What will I learn?
The Curating Contemporary Art MA at the RCA develops your critical awareness of curating in a global context through collaborative, practice-led study. Working with London-based arts organisations and peers from around the world, you explore both theory and practice including programming, commissioning, advocacy and writing, within an ecology of spaces such as galleries, museums, urban sites and networked cultural platforms. The programme grounds itself in the political, social and cultural conditions of contemporary curating and, in your final term, you deliver a public-facing curatorial project, shaping how audiences experience art. Programme structure: Term 1 In Term 1, you take Curatorial Thinking, exploring dominant and emerging positions in curatorial studies, and developing your critical and analytical skills through lectures, seminars and close reading of texts. You also take Ecologies of Curating, which examines the relationships between spaces, organisations and curatorial practices, asking how conditions of place influence what is curated and for whom. Term 2 In Term 2, you take Curating in a Collaborative Context, developing a curatorial proposal in response to a live brief from an arts organisation, working in groups to research, commission, plan, present and advocate for your ideas. In Term 2, you can also choose from a range of elective units, allowing you to shape your own learning journey and work alongside students from other programmes, bringing your practice into dialogue with different creative approaches. Term 3 In Term 3, you take Independent Research Project, producing a self directed curatorial project. The culmination includes a public-facing event or exhibition, and demonstration of your curatorial research, planning and presentation skills. Referring to the website: Please refer to the programme webpage for the most accurate and up-to-date information about the programme, its structure, modules and any updates or changes. About RCA: The Royal College of Art is the world’s leading postgraduate art and design university, providing students with unrivalled opportunities to develop their practice, build their networks, enhance their career and to deliver art and design projects that transform the world. For 12 consecutive years, the RCA has been ranked as the world’s number 1 art & design university in the QS World University subject rankings (2015-2026) - attracting artists, designers and communicators from across the globe.
