Contemporary Curating (MA)

Award
Master of Arts
Typical Offer
2:1 degree View full entry requirements
Duration
1 year
Course Type
Full-time
Campus
Winchester
Next course starts
September 2025

About this course

Explore how to curate a compelling and relevant art exhibition within groups and independently. From curating contemporary performance to handling historic art objects, you'll learn how to apply practical skills to a variety of different art mediums and disciplines.

Our Contemporary Curating course gives you the theoretical, research and practical skills to work as a curator anywhere in the world. You’ll get professional experience managing projects in the Winchester Gallery, with unique access to the University’s vast network of practising artists, academics and researchers who will inform and inspire your curatorial practice.

By studying this MA in curating you’ll have the opportunity to:

  • curate compelling art exhibitions based on research across disciplines and discourses
  • develop critical thinking to collate and curate artworks which challenge the audience
  • understand the current concerns and limitations of contemporary curation and culture
  • get hands-on experience from practical workshops in object-handling and setting up exhibitions using lighting and tools
  • attend visits to local and London-based art exhibitions where you’ll question and debate different curatorial approaches

Your learning will take place in the picturesque city of Winchester, where you'll join a thriving artist community with direct access to practising artists from Winchester School of Art.

The Winchester Gallery is based at Winchester School of Art and is open to the public. Your involvement in the gallery will give you real professional experience in understanding the practical and logistical requirements of curating.

You’ll consider your exhibition’s profile, including the theme, whether the location is private, or public, and how your audience interacts with the artwork. Your decisions as a curator will be research-led, referring to theoretical art concepts and critically reflecting on your own practice throughout.

We look at digital curation, the way artwork is stored, collected and archived online, considering benefits and limitations of digital curation in contemporary art.

We regularly review our courses to ensure and improve quality. This course may be revised as a result of this. Any revision will be balanced against the requirement that the student should receive the educational service expected. Find out why, when, and how we might make changes.

Our courses are regulated in England by the Office for Students (OfS).

Course lead

Sara Roberts is an exhibition curator with experience of working with museums, galleries, historic properties and off-site opportunities, nationally and internationally.  

She has worked for the Imperial War Museum, London; Mostyn, Wales; and for three years toured exhibitions internationally for The British Council, including to the São Paulo Bienal and Istanbul Biennial.

She was Consultant Curator for Arts Council of Wales/National Trust Artists’ Residencies at Penrhyn Castle 2014-17; and Curator-in-Residence for Projeto Maria Lucia Cattani in Porto Alegre, Brazil, resulting in an exhibition at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, December 2019.

She co-curated the exhibition and research project What Colour is Metal? with Dr Cóilín O’ Dubhghaill, with an international cohort of artists using innovative colouration techniques, for Dublin Castle and tour to National Design and Crafts Council, Kilkenny, 2021-22. It will tour to the UK in 2022. She is a cultural producer for the Southampton City of Culture bid for 2025.

Course location

This course is based at Winchester.

Awarding body

This qualification is awarded by the University of Southampton.