EXHIBITIONS. Curatorship and Design

The master’s degree is aimed at people with university education or professional experience in creative and cultural fields such as design, architecture, art, art history, the humanities, anthropology, sociology, communication and the media, or cultural management. All individuals with sensibility and interest who wish to complement their knowledge in the conception of spaces, the creation of content, or the design of experiences and exhibitions are also eligible to apply to the programme.

• Exhibition design.
• Interpretation centers space design.
• Design and management of artistic installations in urban space. 
• Curatorship projects for ephemeral events like festivals, seminars or congresses.
• Curatorship for exhibitions in museums and other cultural institutions.
• Exhibition spaces development consultant.
• Heritage curatorship projects consultant.
• Mediation in the development of educational activities and public programmes.

• Present the main currents of thought in the field of curatorial practice and their applicability in different areas of culture.
• Provide the conceptual and technical elements to propose exhibition projects based on a combined vision between curation, space design, and production.
• Provide tools for the research, creation, planning, management, design, and realization of processes before and after the implementation of specific proposals.
• Learn within an interdisciplinary platform to address the complexity of carrying out projects in real contexts.
• Learn about the most innovative experiences in the creation of exhibitions, the configuration of production, and intermediation processes that impact and transcend their configurations in space at the same time.
• Connect participants in the circuits of art, design, and contemporary architecture related to exhibitions.

The master’s degree is divided into two blocks: one based on theory and research, dedicated to curation and mediation, and the other with a professional aspect, which focuses on the design and production of exhibitions. 

The programme is held in an online format throughout the course, except for the month of July, which takes place on campus in Barcelona to take the case study subjects. 
In both case studies as well as curatorial imagination (conversations), the master’s degree addresses the contents from a series of central themes that are determined in collaboration and with the participation of different collaborating institutions. The objective is to be able to relate the master’s degree with active lines of work.

Curation and exhibitions (9 ECTS)

This subject consists of several seminars and workshops with the aim of providing an introduction to the main aspects that are involved in curation – such as its discourses, procedures, and research methodologies – as well as in the production of exhibitions – such as their narrative construction, the politics of representation, or the relationship with the public sphere. 

Seminars and workshops:

• Trends in curation and curatorial studies
• History and historiography of curation and exhibitions
• The exhibition script
• Narration
• The public sphere
• Exhibition formats
• Critical perspectives in curation
• Curation beyond exhibitions
• Exhibitions within the ecosystem of art institutions
• The artist-curator 

Curation and mediation (6 ECTS)

Curation and mediation addresses the relational dimension of curation: it examines curation as a process of articulating collaborative networks between actors of different natures.

Seminars and workshops:

• Mediation, beyond cultural mediation 
• Curation research 
• Curation, institutions, and cultural policy
• Collaborative curation
• The educational shift in curation
• Education for museums and public programmes 

Curatorial Imagination (6 ECTS)

The Curatorial Imagination (conversations) subject is structured around dialogue and debate sessions with guest specialists followed by workshop sessions in which the concepts discussed with the guests are addressed. The participants in each edition vary depending on the lines of work proposed. These lines of work are configured within the “Curatorial Imagination” programme.
How can we narrate the production of ideas, mental images, concepts, and dreams in the field of curation? What kind of production are we referring to when we talk about Imagination in a field as specific as the creation of exhibitions, where multiple forms of creativity overlap and where hospitality, negotiation, mediation, and budgets are generally determining factors?
How can we imagine new collective gestures and ephemeral communities of things and uses never seen before in institutional spaces? How can feminist, post-colonial, and critical impulses redefine the way we produce mental material? Several curators will answer these questions, or variations of them, and talk about their practice.

Case Studies – Curation (6 ECTS)

The Case Studies – Curation subject (on-campus) consists of students taking action on specific cases in which situations are presented that must be resolved within the framework of the complexity of the elements involved. This module is developed in collaboration with institutions in Barcelona that present exhibitions and cultural activities from different approaches. It features collaboration from entities such as the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, the Museu del Disseny de Barcelona, the CCCB, the Filmoteca de Catalunya, and the MACBA, among others. 
The series of case studies, linked to these collaborating institutions, facilitates an in-depth analysis of the different areas and agents involved. As their starting point, the sessions look at exhibitions that have already been held or are in progress and feature the participation of roles such as: curators, artists (understood as creators-producers), designers, and people linked to the institutional context.
Participants will gain experience and practice in curation, critical reflection, and space design from the case studies. This module incorporates guided tours, lectures, panel discussions, and interviews outside the classroom.

Exhibition design (9 ECTS)

This subject involves several seminars and workshops with the aim of providing tools and concepts for designing exhibitions. Students learn to design exhibition spaces as well as exhibition graphics: both for the physical setting as well as for dissemination, communication, and related publications. It involves acquiring specific technological knowledge, studying the work process, and being able to apply a methodology. 

Seminars: 

• Space design
• Design and production
• Museum resources
• Exposure and scenography
• Graphic design
• Design and communication
• Publications
• Design for diversity
• Design and curation

Lighting and digital formats (6 ECTS)

The objectives of this subject are to acquire a critical view regarding audiovisual technologies, experimental animation resources, and lighting. Through the three blocks that form the subject (interactivity, lighting, and digital formats), students will learn about the technical and conceptual possibilities of the digital environment.

Exhibition production (6 ECTS)

The areas related to the production of temporary exhibitions will be addressed in this subject: coordination, management of loans and work rights, conservation, transport, economic management, realization, assembly, and disassembly.

Workshops and seminars: 

• Content coordination and management
• Economic management
• Production and assembly
• Itineraries
• Registry 
• Original site management
• Production of cultural events

Case Studies – Design (6 ECTS)

The Case Studies – Design subject (on-campus) consists of students taking action on specific cases in which situations are presented that must be resolved within the framework of the complexity of the elements involved. This module is developed in collaboration with institutions in Barcelona that present exhibitions and cultural activities from different approaches. It features collaboration from entities such as the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, the Museu del Disseny de Barcelona, the CCCB, the Filmoteca de Catalunya, and the MACBA, among others. 

The series of case studies, linked to these collaborating institutions, facilitates an in-depth analysis of the different areas and agents involved. As their starting point, the sessions look at exhibitions that have already been held or are in progress and feature the participation of roles such as: curators, artists (understood as creators-producers), designers, and people linked to the institutional context.
Participants will gain experience and practice in curation, critical reflection, and space design from the case studies. This module incorporates guided tours, lectures, panel discussions, and interviews outside the classroom.

Final Master’s Degree Project (6 ECTS)

The final master’s degree project consists of developing a curatorial project, exhibition design, or mediation project that responds to the student’s motivation and independent work. The objective is to carry out a postgraduate project that the student must conduct starting from the second part of the course with the tutoring and supervision of participating faculty. The presentation of this project will be made public once the master’s degree is completed.

5% discount for: 

• EINA students and alumni.
• UAB Alumni

10% discount for:

• Members of the Association of Museologists of Catalonia (AMC)
• Members of the Association of Professionals of Valencian Illustration (APIV)
• Members of the Catalan Association of Art Critics (ACCA)
• Members of the Professional Association of Illustrators of Catalonia (APIC)

- Consult the fees for all UAB-specific studies (Masters, Postgraduate and UAB courses

One-time payment option: 

• 100% at the time of acceptance (payment must be made within 10 days of acceptance to guarantee the reservation of the place)  

Fractionated payment option: 

• 50% at the time of acceptance (payment must be made within 10 days of acceptance to guarantee the reservation of the place) 
• 50%: before 15 days before the start of the course

For further details check on academic info.