Contemporary Art and Curation (AHV2016)

Staff	Professor Tom Trevor - Convenor
Credit Value	15
ECTS Value	7.5
NQF Level	5
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
Duration of Module	Term 1: 11 weeks;

Module aims

This module aims to:

introduce you to the role of the contemporary art curator, and the complex structures of the art world

discuss the critical concerns, and wider social, cultural and economic conditions, which shape contemporary art practice today

develop an understanding of the constantly evolving field of curation, and the institutional structures which support contemporary art, through a combination of in-class discussion, readings, presentations, and lectures

foster your ability to engage in sophisticated analysis of contemporary art, and the practice of curation

develop an in-depth understanding of art institutions and agencies today, and thus equip you with the knowledge to speculate on future transformations of the cultural landscape

ILO: Module-specific skills

1. Develop a critical understanding of contemporary curatorial practice
2. Develop an in-depth knowledge of the complex structures of the contemporary art world
3. Critically evaluate the dominant concepts, methods and debates currently informing contemporary art practice

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

4. Independently research, present and critically evaluate examples of contemporary art and curatorial practice in relation to wider intellectual and socio-political discourses
5. Demonstrate an ability to understand and analyse theoretical concepts, and to apply these ideas to the study of contemporary art and curation specifically

ILO: Personal and key skills

6. Through essay writing and the practical presentation, demonstrate the capacity to construct a coherent, substantiated argument, and a capacity to write clear and correct prose
7. Through research for the presentation and final essay, demonstrate basic proficiency in research and bibliographical skills, information retrieval, analysis and sharing
8. Through seminar work and group presentations, demonstrate communication skills, and an ability to work creatively and imaginatively both individually and in groups

Syllabus plan

The module will consist of a series of lectures and workshops. Lectures will be structured around a weekly theme and the critical analysis of relevant images and ideas. Workshops will give you the opportunity to engage with specific themes in greater detail, discuss and analyse scholarly texts, and explore more practical aspects of contemporary art and curation.

Syllabus (indicative):

What is a Curator?
The Apparatus of the Art World
The Digital Network Society
Art in the Anthropocene
On Decoloniality
The Artist’s Body
Institutional Critique
Art and Social Context
Exhibition-Making
After the Future

Full details of weekly topics will be given on ELE.

Depending on restrictions due to COVID-19, there will be a field trip either to Plymouth to visit The Box and Plymouth Art Weekender or to London to attend Frieze Art Fair. Alternatively, a virtual field trip to Manifesta 13 will be facilitated. *** Students may incur travel costs associated with the visit to either Plymouth or London ***

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
23	127	0

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching	10	10 x 1-hour lectures
Scheduled Learning and Teaching	10	5 x 2-hour seminars - led by the tutor or a group of students. You will need to prepare for each seminar and work individually and in groups to present on given topics on a week to week basis
Scheduled Learning and Teaching	1	Tutorial guidance for reading, research and essay preparation
Scheduled Learning and Teaching	2	Field trip
Guided independent Study		Study group preparation and meetings
Guided independent Study		Seminar preparation (group and individual)
Guided independent Study	127	Reading, research and assessment preparation

Formative assessment

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Critical analysis	500 words	1-7	Feedback sheet
Group presentation	15-20 minutes, depending on size of groups	1-8	Feedback sheet with opportunity for tutorial follow-up

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
100	0	0

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Essay	90	2000 words	1-7	Feedback sheet with opportunity for tutorial follow-up
Participation	10	Five short reflective pieces	1-7	oral

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Essay	Essay	1-7	Refer/Defer period
Participation	Repeat study/Mitigation	1-7	Refer/Defer period

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Belting, H., Buddensieg, A. & Weibel, P. The Global Contemporary and the Rise of New Art Worlds, MIT, 2013
Berardi, F. After the Future, AK Press, 2011
Bradley, W. and Esche, C. Art and Social Change: A Critical Reader, Tate, 2007
Butler, Judith. Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. London: Routledge, 1990
Castells, M. The Rise of the Network Society, Wiley-Blackwell, 1996
Demos, T.J. Against the Anthropocene Sternberg Press 2017
Foucault, M. The History of Sexuality, Vol. 1, Pantheon Books, 1978
Gardner, A. and Green, C.R. Biennales, Triennials, and Documenta: The exhibitions that created contemporary art, Wiley-Blackwell, 2016
George, A. The Curator’s Handbook, Thames and Hudson, 2015
Gilroy, P. The Black Atlantic, Verso, 1993
Harris, J. (ed.) Globalization and Contemporary Art, Wiley-Blackwell, 2011
Jones, A. and Warr, T. The Artist’s Body, Phaidon, 2006
Larsen, L.B. Networks (Documents of Contemporary Art), MIT, 2014
Obrist, H. Ways of Curating, Penguin, 2014
Olufemi, L. Feminism, Interrupted, Pluto Press, 2020
Osborne, P. Anywhere or Not at All, Verso, 2013
Montmann, N. (Ed.) Art and Its Institutions, Black Dog Publishing, 2006
Mignolo, W. and Walsh, C. On Decoloniality, Duke University Press, 2018
Yusoff, K. A Billion Black Anthropocenes or None, University of Minnesota Press, 2018

Module has an active ELE page?

Yes

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

ELE - https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=10347
Davis, H. and Turpin, E. (eds.) Art in the Anthropocene, Open Humanities Press, 2015 http://openhumanitiespress.org/books/download/Davis-Turpin_2015_Art-in-the-Anthropocene.pdf
Smith, T. Thinking Contemporary Curating, ICI, 2012 https://s3.amazonaws.com/arena-attachments/736947/8edcf925a5fb3705a5c666106cb8e944.pdf

Available as distance learning?

Yes

Origin date

17/06/2020

Last revision date

14/07/2020

Key words search

Contemporary Art; Curation; The Art World; Global Art Histories; Museums and Galleries; Digital Network Society; The Anthropocene; Decoloniality; The Artist’s Body; Identity Politics; Institutional Critique; Art and Social Context