Here at Hotcourses we’re passionate about learning and every member of the team takes a ‘hot course’ – either to improve their skills, enjoy a new hobby or just to try something completely different. Kate Weir, Hotcourses’ Account Manager, tells us about her art curator course...

Name: Kate Weir
My hotcourse: How to Be an Independent Curator
Institution: Central Saint Martins

In the recession, as many non-essential jobs are under threat, curating has been hailed as a slightly redundant career, essentially a middleman between the artist and the gallery wall, to which the auspiciously poetic maxim “can’t paint? Curate!” could apply. However, this is a slightly pessimistic view; at least I would hope so, since I elected to study  a short course in curating –  ‘How to be an Independent Curator’ - at Central Saint Martins.

Forward planning
The course aims to eke out the practical and theoretical particulars of this niche career route, essentially a soupçon of event planning (creating a suitable guest list, finding drink sponsors and marketing), a hefty dose of attention to detail (painting walls, hanging pictures at a suitable height and lighting schemes), an ability to communicate the historical and sociological context of the artwork, an aptitude for on-the-spot sales and the willingness and passion to survive living like a pauper. It’s a tricky field to enter, but on the upside, even if you don’t reach Charles Saatchi levels of fame, you get to work in beautiful and sometimes exotic locations and meet interesting people on a daily basis.   

Networking
As yet another industry where ‘who you know’ applies, the course is a good place to meet contacts; so although wandering into a classroom full of European sophisticates with CVs that make mine look like a coffee-stained napkin, is a little intimidating, they prove to be enthusiastic and friendly art aficionados who are more than willing to pass on sage advice. The course is also filled with site visits to museums and art fairs, so you know where to ferret out the best up-and-coming artists, and even if you’re not looking for a career, you can appreciate a glimpse behind the scenes.

The course has taught me that the curator is more like an easel, they may not look extraordinary, but they facilitate and support great art in the most fundamental way. If there wasn’t a curator to make sure an exhibition has a coherent theme and aesthetic placement then chaos would break loose, Gainsborough would hang next to Damien Hirst and museum sign posts would be rendered useless. I would recommend the course to anyone who’s visited a museum and wondered how hard it might  be to organise.