MFA Teens
Curatorial Field Guide
About this Zine This zine is a map of the curatorial process, developed for the teen programs at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. All images used in this zine are of works in the Museum’s collection.
history of zines: Zines offer writers and artists an avenue for disseminating cultural media outside the mainstream. Self-published, often handmade, zines can connect the creator and the community of readers through the intimacy of the format.
Table of Contents 1. Get Interested 2. Look Closely 3. Research 4. Proposal Development 5. Building the List 6. Interpretation 7. Design & Promotion 8. Programming 9. Installation 10. Opening the Exhibition
1. Get Interested
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To come up with ideas for shows, curators start by looking at art and following their interests. They keep an eye out for what sparks their curiosity, what connects with them, and what makes them ask questions. Key Skills — Expanding curiosity — Trusting one’s interests
Curator Hat: Art Lover The curator wears many hats, but beneath everything else they do is a love of art.
Questions to ask
— What inspires you? — What are you most interested in? — What do you care about? — What do you instinctively like?
Keep in mind! Inspiration can come from anywhere! Don’t worry about background information at this point in the process.
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2. Look Closely
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Curators look closely at works of art to figure out what is interesting about them. They conduct a formal reading (how the work is composed, colors, forms, perspective, etc.) and sometimes a narrative reading (how the work connects to historical, biographical, political or other themes). Key Skills — Concentrating on visual elements of an artwork
Formal elements of art include
Line
Shape
Form
Space
Texture
Color Keep In Mind! Don’t jump too quickly to a narrative! Take your time absorbing what catches your eye without reading into it too much.
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3. Research
With a hunch that there’s a story to be told from this object, a curator does research to build a story. There are many different stories, and many different types of research and critical lenses through which to look at art, including formal, historical, biographical, political, and more. Key Skills — Primary & secondary research — Research analysis — Using different critical lenses
Some e xample s of critical lense s Historical: What was the context when this piece was made? What larger stories is it a part of? Biographical: How does information about the artist’s life affect the piece? Political: How does the piece relate to politics and power?
Keep In Mind! All exhibits should tell a story or make an argument. Research is how this point of view is constructed and presented.
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4. Proposal
The proposal for the show is required to get agreement from the institution to move forward with an exhibition. The proposal is like a sales process, helping the museum understand what audiences this exhibit will attract and what works of art it will highlight. Key Skills — Building a convincing, well-reasoned argument
Curator Hat: Salesperson Curators need to be strategic about how they sell their idea. A lot of these skills overlap with sales and marketing techniques.
Keep In Mind! Proposals tend to be aspirational. This is an opportunity to dream. The nuts and bolts get sorted out in later steps of the process.
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— Dreaming big — Flexibility in executing vision
Curator Hat: Lawyer A curator is an advocate, supporting the purchase, display, or loan of works that they believe merit display.
Don’t be afraid to ask big! No reason to limit yourself from the get-go. The worst response you can get is a “no.”
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Key Skills
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Once a proposal is approved, the curator begins to build “The Checklist.” This is an all-inclusive list of artworks from the museum’s collection and from other institutions. That dream list gets whittled down over time for different reasons— works may be under conservation treatment, or requests from other institutions may be rejected.
Keep In Mind!
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5. Building the List
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6. Interpretation om
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The interpretation team is responsible for the visitors’ experiences of the exhibit. Interpretation starts with a “big idea” that drives the interpretation plan for an exhibition: the things that the team hopes all visitors know when they walk out of the exhibit. The plan includes a set of themes for the exhibition. The various objects in the exhibition support or exemplify these themes. Key Skills — Summarizing complex ideas — Executing on strategy
Collaborators: Interpretation Team This team is collaborative, thinking of ways to communicate the big idea of the exhibition to visitors in a way that is clear and comprehensive.
Keep In Mind! The big idea is the strategic backbone for the experience of the exhibit. What do you want visitors to feel? to learn? to see?
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7. Design & Promotion d oul t sh look wha t i hib x e ? the like feel d n a
Space is assigned based on the museum’s exhibition calendar. The curator works with a design team to create an identity for the exhibition. This includes the space design (wall color, where and how works are displayed) as well as the graphic design (typefaces, posters, etc). The marketing and public relations team develops a strategy to promote the exhibition. This includes creating the title for the exhibition and building the press kit.
Keep In Mind! Collaboration can be a process of negotiation. And in negotiation, nobody gets everything they want.
Key Skills — Attention to detail
Collaborators: Design Team This team focuses on the visual identity of the exhibition, including wall colors, room layouts, typefaces, and other space and graphic design elements.
Collaborators: Marketing & Public Relations Team One thing this team creates is the press kit — a set of promotional materials about the exhibition to encourage media coverage.
8. Programming e
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The program team develops programs to engage audiences in the exhibition. These may be lectures or facilitated gallery discussions. Key Skills — Organizing educational or art-inspired events — Empathy for different visitors
Collaborators: Program Team This team coordinates lectures, tours, concerts, artist talks, and other explorations of the exhibition that add new dimension for visitors interested in engaging with the work even more.
Keep In Mind! Push for creative new modes of engagement! Think about what makes sense for the exhibition. What can amplify the core ideas of the exhibit? What can draw different visitors?
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9. Installation After months or years of studying and thinking about these works, the curator and team are finally seeing them all together in real life. The curator, design team, and installation crew are present together throughout installation. Key Skills — Patience
Collaborators: Installation Crew The installation crew installs work with care and precision.
Curator Hat: Fan Meeting the artwork is like meeting celebrities!
Keep In Mind! The art will always look different at install than what you pictured and planned for. This point in the process is very exciting but can also be very stressful and emotional — and that’s OK!
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10. Opening the Exhibition
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It’s finally open! Now is the time that curators reflect on their work. The museum measures success through visitor attendance, feedback, and critical reviews. Curators have other markers for success: did the intent of the exhibition match with the impact it had on visitors? Was the curator able to make visitors and critics think about the artwork or the artist in a way they hadn’t considered before? Maybe the museum was able to connect with local organizations or reach new audiences through the curatorial process. There are all sorts of ways for an exhibition to be successful — and always plenty to learn! Key Skills — Celebrating and reflecting on the hard work you’ve done — Measuring success
Keep In Mind! What you learn from the experience is very important — curatorial work is a practice! Curators are always learning, changing, and growing in the work they do.
