Who is this for?

Curatorial Studies at KASK & Conservatorium/ School of Arts is an intensive one-year English-language postgraduate course aimed at applicants with an MA or equivalent experience in the arts, humanities or sciences and a keen interest in contemporary art. Established in 1999, Curatorial Studies is the only postgraduate curatorial programme in Belgium, benefitting from a unique partnership between an art school, a university and a museum. In this course, students become familiar with contemporary curatorial practices across various contexts, such as museums, foundations, artist-run spaces and commissioning agencies. Curatorial Studies at KASK & Conservatorium/ School of Arts stands out among comparable European and North American programmes for the breadth of skills it covers, from conservation and exhibition history/theory to collection management and public mediation. Through this programme, students are equipped to excel in the curatorial field in its practical and theoretical applications.

Throughout the programme, participants are encouraged to look at the world openly, to turn their attention to what is desirable, rather than return to predetermined formats and fixed habits of mind. Students adopt values which place meaningful participation and engagement over knowledge production. The programme treats the curatorial as a process that decouples the grip of the status quo from the conditions of artistic production: through fair practice, by thinking along with artists, and by extending their curatorial work to the pertinent questions and struggles of our times. Considering this, the programme advocates an update on curating's etymological definition – a commonplace by now – of caring for the object in favour of curating as an act of taking care of the world(s) in which artists must work and live their lives.

Thanks to the extensive knowledge and contacts acquired during the programme, students (re)enter the professional field in a position of confidence. The programme’s alumni/ae find employment in the arts sector upon graduation, including in museums, galleries, non-profit art spaces, governmental cultural agencies, biennials, artist studios, magazines and, not least, academia. Moreover, given the long history of the programme, Curatorial Studies graduates benefit from an extensive network of alumni/ae who remain active within the cultural field.

What will you be studying?

Curatorial Studies offers students a versatile and challenging platform that invites critical reflection on artistic and curatorial practices. By drawing on the expertise of a broad and diverse network of cultural practitioners and institutions – and thus making room for various theoretical, geographical, historical, and socio-political contexts and their intersections – the course aims to facilitate an environment where a multiplicity of perspectives and discourses can thrive.

Curatorial Studies not only encourages participants to develop their curatorial practice through the making of exhibitions, publications, and events—with a final collective project acting as a culmination point (‘Graduation Project’) – it also pays attention to the history and theory of exhibitions. Through a mix of lectures, seminars, workshops and independent research, students become conversant with the most up-to-date debates within the contemporary curatorial field, particularly as these intersect with social, political, and ethical issues.