Curator (from Latin cura, care), means manager, overseer. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome.
A curator of a cultural heritage institution (e. Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate" generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic g. , archive, gallery, library, museum or garden) is a content specialist responsible for an institution's collections and, together with a publications specialist, their associated collections catalogs. An archive refers to a collection of historical records and also refers to the location in which these records are kept An art gallery or art museum is a space for the exhibition of art, usually Visual art. A library is a collection of information sources resources and services and the structure in which it is housed it is organized for use and maintained by a public body an institution A museum is a "permanent institution in the service of society and of its development open to the public which acquires conserves researches communicates and exhibits the A garden is a planned space usually outdoors set aside for the display cultivation and enjoyment of Plants and other forms of Nature. A Museum is distinguished by a collection of often unique objects that forms the core of its activities for exhibitions Education, Research In Museums and Archives the collection of objects or material is normally catalogued in a collection catalog (or collections catalog) The object of a curator's concern necessarily involves tangible objects of some sort, whether it be inter alia artwork, collectibles, historic items or scientific collections. F G H I L
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Curator responsibilities
In smaller organizations, a curator may have sole responsibility for the acquisition and care of objects. The curator will make decisions regarding what objects to collect, oversee their care and documentation, conduct research based on the collection, and share that research with the public and scholarly community through exhibitions and publications. In very small volunteer-based museums, such as local historical societies, a curator may be the only paid staff member.
In larger institutions, the curator's primary function is as a subject specialist, with the expectation that he or she will conduct original research on objects and guide the organization in its collecting. Such institutions can have multiple curators, each assigned to a specific collecting area (e. g. Curator of Ancient Art, Curator of Prints and Drawings, etc. ) and often operating under the direction of a head curator. In such organizations, the physical care of the collection may be overseen by museum collections managers or museum conservators, and documentation and administrative matters (such as insurance and loans) are handled by a museum registrar.
Other definitions
In the United Kingdom, the term curator is also applied to government employees who monitor the quality of contract archaeological work under PPG 16 and are considered to manage the cultural resource of a region. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Planning Policy Guidance 16 Archaeology and Planning commonly abbreviated as PPG 16, is a document produced by the British Government to advise local planning authorities In the museum setting, a curator in the United Kingdom may also be called a "keeper".
In contemporary art, the title curator is given to a person who organizes an exhibition. Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. In this context, to curate means to select works of art and arrange them to achieve a desired effect. This might involve finding a strategy for display. Thematic, conceptual and formal approaches are all prevalent. In addition to selecting works, the curator often is responsible for writing labels, catalog essays, and other supporting content for the exhibition. Such curators may be permanent staff members, be "guest curators" from an affiliated organization or university, or be "freelance curators" working on a consultant basis. The late C20th saw an explosion of artists organising exhibitions. The artist-curator has a long tradition of influence. Notable among these was Sir Joshua Reynolds, founder of the Royal Academy, London. This article refers to an art institution in London For other meanings of Royal Academy see Royal Academy (disambiguation.
More recently, advances in new technologies has led to a further widening of the role of curator. This has been focused in major art institutions internationally and has become an object of academic study and research.
In some American organizations, the term curator is also used to designate the head of any given division of a cultural organization. This has led to the proliferation of titles such as "Curator of Education" and "Curator of Exhibitions". This trend has increasingly been mirrored in the United Kingdom in such instituions as Ikon, Birmingham, UK and Baltic, Gateshead, UK.
In Australia and New Zealand, the person who prepares a sports ground for use (especially a cricket ground) is known as a curator. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island ICC standard dimensions These are the standard requirements as per the ICC standard test match ODI and 20-20 playing conditions Playing area minimum from boundary to This job is equivalent to that of groundsman in some other cricketing nations. A groundskeeper is a person who maintains landscaping gardens or sporting venues (and their vegetation where appropriate for appearance and functionality
Education and training
Traditionally, curators have held an advanced academic degree in their subject. For larger organizations, this is typically a Doctor of Philosophy. "PhD" redirects here for other uses see PhD (disambiguation. In smaller institutions, a Master's degree is sometimes acceptable. Along with an advanced degree, curators are expected to have contributed to their academic field by publishing articles and presenting at conferences. In addition, curators need to have knowledge of the current collecting market for their area of expertise, and be aware of current ethical practices and laws that may impact their organization's collecting.
Recently, the increased complexity of many museums and cultural organizations and the corresponding emergence of professional programs in field such as Museum Studies, Arts Administration, and Public History, have encouraged the development of curators with training in non-academic areas such as non-profit administration, fundraising, and public education. Museology (also called museum studies) is the study of how to organize and manage Museums and museum collections. Arts administration is a college or university discipline which prepares people for careers as arts administrators and managers of arts and cultural organizations such as Orchestras Public history is the practice of conveying History to an audience that is not specialized in the field of history being presented - generally this means a non-academic Fundraising is the process of soliciting and gathering Money or other gifts in-kind by requesting donations from individuals businesses charitable foundations or governmental
Today, as art institutions face an array of new challenges, the role of the curator is being re-thought. One consequence of this has been the emergence of academic courses in contemporary art and curatorial practice (e. g. , at the Kingston University, UK, Goldsmiths College, UK, Royal College of Art, UK, University of Sunderland, UK, California College of the Arts, USA, Bard College, USA, Université de Rennes II, France, etc. Kingston University is a University in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, south-west London. For the Memphis department store see Goldsmith's. For other uses of the term "Goldsmiths" see Goldsmith (disambiguation. The Royal College of Art ( RCA) is a University in London, England. The University of Sunderland is located in Sunderland, North East England. Founded in 1907 California College of the Arts (formerly California College of Arts and Crafts is a regionally accredited independent school of art and design in Oakland Bard College, founded in 1860 is a small selective four-year liberal arts college located in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. ).
See also
External links
- Bury, Stephen (2004) 21st Century Curatorship. In: 21st Century Curatorship, 22 July 2004, New York Public Library, New York, U.S.A.
- California College of the Arts
- Critical Curatorial Cybermedia - Geneva Switzerland
- CRUMB - Curatorial Resource for Upstart Media Bliss
- The Exhibitionists — geared towards children, an interactive guide to how an exhibition is put together
- International Curators Program / Antwerp
- Museum Studies Program at the University of Toronto
- MA Curating at Sunderland University, UK
- MA Curating Contemporary Design at Kingston University, UK
Additional resources
- Burcaw, G. An archivist is a professional who assesses collects organizes preserves maintains control over and provides access to information determined to have long-term value A Museum is distinguished by a collection of often unique objects that forms the core of its activities for exhibitions Education, Research A curatorial platform is an organization whose principal activity is focused on the development and presentation of cultural artifacts according to clearly defined and coherent themes or In American English (but not in British English, where the word is not used a docent has two meanings The head gardener (also known as a Curator) or as a Master Gardener is an individual who manages the staff of a large Garden, Landscape A librarian is an information Professional trained in Library and information science, which is the organization and management of information services or materials (1997) Introduction to Museum Work, 3rd edition. Lanham, MD: Altamira Press. ISBN 978-0-761-98926-4
- Glaser, J. and A. Zenetou. (1996) Museums: A Place to Work. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-12724-0
- Lord, G. and B. Lord. (1997) The Manual of Museum Management. Lanham, MD: Altamira Press. ISBN 0-7591-0249-X
- Rugg, J. and Segdwick, M (2007) Issues in Curating. Intellect. ISBN 978-1-84150-162-8
Dictionary
curator
-noun
- A person who manages, administers or organizes a collection - at a museum, library, archive or zoo.
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