising, and Time Management
In developing and implementing an exhibition plan, students learn to coordinate group ideas and agree on practical solutions. They learn to manage time and resources efficiently, meet deadlines, and contribute constructively to group planning. The group critique structure supports the development of skills required to balance creative, technical, and logistical demands, while addressing health, safety, and ethical considerations.
Assertiveness and confidence
Through opportunities to discuss and defend decisions in a professional, supportive environment, students build confidence in communicating and responding to ideas. In the planning and delivery of the final group presentation, students acquire skills with assertiveness and advocating for their curatorial and artistic choices. |
| Keywords | Collaboration; Artist Curation; Group Exhibitions; Collective agency |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Jonathan Owen
Tel:
Email: Jonathan.Owen@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | |
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