Application deadline: April 15, 2017
Programme start: August 2017
Faculty of Fine Art, Music and Design
University of Bergen
Strømgaten 1
5015 Bergen
Norway
MA Curatorial Practice is a part-time, two-year low residency, seminar-based education.
Established 2015, and now open to international applicants, the faculty is looking forward to welcoming a diverse group of ten MA candidates in August 2017 to the Department of Fine Art.
The faculty encourage applications from curators who are independent or affiliated to institutions. We also welcome applications from art professionals with a practice that is strongly linked to curatorial practice (such as curating artists, educators, writers and others) and those from affiliating fields of culture (theatre, film, literature, music etc.) willing to reflect on and translate their knowledge and practice.
The group of ten candidates will consist of individuals who have a personal commitment to their project and a strong interest in sharing their knowledge and thinking. The candidates should be eager to investigate and question their surroundings and professional contexts in order to create a discussion forum.
The MA candidates are required to develop, produce and contextualise one project each in a public context, with a responsibility to secure and develop the collaborations necessary to make this happen—with artists and other professionals, funding bodies, art institutions or other sites. There is an emphasis on sharing knowledge and debate within and beyond the group of candidates, thus the Faculty will fund a public seminar organised by the candidates in collaboration.
Teaching is organised via a varied group of guest tutors, invited by the course director to respond to the candidates’ particular needs, interests and curiosities, and these are open to suggestions from the group of candidates. Each candidate will also choose an external tutor, who will receive a fixed fee paid by the programme, to follow their project individually throughout their MA.
Seminars in the autumn semester 2017: Bergen, Norway; Paris, France and Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Further seminars and study trips will be decided collectively.
Recent guest tutors include:
The search for a ‘we’—on education and public programmes: Rachel Anderson, Adeline Lépine, Julia Moritz, Nora Sternfeld
Writing as a curator: Federica Bueti, Karen Grønneberg, Gerrie van Noord, Rachel O’Reilley
Histories for the future—on archives: Julia Moranderia Arrizabalaga, Tone Hellesund, Heather Love, Carlos Motta
Exhibition histories: Rike Frank, Anthony Gardner, Yaiza Hernández, Natalie Hope O’Donnell
Reading workshop: Espen Sommer Eide, Arne Skaug Olsen
Case studies and practices: Heidi Bale Amundsen, Bassam El Baroni, Beatrice von Bismarck, Charles Esche, Anselm Franke, Pascal Gielen, Sissel Lillebostad, Gerd Elise Mørland, David Teh, Vivian Ziherl
Recent seminars have taken place in Beirut, Bergen, Berlin, Hong Kong, Oslo, Singapore, Trondheim.
Course director and Associate Professor is curator, writer and editor Anne Szefer Karlsen
The teaching language is English
There are no tuition fees
Each candidate receives a small traveling stipend of NOK 10.000 in total over two years
Current candidates have in dialogue with their employers incorporated this MA as part of their working practice within institutions willing to invest in their employees and further their professional development.
The candidates will graduate in June 2019, provided they have fulfilled the following criteria:
–Successfully completed the individual project
–Submitted documentation of this project (images, sound, video, ephemera etc.)
–Submitted a written piece reflecting on and contextualising the individual project (8,000–12,000 words)
–Passed an oral examination with external examiners
Download the programme description here.
The applicant must hold a Bachelor’s Degree and have at least two years of professional practice.
Applicants are assessed on the basis of a project description, past diplomas/certificates, a portfolio documenting previous projects, CV and an interview, which will be conducted in Bergen, Norway on 21 and 22 June 2017. Interviews are possible via internet.
Follow this link for the application form.
Bergen Academy of Art and Design became part of the newly established Faculty of Fine Art, Music and Design, University of Bergen January 1, 2017, and will in move into its new building designed by Snøhetta August 2017.
*Images above: (1) Artist Sondra Perry presenting her work in the exhibition Myths of the Marble, curated by Milena Hoegsberg and Alex Klein at Henie Onstad Kunstsenter. Photo: Anne Szefer Karlsen. (2) Preparations for seminar Making Exhibitions by MA Curatorial Practice (2015–17). Photo: Thor Brødreskift. (3) Study trip workshop hosted by NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore. Photo: Anne Szefer Karlsen. (4) Visiting the studio of Vidar Koksvik (candidate MA Curatorial Practice 2015–17). Photo: Anne Szefer Karlsen. (5) Making Exhibitions by MA Curatorial Practice (2015–17). Photo: Thor Brødreskift.
