MA Curating Contemporary Design

COURSE OVERVIEW

Through a rigorous framework and practical experience, students engage with a contemporary discourse that responds to the complexities and urgencies of today, engaging critically and creatively with our fast-changing world.

The course is delivered by Kingston School of Art academics, Design Museum curators, visiting lecturers, guest speakers and industry specialists.

The course is structured into five modules:

• Curatorial Skill Sets
• Theories of the Contemporary Object
• Curatorial Formats
• Politics of Display
• Major Project

The Design Museum's Curatorial, Learning and Communications teams teach on the course and lead live projects with special guests and industry experts giving the students an understanding of the curatorial knowledge and necessary skills to produce creative design exhibitions, collection displays, learning and public programmes.

Students of this course learn how to research concepts for exhibitions, select exhibits and develop approaches to interpretation. This practical learning is complemented by a historical and theoretical framework that interrogates the object, collection and display of design in museums and the expanded field.

COURSE PROJECTS

Each year the course runs projects with live briefs set by leading curators and designers addressing real-world issues and asking for critical responses.

The projects are developed in collaboration with organisations such as the Architectural Association, Bloomberg, British Council, Gallery Fumi and the Royal Academy of Arts, interrogating the objects, collections and displays of design in museums and the expanded curatorial field.

Through these varied projects, students develop practical skills in research, analysis, experimentation, communication and presentation. Several of our previous students have opted to take forward research undertaken during their course projects as a focus for their Major Project or in supporting their professional practice.

Past briefs for course projects have addressed topics as wide-ranging as 'Re-Considering Canon', 'Architectural Radicals', 'Curating Activism', 'The Design Film Festival', 'The Post-Covid Museum' and 'Design & Democracy'. A number of these projects have culminated in a final show at the Design Museum during the popular London Design Festival.

GUEST LECTURERS

An annual guest lecture series provides opportunities to learn from and engage with a diverse range of design curators, theorists and practitioners addressing real-world issues.

Speakers have included Janice Cheddie, Gus Casely-Hayford, Gillian Russell, Osinachi and Setareh Noorani.

CURATED VISITS PROGRAMME

Alongside the main teaching programme, a Curated Visits Programme includes visits to exhibitions, studios and other sites of design or curatorial practice where you will have an opportunity to hear curators reflect on their practice in the context of their own spaces. These visits aim to encourage critical thinking and learning in multiple spaces.

INTERNATIONAL STUDY TRIPS

Each year, our students have the opportunity to participate in a Study Trip exploring the design context of a city. Tutors devise a full programme of visits to museums, galleries and designers' studios. Past visits have included Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen, Lisbon, Milan, New York and Venice.

MAJOR PROJECT

The Major Project gives you an opportunity to work independently, creating a body of work that enables you to synthesise and apply the knowledge and skills you have acquired throughout the course. It also enables you to showcase your originality and creativity in the field of design curation. It can be presented either as a written dissertation, creative project or business plan. It supports your professional practice and has the potential to be developed for research at a higher degree level.

TIME COMMITMENT

• 1 year Full-time (2 days a week: Tuesdays & Thursdays)

• 2 years Full-time, including professional placement (2 days a week: Tuesdays, Thursdays + placement year)

• 2 years Part-time (1 day a week: Tuesday or Thursday)

HOW TO APPLY

• Applicants should have a 2:2 or above honours degree or equivalent qualification in an academic subject or creative practice field.

• We welcome applicants with relevant work experience such as practitioners, museum staff and designers looking to extend their professional experience.

• Applicants should be able to demonstrate an ability to work creatively and within a team.

GET IN TOUCH

Book an Open Day Event
Our Open Days are designed to help prospective students find all the information they need to make an informed choice about studying at Kingston University.

Location:
Kingston University, London, UK.

Are you an international student?
Our Open Days are also available online for international students.

GRADUATES

Many of our graduates have pursued successful careers in museums, galleries and cultural organisations around the world. This has developed into an extensive network of international curators from which current students and graduates benefit.

Some of our previous students include:

• Raphael Chikukwa: Executive Director at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe.

• Catherine Ince: Director of Exhibitions and Programmes at ARoS Aarhus Art Museum.

• Sumitra Upham: Associate Director, Curatorial and Public Practice, Wellcome Collection and Co-Curator of the British Pavilion at the Venice, Architecture Biennale (2023), Co-Curator of the 5th Istanbul Design Biennial (2021).

• Eunjoo Maing: Director/Head of D-TEC Academy and International Affairs at the Korea Institute of Design Promotion and Regional Advisor, World Design Organisation, Seoul.

• Fleur Watson: Associate Professor, School of Architecture & Design at RMIT University and founding director of collaborative curatorial practice at 'Something Together'.

• Nina Due: Director at the Röhsska Museum in Gothenburg.

• Melita Skamnaki and Wilhelm Finger: Directors and Co-founders of Double Decker in London.

• Keinton Butler: Senior Curator of Design and Architecture at the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS) in Sydney.