ARTHIST 734 : Art Writing and Curatorial Practice

Arts

2025 Semester One (1253) (30 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Explores the basic principles of curatorial practice and art writing. It will open up professional opportunities for students interested in working with art galleries and museums, and will focus on developing comprehensive art writing skills.

Course Overview

This course is based at Auckland Art Gallery and involves working with their staff to understand the governance, ethics and policy parameters which public art galleries operate under, as well as the specific ways in which art curatorship involves communities and how public art collections are developed and cared for. Students will also develop learning and access programmes which engage the public.

Course Requirements

To complete this course students must enrol in ARTHIST 734 A and B, or ARTHIST 734

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: People and Place
Capability 2: Sustainability
Capability 3: Knowledge and Practice
Capability 4: Critical Thinking
Capability 5: Solution Seeking
Capability 6: Communication
Capability 7: Collaboration
Capability 8: Ethics and Professionalism

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Analyse the interplay between governance and political frameworks, ethical considerations and policy development in art institutions. Evaluate their impact on curatorial decision and public engagement. (Capability 1, 3 and 8)
  2. Evaluate the artistic, cultural, and economic value of artworks and their potential for acquisition into a public gallery collection, taking into account factors such as provenance, conservation needs, sustainability and audience impact. (Capability 2, 4, 5 and 6)
  3. Create and justify a comprehensive plan for an art exhibition that integrates principles of collection management, conservation, accessibility, and public engagement, justifying curatorial choices and anticipating potential ethical dilemmas. (Capability 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Reports 20% Individual Coursework
Proposal 30% Individual Coursework
Presentation 50% Individual Coursework

Next Offered

2026

Teaching & Learning Methods

Interactive learning in exhibition, conservation, collection storage and auditorium spaces. Case studies, ethical dilemmas requiring group discussion to respond to and collaborative exercises will be involved.

Exam Mode

There is no final exam for this course.

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 30-point course and students are expected to spend 20 hours per week involved in each 30-point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 12 hours of lectures, a 12 hours of tutorials, 24 hours of field trips, 100 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 152 hours of work on assignments and preparation for class presentation.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is required at scheduled activities including tutorials and field trips to receive credit for the components of the course.
The course will include live online events including group discussions and practical workshops.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

This course is not available for delivery to students studying remotely outside NZ in 2022.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Based on feedback from students in 2024, this course has been revised to include a weekly field trip component which will involve explorations of the local art world.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework, tests and examinations as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Well-being always comes first
We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - for more information, look at this Canvas page https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/courses/33894, which has links to various support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.

Published on 05/11/2024 08:04 a.m.