INTERNATIONAL SUMMER COURSE IN CURATORIAL PRACTICE, VENICE

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The School for Curatorial Studies Venice is an ambitious and challenging project promoted since 2004 and conceived as a school committed to experimentation and interdisciplinary thinking. The main goals are to spread knowledge in the field of visual arts and to introduce the students to the professions related to the art world, focusing on contemporary curatorial theory and practice and contemporary museology. The Summer School’s activities are meant for all those interested and passionate of art, graduate students or professionals who want to deepen their knowledge and improve their practical skills. The staff is formed by Italian and international professionals, scholars, historians and art critics of recognised experience.

  • Open Call for the Summer School 2024!!!! Read more: Summer School for Curatorial Studies Venice 2025
  • 5th June – 1st September 2025.
  • Deadline to apply 1st March 2025. We accept also early application in case you need to look for fundings or for Visa
  • For universities and institutions we have special programmes to be held in Venice or at your place. For more information please send an email to: aurora@curatorialstudiesvenice.org.
  • We are pleased to announce a new partnership with the Asia Forum
  • The School for Curatorial Studies Venice is pleased to announce a new collaboration with:
    • the Boston University.
    • Nida Art Colony of Vilnius Academy of Arts
    • Misk Art Institute Riyadh
    • Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien
  •  NEW Workshop and courses online: read more

Program

  • The Summer course in Curatorial Practice is an English-taught, intensive program on the history of contemporary visual arts and practices of exhibition-making, taking place during the Venice Biennale. Through interdisciplinary lectures, the course provides practical training and experience within museums and exhibition settings. Its international faculty includes curators and museum professionals, artists and critics. The Summer course is designed to increase the students understanding of the intellectual and technical tasks of the curator figure related to the set up of exhibitions and projects. The lectures cover both theoretical and practical topics that go from History of Exhibition to Exhibition Management.
  • The students participate in weekly activities such as artist studio visits, tours of exhibition spaces, networking events, and workshops with a variety of experts and practitioners. The Summer program culminates with the set up of an exhibition or an art event.
  • Download the program of the Summer School for Curatorial Studies Venice 2025

DIDACTIC MODULES

  • The Summer course is divided in three modules, held by different professional figures. In the first module we will discuss history of the art exhibitions, exhibition design and display and exhibition management. The program will consider how the specific forms of exhibition and curating practices have evolved; how exhibitions engender forms of spectatorship, reception, and transmission; and how exhibitions and curators participate in the development of various theoretical art-historical and sociopolitical contexts.
  • The Summer Course in Curatorial practice is including visits of artist studio and the examination of specific art venues in Venice organised during the International Architecture Biennale or during the Art Biennale, all over the city of Venice, which is offering several case study and it gives an opportunity to monitor the development of the contemporary visual arts, including tracking the trend of presenting art, theoretical discourse and the continuous development of art practices.
  • The school’s means are to align these specific theoretical lectures to a practical approach. The lectures are going to have besides a series of laboratories and workshops. The aim is to introduce the students to the complicated work of writing critical text, press releases, projects and to structure all the different aspects of a publication. Students will be offered the possibility of a gallery training, specifically focusing on the setting up of an event and concentrating on the possibilities offered by the chosen space.
  • The first module – 5th June – 6th August 2025
    It involves 350 contact hours:
    1. History of curatorial practices
    2. Exhibition design
    3. Aesthetics and Cultural theory
    4. Contemporary art history
    5. Cultural events management and organization
    6. Curating exhibitions
    7. Fine arts management.
    8. Fundraising and marketing / Workshop
    9. Communication strategies and artistic events promotion / Workshop
    10. New media and digital technologies
    11. Workshop on critical writing
    12. Artist studio visits and visits of exhibitions.                                                                           .
  • Optional visit:
    Trip to a European city. (9th – 13th August 2025)
    • The second module – 17th – 24th August 2025

The second module is dedicated to individual researching and finalising the project. During this period of time the students will have to face practical duties, such as coordinating the artists, managing transportation and insurance policies, promoting and curating the promotional material.

    • The third module – 25th  August — 1st September 2025
    • The last part of the course lies in the production of the event. During this period of time all the work concerning the final event is going to take place. The students will have to coordinate the arrival and the set up of the works of art. Organize all the different aspects related to the event as promotion, organisation and opening. After the presentation to the public the student will be given the tools to document professionally the event.
  • Duration and structure
    The course has a duration of 450 hours. Lectures will be held from Monday to Friday, from 9.30 am to 1.30 pm and from 02.30 pm to 05.30pm. Theoretical lectures will be held in the mornings, in order to provide conceptual and operational tools to independently manage the setting of an exhibition (35 hours per week). In the afternoon, students will attend seminars, workshops, guided tours to museums and exhibitions which animate the rich cultural life of Venice.
  • The participants will develop the themes as well as concepts, organisation, acquisition, communication and the concrete implementation together with the course director and international guests (artists, curators, architects, critics, fine arts scientists and publishers of art journals). Starting date and duration: The Summer course will begin on June 5th 2025.
    It involves 450 contact hours and approx. 200 hours of independent study and work.
  • Fee: The total cost for the three modules of the Summer school is 4800,00 euro.

 

How to Apply

  • The application for the Summer Curatorial Program is now open! The deadline has been set on March 1st, 2025. We would like to remind you that our program is designed for people with a study background in any of the following areas of contemporary art: curatorial studies, theory and philosophy of art, art history, art management and art production, visual arts, fine arts, arts and new media, architecture, interior architecture, photography, interior decoration, installation, design, theater, scenic design and music, as well as university graduates in the cultural studies field and literary studies. The program is also suitable for candidates who have acquired certain curatorial skills through practical experience. To apply it is necessary to submit the application form together with a CV and a short resume explaining the reasons you are applying to the Course before the March 1st, 2025.
  • The Summer school has a limited number of places.
  • Application-form/   Application-form-Word
  • The application form must be sent by regular mail or e-mail before the deadline of the Curatorial Program to (March 1st, 2025)
  • School for Curatorial Studies Venice
    San Marco 3073, 30121 Venice
    Email: curatorialschool@gmail.com
    Tel +39 041 2770466
  • The applicant will be personally contacted and will receive the confirmation by e-mail that his application form has been accepted. Once the candidate has been accepted for the Summer Course in Curatorial Practice should fill in the official subscription form.
  • Download: Admission form/ Admission form – Word 
  • Once completed the form you con proceed with the payment of the fee.
  • the fee 2025
  • The fee includes all the tickets for the institutions and exhibitions we will be visiting during the program.
  • The registration fee should be transfer by April 1st 2025. The applicant has no obligations if the cancellation is communicated minimum 45 days before the beginning of the course. If the cancellation occurs after the given deadline, the Applicant will repay the School for Curatorial Studies, as penalty, the registration fee of the individual foreseen payment. A full repayment will be required in cases in which the applicant will fail to communicate the cancellation, or in cases in which the applicant will stop attending the course.
  • Full Payment of the tuition fees must be effectuated by the 5th of June 2025.
  • For no-EU students:
    As soon as you receive and accept the formal invitation to participate to the Summer School, you must start the visa procedures. If selected, you are required to obtain a study visa or a tourist visa which must cover the entire duration of the Course (June – August 2025). Students bear all costs involved in the visa procedure: Read carefully how to provide a Visa.
  • Teaching language: English
    All applicants are expected to have an effective knowledge of English, both spoken and written.

Website link: https://www.corsocuratori.com/

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