Curatorial Development Opportunity from the Art Fund

The Art Fund are pleased to be partnering once again with Whitechapel Gallery to offer a series of professional development courses for curators and museum professionals this autumn.

This series is targeted at both early-career and more experienced curators, whether new to the topic or wishing to refresh and expand their existing knowledge. These hands-on courses will draw on the expertise of staff from across Whitechapel Gallery, as well as other industry leaders. Each course will focus on practical training and use current projects as case studies, allowing attendees to gain valuable guidance and insight from behind the scenes.

Taking place in October and November 2017, the courses will cover the following topics:

·         How to curate talks and events, Friday 13 October

·         How to write about art, Friday 20 October 

·         How to curate the moving image , Friday 27 October

·         How to fundraise: individual giving, Friday 3 November 

·         How to handle and install art, Friday 10 November

·         How to fundraise: writing grant applications, Friday 17 November

Places normally cost £195, but curators and museum professionals are invited to apply for one of 34 funded places offered by the Art Fund. 

New MA in Museums, Heritage and Material Culture Studies launched

An exciting new Masters programme has been launched at SOAS. This is an innovative interdisciplinary degree, convened and taught jointly in the Department of Anthropology and School of Arts. It brings together anthropological, art historical and archaeological perspectives to explore the interconnecting fields of museums, heritage and material culture studies. The MA disprivileges Western museum and heritage discourses and practices, and explores tangible and intangible cultural heritage as spheres of global interaction.

The programme, which is being led by Professor Paul Basu (Anthropology) and Dr Louise Tythacott (History of Art & Archaeology), will equip students with a theoretically-informed critical understanding of museums, heritage and material/visual culture, and provides an opportunity for students to engage in current debates in World Art and World Heritage. Students will be introduced to a wide range of thematic and theoretical issues, and will have the opportunity to curate a small exhibition in the Curating Cultures module, and put into practice anthropological research techniques in the Ethnographic Research Methods course.

Situated in London’s ‘Museum Mile’, a few hundred meters from the British Museum, and with its own Brunei Gallery, SOAS provides a unique environment in which to study the cultural heritage of Asia, Africa and the Middle East, and to place this heritage within transnational/transcultural contexts.

The MA is available as a 1-year full time, or 2-year part-time, programme. Applications are now being invited for entry from September 2017. Full details about the programme are available on the SOAS website. Enquiries should be directed to Paul Basu or Louise Tythacott 

Curatorial development opportunities offered by the Art Fund

Navigating the Art Market

 

The Art Fund is excited to announce a refreshed version of the Navigating the Art Market professional development course for 2016. Developed in partnership with Sotheby’s Institute of Art, the course is designed to promote a practical understanding of the art market through a combination of online learning and seminars in London, with spaces fully-funded by the Art Fund. It is targeted at early career curators with limited experience of engaging with the art market, and more experienced curators wishing to refresh their knowledge.

 

In 2016 the course will be delivered in two parts, each comprising two online sessions and a seminar day.  The first part will take place from mid-February to early March, and the second from mid-April to early May.

 

The deadline for applications is 12 noon on Friday 29 January.

 

To find out more and to apply for a place please visit the website.

 

Jonathan Ruffer Curatorial Grants Programme

 

The Art Fund is delighted that philanthropist and patron Jonathan Ruffer has generously increased his support for this programme by 50%, from £50,000 to £75,000 per year. This programme provides funding for travel and other practical costs to help curators from museums large and small undertake collection and exhibition research projects within the UK or anywhere in the world; since its inception in 2012 the scheme has benefitted over 200 curators in 130 institutions. Applications for grants under £1,500 can be accepted at any time, while applications over £1,500 are only considered three times a year. The deadlines for 2016 are as follows:

 

·         Wednesday 20^th January

·         Wednesday 20^th May

·         Wednesday 14^th September

 

Full details on the scheme and the application process can be found on the website.

MA Study in the Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas

The Sainsbury Research Unit for the Arts of Africa,Oceania and the Americas (SRU) is offering four scholarships for students enrolled in our distinctive MA course (2016/17). Study is highly flexible, can be tailored to students interests, and combines art-historical, anthropological and archaeological approaches, as well as study visits to UK and European museums. Candidates interested in careers in museum curatorship are especially welcome to apply. 

Enquiries: Lisa Farrington

The Power of Paper: 50 Years of Printmaking in Australia, Canada and South Africa at MAA Cambridge

As part of the exhibition The Power of Paper: 50 Years of Printmaking in Australia, Canada and South Africa at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Cambridge engaging with the techniques used by artists in the exhibition, a series of workshops and demonstrations held by professional printmakers will be held on the first and last Sunday of each month. 

For the opportunity to make your own print, workshops will be held from 2 - 4 pm,using the printing press featured in the exhibition. There are 8 places for each workshop, so booking is essential (£20/£15 concessions, including materials).

The demonstrations, which focus on the process of a particular printing technique, will be held from 1 - 3 pm, in the ground floor gallery space at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, within The Power of Paper exhibition. 

Relief Printmaking Workshop with Lynne E. Windsor and Lizzie Smith

Sunday 3 May, 2 - 4pm

£20/£15 concessions. Ages 12+

8 places available, material supplied, booking required 

You will be introduced to Relief printmaking, using easy cut lino with paper stencils and tools to create cutting marks. Using wooden spoons to print the lino blocks, the workshop will give you the skills to make relief prints at home without the need of a press. Lynne E. Windsor and Lizzie Smith, recent graduates from the MA Printmaking course at Cambridge School of Art, will lead the workshop.

Drypoint Printmaking Demonstration with Lynne E. Windsor and Lizzie Smith

Sunday 31 May, 2 – 3 pm

Admission free, no booking required.

Lynne E. Windsor and Lizzie Smith, recent graduates from the MA Printmaking course at Cambridge School of Art, will lead this Drypoint printmaking demonstration.

Reduction Monoprint Workshop using Paper Stencils and Wipe Away Marks, with Lynne E. Windsor and Lizzie Smith

Sunday 7 June, 2 – 4 pm

£20/£15 concessions. Ages 12+

8 places available, material supplied, booking required. 

You will be introduced to Monoprint (transfer and plate) enabling you to create prints with drawn and wipe away marks as well as the use of paper stencils.  Using wooden spoons to print the plates, the workshop will give you the skills to make Monoprints at home without the need of a press. Lynne E. Windsor and Lizzie Smith, recent graduates from the MA Printmaking course at Cambridge School of Art, will lead the workshop.

Linocut Printmaking Demonstration with Lynne E. Windsor and Lizzie Smith

Sunday 28 June, 2 – 3 pm

Admission free, no booking required.

Lynne E. Windsor and Lizzie Smith, recent graduates from the MA Printmaking course at Cambridge School of Art, will lead this Linocut printmaking demonstration.

Printmaking Workshop with Atta Kwami

Sunday 5 July, 2 – 4 pm

£20/£15 concessions. Ages 12+

8 places available, material supplied, booking required.

Blind Embossing Workshop with Julie Fairlie

Sunday 2 August, 2 – 4 pm

£20/£15 concessions. Ages 12+

8 places available, material supplied, booking required.

In this workshop you will make a ‘blind embossed print’. Embossing can be used to make a raised image on the paper, rather like a low level relief. It can be combined with other techniques, however, the main delight is the pure white, blind embossed, tactile image which results from cutting the image into a medium such as lino and using the printing press.  When illuminated with a side light, or ‘raking light’ it can be particularly beautiful.

Drypoint Printmaking Workshop with Curwen Print Study Centre

Sunday 20 September, 2 - 4 pm

£20/£15 concessions. Ages 12+

8 places available, material supplied, booking required.

An immediate and sensitive intaglio process giving you the ability to create intricate and detailed images with a rich characterful line. Working with a contemporary, adaptable material that can be treated traditionally or experimentally. Curwen Print Study Centre will lead this Drypoint printmaking workshop.

Introduction to Lino with Curwen Print Study Centre

Sunday 1 November 2 – 4 pm

£20/£15 concessions. Ages 12+

8 places available, material supplied, booking required.

Cut into the block and print from the surface to develop relief printmaking skills, creating bold and colourful prints with Lino. Curwen Print Study Centre will lead this Lino printmaking workshop.

Dry Point Workshop with Curwen Print Study Centre

Sunday 6 December 2 – 4 pm

£20/£15 concessions. Ages 12+

8 places available, material supplied, booking required.

An immediate and sensitive intaglio process giving you the ability to create intricate and detailed images with a rich characterful line. Working with a contemporary, adaptable material that can be treated traditionally or experimentally. Curwen Print Study Centre will lead this Drypoint printmaking workshop.

Course: Introduction to the arts of the Americas

Introduction to the arts of the Americas

The course is part of Certificate of Higher Education in World Arts and Artefacts administered by Birkbeck’s department of Art History. Introduction to the Arts of the Americas can be taken as a short course or as part of the programme. This module is directly linked to the British Museum exhibition Beyond Eldorado opening in Autumn 2013.

The Lecturer

Having taught indigenous arts of the Americas since 2002 Dr Max Carocci has been Programme Director of World Arts and Artefacts since its 2008. His interests and expertise in the Arts of North American Indian and Amerindian cultures have resulted in several curatorial positions at the British Museum, the Royal Anthropological Institute and independent art galleries across the UK. Anthropologist by training, Dr. Carocci has conducted fieldwork with several American Indian tribes, and has published extensively on the subject of American arts in articles, essays and edited collections. Among his latest books: Warriors of the Plains: the Arts of Plains Indian Warfare (British Museum press 2012); Turquoise in the Americas (Archetype 2013), and Ritual and Honour published in 2012 by the British Museum Press in conjunction with his exhibitions Warriors of the Plains.

World Arts and Artefacts

-Gain a University of London qualification – expand your knowledge and enhance your CV.

-Visit and learn about the rich collections at the British Museum (our world arts partner).

-Includes a mixture of practical and contextual modules, covering a wide range of regions, cultures and historical periods.

Sept- Nov 2013, 6pm-8pm 11 meetings

Birkbeck College and British Museum

Old regime: Std £350, ELQ £475, New regime: Std £500, ELQ £500

15 CATS

Full course outline and further information is available online or by request: 

Yvonne Ng – 0203 0738369 

To enrol: Call the enrolment desk on 020 7631 6651 or visit the website

MEG event review: Researching donors of museum ethnography

Friday 27 September, Thinktank, Birmingham

Representatives from Birmingham Museums Trust, Reading Museum, the Museum of English Rural Life (Reading) and Brighton Museum & Art Gallery came together for a training event organised by the Museum Ethnographers Group (MEG). The event reflected MEG’s new emphasis on events which offer continual professional development opportunities to those working with ethnographic museum collections.

Our trainer was Dr Katherine Prior, a historian and historical consultant with particular expertise in using imperial archives. The emphasis of the day was on gaining skills and knowledge to support the research of donor histories and object biographies. Katherine started with a case study of a small group of Brighton Museum artefacts which, through web-based research, she was able to link to a critical moment in the establishment of an Anglican mission in Abeokuta, Nigeria, as well as – in the process - unsettling the established historical narrative of how a key Brighton Museum object was acquired.

Participants were introduced to a wide range of commonly available web resources as well as to simple techniques of improving Google search results. In the afternoon session we were able to put these to the test through researching donor names from our own institutions. All were impressed by the results and inspired to test out our new skills and knowledge back at our institutions:

‘My job will involve a lot of researching object biographies … it would have taken me a long time to find these techniques out by myself’

‘I’m better equipped [to undertake research] than I was this morning’

‘I work in a museum, and a library at the weekends, and a lot of the tricks we were shown today I had no idea about’

‘I’ve come away with lots of ideas for doing things back at work’

The case study presented at the event, as well as a list of useful web-based resources, will be made available through the MEG website. MEG is grateful to Thinktank and Birmingham Museums Trust for hosting the event.