What Is an Exhibition Curator? What They Do and How to Become One

A curator is often pictured as a person of taste who “comes up with exhibitions”. That is half true, but it hides the essential point: the curator is responsible for what the exhibition says — what idea brings the works together and why they hang exactly the way they do.

The word itself adds to the confusion. In a Russian college, a “curator” is the teacher in charge of a student group. In art it is a different profession, and all the two have in common is the root: the Latin curare, “to take care of”.

Below we look at who an exhibition curator is, what a curator does from idea to opening, why a curatorial text is needed, how a curator differs from an art manager and a gallerist, and how people come into the profession.

Contents

• Who an exhibition curator is
• What a curator does, from idea to opening
• The curatorial text: the main tool
• How a curator differs from an art manager, a gallerist and an art historian
• One person or a team
• How people become curators

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Who an exhibition curator is

A curator is the author of a statement assembled from other people’s works. The curator decides what the exhibition is about, which artists to bring together, in what order to show them and what the viewer should understand after walking through the room.

The easiest way to feel the difference is through the questions each one answers. The artist answers the question “what do I want to say with my work”. The curator answers the question “what will these works say together, in this space and at this time”. The same set of works reads differently in a different sequence, and that is precisely the subject of curatorial work.

An important consequence follows: the curator does not serve the artists but works with their art as material. A good exhibition is not the sum of good works but a statement in which every work stands in its place.

What a curator does, from idea to opening

Curatorial work is spread out over time and falls into several stages.

The concept. The theme is formulated, along with the question the exhibition answers. At this stage there is no list of artists and no venue yet — only the idea that everything is being done for.

Selection. The curator looks at works, visits studios, studies portfolios and decides what will go into the project. Some works are left out not because they are weak but because they do not serve the statement.

Working with the artists. Discussing the concept with the artists and, sometimes, commissioning new works specifically for the project. This is a dialogue, not an order: an artist has the right to disagree with an interpretation of their work.

The display. How the works are arranged in the space: what the viewer sees first, what sits next to what, where there is a pause and where an accent. The hang is not decoration; it is a continuation of the idea.

Texts. The curatorial text, wall texts, the project description, press materials. More on this below.

The organisational side — schedule, budget, transport, insurance, installation — more often falls to the art manager. But in small projects one person combines these roles.

The curatorial text: the main tool

The text is what the curator uses to explain the concept, and it should not be treated as a formality.

A curatorial text is, so to speak, the pair of glasses you hand the viewer. A person walks into the venue with no idea at all of how to engage with contemporary art; the text helps them get their bearings and see what the exhibition was put together for.

The texts around an exhibition come in different kinds, and they should not be confused:

• Curatorial text — explains the concept of the whole project.
• Wall text — a short explanatory text in the gallery, next to the works. Not every exhibition has one.
• Critical review — a view from outside; it is not written by the curator.
• Catalogue essay and analytical essay — longer forms that live longer than the exhibition itself.

For applications, an artist needs a text of their own about their own practice — that is the artist statement, and it should not be confused with the curatorial text.

How a curator differs from an art manager, a gallerist and an art historian

The art manager is responsible for making the project happen: schedule, budget, contracts, logistics, sales. The curator is responsible for what the project means. The roles are set out in detail in the piece on who an art manager is.

The gallerist is the owner or director of a gallery. The gallerist sets its direction and carries the commercial risk: who to take into the programme, what to sell, what to invest in.

The art historian studies art and writes about it. The curator also works with interpretation, but the curator’s statement is material — it is assembled in space from real works, not only in a text.

In practice these roles overlap: a curator is quite often also the art manager of their own project, and an art historian is often a curator. It makes sense to separate them not by person but by area of responsibility.

One person or a team

The scale of the venue decides a great deal. In a large museum the roles are divided up in detail: there is a curator, an assistant curator, a venue coordinator, a press office and an installation crew. Each is responsible for their own part.

In an independent project all of this is usually done by one or two people — and then the curator personally negotiates with the venue, works out the budget and puts up the labels. When you are starting out, you cannot expect that “someone else will take care of the organisational side”.

Hence a practical conclusion for those coming into the profession from the organisational side: curatorial skills are worth developing even if you think of yourself as a manager. The difference between an event and an exhibition lies precisely in whether there is a clear idea behind the display, and not just works gathered in one room.

How people become curators

There is no direct route: curators come from the ranks of art historians, artists, art managers and critics, and from entirely different fields. They all have one thing in common — completed projects, not a degree.

1. Look at exhibitions as a curator, not as a visitor. Not “did I like it or not”, but: what is the idea here, how is it put together, what stands next to what, where does the text help and where does it get in the way.
2. Read texts about art. Curatorial texts, catalogues, criticism — this is the language of the profession, and the only way to master it is by reading.
3. Get to know the art world. Who works with contemporary art, how venues are organised and how they are connected to one another — that is the subject of the piece on how the art world works.
4. Do a first small project. An exhibition of two artists you know in a small space is already curatorial experience. What matters is seeing it through to the end: concept, selection, text, hang.
5. Write your first curatorial text. And give it to someone who knows nothing about art to read. If they understand what the project is about, the text works.

Being a curator is not about taste; it is about an idea and taking responsibility for it. Anyone can gather beautiful works in a white room; making them say something together is a separate job, one that takes years to learn.

Test yourself at the next exhibition you visit: put into one sentence what it is about. If you cannot, that is a question for the curator, not for you.

Frequently asked questions

How does a curator differ from an art manager?

The curator is responsible for the statement: what the exhibition is about and why these works are together. The art manager is responsible for making the exhibition happen: schedule, budget, contracts, logistics, sales. In large institutions these are different people; in independent projects they are often one and the same.

Do you need a degree in art history to become a curator?

It helps, but it is not required. People come into the profession from art practice, art management, criticism and other fields. What counts is the projects you have completed: concept, selection, texts, display — things you can show. A degree in itself is no substitute for curatorial experience.

What is a curatorial text, and how does it differ from a wall text?

A curatorial text explains the concept of the whole project — it is a kind of pair of glasses the curator gives the viewer so that they understand what the exhibition was put together for. A wall text is a short explanatory text in the gallery next to the works, and not every exhibition has one. Both are written by the curator, but they do different jobs.

Can an artist curate their own exhibition?

Yes, and it is a common practice at the start. The difficulty is distance: it is hard to treat your own works as material for someone else’s statement. That is why solo projects often benefit when someone from outside acts as curator — they see connections the artist does not notice.

Where do you start if you have no experience at all?

With a small project seen through to the end: two or three works by artists you know in a small space, a clear concept, a written curatorial text, a considered hang. That is already a case study you can show. Alongside this, look at exhibitions analytically and read curatorial texts: it is the only way to master the language of the profession.