curatorial statement essay

Crafting a Compelling Curatorial Proposal: Key Considerations and Best Practices

Curating an exhibition is a dynamic and creative process that involves shaping an artistic narrative and engaging audiences. A strong curatorial proposal plays a crucial role in presenting your vision, concept, and selection of artworks to gallery curators or institutions. This article aims to guide aspiring curators by highlighting key considerations and providing best practices for crafting a compelling curatorial proposal.

Research and Conceptualization: Before diving into your curatorial proposal, conduct thorough research on the subject matter, theme, or artistic movement you wish to explore. Gain a deep understanding of the historical and contemporary context surrounding your concept. Develop a clear and compelling curatorial concept that aligns with your vision and resonates with the target audience.

Curatorial Statement: Begin your curatorial proposal with a concise and engaging statement that captures the essence of your exhibition concept. Clearly articulate the central theme or idea, the significance of the chosen artworks, and the intended impact on viewers. Express your curatorial perspective, providing a compelling argument for the relevance and importance of the exhibition.

Selection of Artworks: Carefully curate a selection of artworks that align with your curatorial concept and support your narrative. Consider the diversity of mediums, styles, and artists represented to create a dynamic and engaging exhibition. Choose artworks that resonate with your theme, evoke emotional responses, and offer different perspectives to captivate viewers.

Exhibition Design and Space Considerations: Take into account the exhibition space when developing your curatorial proposal. Consider the spatial layout, lighting, and flow of the artworks. Visualize how the exhibition design can enhance the viewer's experience and support the overall curatorial concept. Incorporate sketches or diagrams to illustrate your ideas for installation and placement of artworks.

Artwork Documentation: Include high-quality images or documentation of the proposed artworks in your curatorial proposal. Provide clear descriptions of each artwork, including the artist's name, title, medium, dimensions, and any other relevant details. Ensure the images accurately represent the aesthetic and conceptual qualities of the artworks.

Artist Statements and Contextual Information: Include concise artist statements or contextual information for each artwork, providing insights into the artists' intentions, techniques, and relevant background. This enhances the viewer's understanding of the artworks and strengthens the curatorial narrative.

Public Programming and Audience Engagement: Consider incorporating public programming and interactive elements to engage the audience. This can include artist talks, workshops, panel discussions, or educational activities related to the exhibition theme. Outline your plans for audience engagement and how these activities will enrich the viewer's experience.

Budget and Logistics: Include a section detailing the estimated budget for the exhibition, including costs for artwork transportation, installation, promotional materials, and any additional expenses. Address logistical considerations such as exhibition duration, shipping requirements, and installation needs. Ensure that your proposal demonstrates a practical understanding of the resources and logistics required for the exhibition.

Collaboration and Partnerships: Highlight any potential collaborations or partnerships that could enhance the exhibition's impact. This can include working with guest curators, institutions, or artists who align with your curatorial concept. Demonstrating your ability to forge meaningful collaborations adds credibility to your proposal.

Professional Presentation: Craft your curatorial proposal in a professional and visually appealing format. Use clear and concise language, proofread for grammar and spelling errors, and present the document in a well-structured manner. Consider using visual aids such as mood boards, sketches, or sample images to enhance the visual presentation.

Crafting a strong curatorial proposal requires careful research, conceptualization, and attention to detail. By developing a compelling curatorial statement, selecting relevant artworks, considering exhibition design, and addressing logistics and budgeting, you can create a persuasive curatorial proposal that stands out. Additionally, incorporating audience engagement strategies and showcasing your ability to collaborate with relevant partners further strengthens your proposal's credibility.

Remember to approach the curatorial proposal as an opportunity to express your unique vision and curatorial voice. Be passionate about the concept and confident in your selection of artwork. With a well-crafted and compelling curatorial proposal, you increase your chances of capturing the attention of gallery curators, institutions, or other potential collaborators.

Lastly, always follow the submission guidelines provided by the gallery or institution. Pay attention to deadlines and formatting requirements to ensure your proposal is considered. Keep in mind that the competition can be fierce, so take the time to refine and polish your curatorial proposal before submitting it.

By considering these key elements and following best practices, you can craft a strong curatorial proposal that effectively communicates your artistic vision, engages viewers, and sets the stage for a compelling exhibition. Embrace the opportunity to share your unique perspective and contribute to the dynamic and ever-evolving world of contemporary curating.

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Writing Exhibition Texts

Title labels identify the name of the exhibition. The best titles will arouse interest and curiosity and give enough information to enable visitors to decide whether they are interested enough in the subject matter to enter… Beverly Serrell, Exhibit Labels: An Interpretive Approach

A good title should clearly introduce the topic and content of the exhibition, but at the same time it should be sufficiently distinctive to spark potential visitors’ curiosity. Peruse the sites listed below for some good examples.

• The Perlman Teaching Museum
• Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum
• The Walker Art Center
• Minneapolis Institute of Arts
• The Bell Museum of Natural History

Brief Description

It is helpful to write a brief description of your exhibition. This description can be used in brochures, on websites, blogs, or other publicity venues and can also appear on a poster. The brief description should only be two or three sentences long, and articulate the main idea of the exhibition and why it is important or interesting.

Example Descriptions

Organized by the Minnesota Museum of American Art in St. Paul,  Our Treasures  features 30 of the top artworks in the MMAA collection, chosen by the museum’s executive director Kristin Makholm. The exhibition includes works by such artists as Paul Manship, Robert Henri, Grant Wood, Louise Nevelson, George Morrison, Christo, and Wing Young Huie.

(From Our Treasures: Highlights from the Minnesota Museum of American Art )

In  Running the Numbers , artist Chris Jordan creates intricate photographic prints assembled from thousands of smaller photographs, visually depicting statistics that dramatize aspects of contemporary American culture.

(From Running the Numbers: Portraits of Mass Consumption )

Presenting contemporary art, historical books and photographs, charts, and scientific visualizations, this exhibition considers the powerful role of vision and the visual in exploring celestial realms. Artists and scientists, seeking truth beyond the visible and the tangible, offer fresh perspectives on astronomy and give new life to poetic celestial metaphors.

(From Seeing is Knowing: The Universe )

Introduction

Introductory or orientation labels set up the organization and tone of the exhibition…Quick, clear orientation is a very important feature for visitors, but many people will not stop to read a long introduction because they are being drawn into the exhibit by many competing sights, objects, and sounds… Beverly Serrell,  Exhibit Labels: An Interpretive Approach

An introduction placed near the entrance is a useful way to unite and provide context for an exhibition, but brevity is the key.  It is recommended that introductions be limited to 150 words or less, as is the case with the examples below.

Example Introductions

Mali is a thriving center for photography in Africa. Since studio portraitists Seydou Keïta and Malick Sidibé were embraced by the international art market in the 1990s, a local art photography movement has blossomed. In 1994, Bamako became home to the pan-African photography Biennale, focusing the spotlight on native talent and on continent-wide achievements in the medium. Every two years, the Biennale has also spawned additional photography programs, institutions and exhibition opportunities.

Photographing the Social Body embodies the fruitful collaboration between curators Laurel Bradley, Director and Curator of the Perlman Teaching Museum, and Allison M. Moore of the University of South Florida, a scholar who focuses on Malian photography since the establishment of the Biennale. Candace Keller of Michigan State University contributed her expertise on studio-based photographers to the project. The exhibition depends on the talents and generosity of the photographers in the exhibition, and others in Mali who assisted the curators while in Bamako.

(From Photographing the Social Body: Malian Portraiture from the Studio to the Street )

What happens when 21st century students, some exploring photographic portraiture and the others reading 19th century British novels, employ contemporary photographic techniques to create portraits of the novels’ characters?

This interdisciplinary exhibition celebrated the creative collaborations between students in John Schott’s Digital Photography Workshop and students in Susan Jaret McKinstry’s Victorian Novel.

The 19th century was the age of the novel. These novels explored the issues of the day, including science, religion, political and social reform, gender, identity, and the role of art. The novels shaped readers, education, printing practices, and social history around the world, and they are still widely read, translated into many languages, reprinted in new illustrated editions, redesigned as graphic novels, and reinterpreted in film versions.

The 19th century was also the age of photography. In 1839, Daguerre took the first photograph of a person, and by mid-century photography was a popular and expensive hobby. Photography was an essential element of Victorian novels, with author portraits as frontispieces, advertisements, and posed “character” portraits as selling points for the novel’s truthfulness and social force.

(From Direct Address: 19th Century Characters, 21st Century Portraits )

Group Labels

Section or group labels inform visitors of the rationale behind a subgrouping of objects, paintings, or animals. Why are these things shown together? is a common question in the backs of visitors’ minds, and it needs to be answered to help visitors feel comfortable, competent, and in control of their own experiences… Beverly Serrell,  Exhibit Labels: An Interpretive Approach

Example Group Label – “Democracy”

The art of the 1980s was shaped profoundly by an exploration of democracy. Although it is an ideal held sacred by many, democracy is also challenging, for at its core it asks us to respect and protect the rights of those we disagree with.

For many artists, public spaces such as the street became arenas in which to facilitate encounters with art outside of the rarified space of the museum, and in this section we see artworks that use posters, graffiti, and everyday language to broadcast a social message as widely as possible. This interest in the public sphere was complicated by many artists’ observation that, increasingly, television was replacing the street or the public square as a primary site of democratic debate.

Some artists grappled with the new role of the mass media in both political and artistic arenas. The issue of belonging—of who has rights to what, where, and when—lies at the heart of the democratic enterprise. Such issues were to be sorely tested in the 1980s along numerous fronts. Several artists whose work appears in this section made explicit use of immanent critique, a strategy, exemplified by the civil rights movement, that attempts to hold government responsible for remaining true to its highest principles.

What all of the artists represented here shared was the belief that art can and should serve as a catalyst for philosophical and political debate.

(From This Will Have Been: Art, Love, & Politics in the 1980s )

Object Captions

Captions are specific labels for specific objects (e.g., artifacts, photos, and phenomena), and they are commonly used in all types of museum exhibitions. Captions are the “frontline” form of interpretive labels because many visitors wander around in exhibits, without attending to the linear or hierarchical organization of information (title, introduction, section label). If visitors stop by only when something catches their attention, the information in caption labels must make sense independently–as well as work harmoniously with all the other labels. Beverly Serrell,  Exhibit Labels: An Interpretive Approach

For examples, please see this PDF of captions from past Carleton exhibitions .

IB Exhibition Text & Curatorial Rationale

• Comparative Study
• Process Portfolio
• Ex Assessment Criteria
• Plan your Exhibition
• MLA Citations

What is an artist statement/curatorial rationale? A general introduction of your work as an artist.

The what, how, and why of your work, from your own point of view. Meaning or purpose of your work to the audience. Keep your sentences authentic and direct. Use the present tense ("I am," not "I was," "I do," not "I did.")

• Be brave: say nice things about yourself.
• Eloquent but Concise
• Avoid jargon-filled, pretentious baloney!
• Keep it simple and tell the truth

Suggested Layout

First Paragraph

Begin with an  overview paragraph  that makes a clear and concise statement about your work. Support that statement, telling the reader more about your goals and aspirations. This paragraph should be broad in scope. Specifics will come next.

Second Paragraph

Point out  themes  in your work or discuss  experiences that have influenced your work.  Discuss  research  and  influential artists  that you reference in your artwork. How do you make decisions in the course of your work?  Why you use the  materials/techniques  and  tools  that you do. Go into  detail  (offer a specific example).

Third Paragraph

Tell the reader a little more about your  current work . How it grew out of  prior work  or  life experiences . What are you exploring, attempting, challenging by doing this work.  Justify your  selection ,  arrangement  and the  exhibition  of artworks “within a designated space”   (curatorial methodologies). Reflect on how your exhibition conveys an understanding of the  relationship between the artworks and the viewer.  Finally,  sum  up the most important points made throughout previous paragraphs.

What are Curatorial Methodologies?

Organize your work by:

• Techniques To tell a story
• Create an experience To juxtapose certain works together
• How close or spread out the works are placed.
• Works placed in a series?
• Font, size and placement of your exhibition text.
• Creating a unified display of work.

Having trouble writing? Begin by brainstorming:

1. Take five minutes and think about why you do what you do.

2. Make a list of words and phrases that communicate your feelings about your work and your values. Include words you like, words that make you feel good, words that communicate your values or fascinations. Be loose. Be happy. Be real.

3. Answer these questions as simply as you can. Let them be raw and uncut for now.

• What is your favorite tool? Why?
• What is your favorite material? Why?
• What do you like best about what you do?
• What do you mean when you say that a piece has turned out really well?
• What patterns emerge in your work? Is there a pattern in the way you select materials? In the way you use color, texture or light?
• What do you do differently from the way you were taught? Why?
• What is your favorite color? List three qualities of the color. Consider that these qualities apply to your work.

4. Look at your word list. Add new words suggested by your answers to the questions above.

5. Choose two key words from your word list. They can be related or entirely different. Look them up in a dictionary. Read all the definitions listed for your words. Copy the definitions, thinking about what notions they have in common. Look your words up in a Thesaurus. Read the entries related to your words. Are there any new words that should be added to your word list?

6. Write five sentences that tell the truth about your connection to your work. If you are stuck, start by filling in the blanks below.

• When I work with__________ I am reminded that___________.
• I begin a piece by______________.
• I know a piece is done when__________________.
• When my work is going well, I am filled with a sense of _____________.
• When people see my work, I'd like them to ________________.

7. Ask yourself questions about your work:

• Why you have created the work and what is its history?
• Your overall vision-- what are you trying to say in the work?
• How does your current work relate to your previous work?
• What influences your work?
• What is your inspiration for your images?
• How does this work fit into a series or larger body of work?
• Create a list of words and phrases that describe your chosen themes, your artistic values, creation process, and influences (i.e. experiences, dreams). Draw from your answers from the previous step.
• Edit down your list of words and begin creating sentences using those words.

Tips and layout a my personal suggestions and altered from http://www.mollygordon.com/resources/marketingresources/artstatemt/

Jessica Russo Scherr

“A Moment with Siena”

Collage 50x70 cm

This collage, made from overlapping rectangles cut from magazines, depicts my daughter. My intention is to capture the dichotomy between her child-like qualities and her complicated maturity. I incorporated more detail and realism in her gaze, while the rest breaks out of representation into abstraction, where borders and planes deconstruct into color and pattern. The physicality of Jenny Saville’s “Reverse” is a major influence on this work.

Curatorial Statement

As a final, extended research project, you will be curating a small exhibition of artworks that are conceptually related. You will write at least a 500-word curatorial essay/statement explaining your research and exhibition.

Helpful Definitions What is Curating? What is a Curator? When we like a video on Youtube or an image on Instagram or Pinterest, in essence, we are curating. Curating is simply selecting and separating a set of images, objects, or ideas for the purpose of experiencing and contemplating them as a whole. The job of a curator at a museum is to put together an exhibition of artworks. Their selection is never random. The works usually have in common a medium, genre, subject matter, theme, or concept.

What is a Curatorial Statement? A curatorial statement is an essay written by the curator meant to explain the rationale behind the exhibition. It is usually a persuasive essay that informs the reader about the premise of the exhibit and describes in detail some of the works in order to show how these works relate together and why it is significant to see them together.

Research Steps Step 1: Access Googles Art Project The source for your research will be Googles Art Project (Links to an external site.). Here you have access to several art museum collections from around the world. If you are not familiar with the site, begin by exploring. You can navigate via the left menu panel either by looking at collections, themes, artists,mediums, art movements, events, figures and places. Or, you can use the Explore option (top right) to view artworks by categories, collections or popular topics. Click on an artwork to gain access to more detailed descriptions.

Step 2: The Process After you feel comfortable navigating the site, begin research for your exhibit. Here are the parameters for the exhibit:

It must be an exhibition of 10 different works of art

The works must come from at least three different civilizations and/or time periods

The works can use the same or different art media.

The works all must share some theme or concept.

Process of your research:

It is suggested that, rather than choosing a concept and then finding works that rigidly fit that concept, let your exploration guide you towards a concept.

Here are some terms that you can use to begin your research: survival, mortality, mind, gender, power, physics, learning, agony, and happiness.

In the Explore page of Googles Art Project, enter any of these terms in the Search field. As you explore the art that is generated begin looking for art that share formal and conceptual elements. Remember to read the details sections for the images to gain better insight. As you search, you can continue to refine your search by adding other terms. For example, power may lead you to the idea of subjugation or energy. In the Search field you can add search terms by typing a comma between the words.

If you have a Google account, you can log in and save images of artworks into your own gallery. Otherwise you can save screenshots of the images and details. Edit your gallery to a final 10 artworks that will be your curated exhibit.

Give your exhibition a title.

Writing Your Curatorial Statement Essay Congratulations curator, you have chosen the works for the exhibit and given it a title and now it is time to write a statement that will inform viewers about the show and make them excited to experience it. Here are some guidelines for the paper:

The essay should be at least 500 words, double-spaced.

The initial paragraph should establish the overall premise of the exhibit, the main theme or concept the show.

The middle paragraphs should describe detailed aspects about 4 of the 10 artworks. Describe what they have in common and how they each illustrate the overall theme of the show.

In the final paragraph, suggest the wider significance of your theme. Describe what you learned from putting the show together and/or what you hope the viewer takes away from the exhibit.

As with any persuasive essay, think about your audience and any counter-arguments or opinions to your ideas and address one of them in some way.

Include within your document a page or two with images of all 10 of the artworks in the exhibit. For each image, include the artworks title, artist name or culture, media, and year of execution

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What is a curatorial statement?

Is a text written by a curator or the organization to present the exhibition, in different formats: text on the wall of the entrance, catalog, fliers, web format, the text used in the press meeting, or writing presentation. The text presents the theme, topic, or concept of the exhibition.

What is the objective of the curatorial statement?

• Guide the public understand the exhibition
• Guide the way
• Arouse the interest, excitement, and curiosity to discover the exhibition

What is the format of the curatorial statement?

• 3 paragraphs from 200 to 800 words
• The text talks about the exhibition explains the main guidelines without exposing too many details

What are the essentials of the curatorial statement?

• First paragraph: Premise of the exhibition
• Second paragraph: Examples of artist approaches depending on the range
• Third paragraph: The wider significance of your theme to explain it more in-depth

What are the optional paragraphs?

• Fourth paragraph: Processing of your thinking about the exhibition
• Fifth paragraph: Some curators write a supplementary handout that describes each work in the show in some details

The style of the statement?

• Art Community: to engage the art community you must be specific when you are articulating your agenda
• Wider Public: to engage with the general audience you must be flexible in the way you provide access to the artwork

Example of a Curatorial Statement

Vide: Une Retrospective. CENTRE POMPIDOU Paris.fr 2009

Co-written by Dorrine Nasri and Imen Bahri.

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Definition of curator

Did you know.

In a good-sized art museum, each curator is generally responsible for a single department or collection: European painting, Asian sculpture, Native American art, and so on. Curatorial duties include acquiring new artworks, caring for and repairing objects already owned, discovering frauds and counterfeits, lending artworks to other museums, and mounting exhibitions of everything from Greek sculpture to 20th-century clothing.

Examples of curator in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'curator.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

borrowed from Latin cūrātor "one who looks after, superintendent, guardian," from cūrāre "to watch over, attend" + -tor , agent suffix — more at cure entry 2

1660, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing curator

• co - curator

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Dictionary Entries Near curator

curator bonis

Cite this Entry

“Curator.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/curator. Accessed 11 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of curator, legal definition, legal definition of curator.

Latin, guardian, from curare to take care of

More from Merriam-Webster on curator

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for curator

Nglish: Translation of curator for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of curator for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about curator

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