Curating Contemporary Design (in partnership with the Design Museum) MA

Facts about Curating Contemporary Design

Qualification	MA
Duration	Full time: 1 year Part time: 2 years
Attendance	Full time: 2 days per week (Tues/Weds pm) Part time: 1 day per week
Assessment	Curatorial project briefs; seminar presentations; essays; dissertation
Course structure

Choose Kingston's Curating Contemporary Design MA

Catherine McDermott and Donna Loveday talk about the Curating Contemporary Design MA delivered in partnership with the Design Museum.

There is a global demand for creative people who can curate, interpret and explain design culture. This course, which has established an international reputation, is ideal if you have an interest in contemporary design and would like to develop a career in the creative industry sector, including the museum sector, event management, design practice or promotion.

Taught jointly by Kingston University and the Design Museum, by leading curators and designers within the field, it explores the collecting and curating of contemporary design, and will provide you with a vision for the 21st century that is underpinned by a grounding in the history and theory of design curating and in the practice of organising, interpreting and promoting design exhibitions.

For more information about the Design Museum, please visit www.designmuseum.org/universities/ma-news or
www.designmuseum.org/courses.

What will you study?

You will gain a grounding in the professional aspects of museum practice as well as first-hand experience in planning and organising design exhibitions. This practical experience will be supported by modules in history and theory, ensuring that you have a thorough knowledge of the ideas and context underpinning the display and curating of contemporary designed objects. There is a strong emphasis on research skills and presentation, ensuring a high level of professional development.

We work closely with the British Council, Crafts Council and V&A Museum. There is also the opportunity to participate in a visit to New York.

Who teaches this course?

This course is taught by staff in the the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture and the Design Museum.
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Teaching staff include:

Donna Loveday, Head of Exhibitions at the Design Museum
Catherine McDermott, Professor of design history and curating

What our students say

"The MA in Curating Contemporary Design is an extremely good course. It is very well tailored and particularly suitable for those who want to be engaged in the art scene and become a curator." Keyan Lai
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"Since London is the centre of contemporary art in the world, the Curating Contemporary Design MA offers a special opportunity to visit museums and galleries. It has opened doors for me and the interaction with other international students is a great advantage." Raphael Chikukwa
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Course structure

Please note that this is an indicative list of modules and is not intended as a definitive list. Those listed here may also be a mixture of core and optional modules.

Modules

City Cultures - New York
City Cultures - New York

This course is part of a series of study visits you can take for course credits. It offers a first-hand experience of the visual culture of one of the world's most exciting cities - New York.

The course is divided into three parts:
- part 1 includes introductory talks about the art and design of the city before the visit;
- part 2 consists of five full-days of guided visits to major galleries and museums in New York, plus the opportunity to meet curators and artists working in leading institutions;
- Part 3 consists of seminars and an essay presentation on New York.
We encourage you to develop visual diaries whilst in New York, which you can work up for assessment on return

Please note that students are required to pay for the visit.
Professional Practice
Professional Practice

This module provides the professional context for the whole programme. You will:
- develop your understanding of the nature of and the complex inter-relationships between the commercial and public arts markets;
- learn the fundamentals of economic theory and appraisal and investment techniques that underlie valuations of assets, including the use of IT and apply these to identified objects; and
- develop business skills, organisational knowledge and professional conduct and ethics.
You learn through lectures, IT workshops and seminars. Assessment is by:
- a 3,000 word case study;
- two seminar papers; and
- an IT workshop.
Interpreting Contemporary Design
Interpreting Contemporary Design

The curating team at the Design Museum teach this module. It brings you into contact with:
- the key elements of exhibition curating;
- team work with designers;
- graphic studios;
- educationalists; and
- fund raising.
Work experience is also an important part of this module. Most students work on an aspect of the Design Museum's programme, but there are also opportunities to work at the Science Museum, Crafts Council, V&A, Museum of London and the Geffrye Museum.
Theory of the Object
Theory of the Object

This course provides an historical framework of collecting and curating design from the mid-19th century onwards. It will:
- identify key models and critical writings - enabling you to understand case studies of the development of Western and American museums;
- explore the complex relationships between theory and practice; and
- enable you to gain a critical evaluation of how the past has informed contemporary collecting practice in museums.
Making of the Modern World
Interdisciplinary Practice Research
Interdisciplinary Practice Research

In this module you participate in an interdisciplinary programme of lectures and seminars addressing:
- specialist professional practice research methods and resources; and
- the integration of theory and practice.
You will initiate your own area of research. Assessment is through seminar presentations and the production of a research dossier.
Dissertation
Dissertation

This double module is designed to ensure that students can produce a substantial, original body of authoritative work by engaging in both primary and secondary research at masters level. It enables them to achieve a comprehensive understanding and application of the key issues of the subject selected and aims to develop in students a commitment to research and understanding of its likely role in their future careers. Students are supported by tutorials and assessment is by a written dissertation.