MA in Visual Arts Management & Curating
Richmond’s MA in Visual Arts Management & Curating equips students with the entrepreneurial knowledge and professional skills required to critically engage with global visual cultures of the twenty-first century and become innovative, creative and resilient leaders in their fields.
Contact the Convenor of the Programme
Dr Robert Wallis is available to speak with interested prospective students about the programme. Please contact him at wallisr@Richmond.ac.uk.
Richmond University’s MA in Visual Arts Management and Curating prepares students in the professional knowledge, skills and experience required for a career in the visual arts sector and the creative industries. The program is unique in that it straddles the publicly funded (Not for Profit) and commercial visual arts sector with a strong emphasis on education and curation. Students learn how museums, galleries, auction houses, creative startups, collectors and funders operate in today’s increasingly global art world.
Students on this course are considered to be junior research colleagues, and emerging arts professionals and as such are encouraged to participate in a range of exhibition openings, networking events, artist talks, festivals and conferences. Many classes are taught in museums and galleries, and students leave with extensive contacts from which to begin to develop their own professional networks.
The program offers sustained engagement with academics and arts managers from an intercultural perspective, and provides opportunities to develop practical skills, entrepreneurial thinking, and creative leadership qualities.
Students will take courses in: arts management and marketing; arts policy; arts education; the international art market; research methods and curating, taken alongside an internship. To review the modules, visit Course Structure.
Richmond University’s MA in Visual Arts Management and Curating brings art and design historians, theoreticians, professional practitioners and studio artists together to:
1) offer a thorough grounding in the interdisciplinary theoretical and methodological issues related to the study of the visual, and
2) equip students with the professional skills and experience to work successfully in a variety of arts and cultural industries.
Successful professionals in the arts and creative industries of the 2010s and beyond will be as fluent with the burgeoning art markets in the Middle East, East Asia and the Indian Subcontinent, as those established in the West. They must also be able to rethink existing funding models, challenge business models, and strategically lead conservative and contemporary organizations seamlessly through tides of change be they political or technological. Cosmopolitan students, trained to think globally and interdependently, will become the next generation of scholars and arts professionals. Richmond’s MA in Visual Arts Management and Curating equips students with the knowledge and skills required to critically engage with global visual cultures of the twenty-first century and become leaders in their fields.
Our alumni work as professionals in the art world, from galleries such as the National Gallery, and Hauser & Wirth; museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and V&A; and auction houses such as Sotheby’s. While others go on to work in related fields including art education, journalism or progress onto PhD and other postgraduate programs, including doctoral programs in the US (e.g. Harvard) and the UK (e.g. York).
Recent guest lecturers and visiting speakers include:
Danny Birchall, Wellcome Collection ; Russell Dornan, Wellcome Collection; Joanna Banham, V&A; Justine Locker, Tate; John Stack, Tate; Luisa Ulyett, Tate; Anita Bennett, Tate; Caro Howell, The Foundling Museum; Synthia Griffin, Tate; Emma Law, Camden Arts Centre; Jessica Stockford, Arts & Business; Kate Oliver, Horniman Museum; Tiana Tasich, Digitelling Agency; Matthew Cain, The Guardian; Claudia Lastra, The Arts Catalyst
Recent Study Visits – London:
V&A; Tate; Wellcome Collection; British Library; Geffrye Museum; Serpentine Gallery; British Museum; Frieze Art Fair; Sotheby’s; Christies; National Art Library; British Museum; Camden Arts Centre; National Gallery; National Portrait Gallery; South London Gallery
Recent Study Trips – International:
Venice, Berlin, Istanbul
The MA in Visual Arts Management and Curating at Richmond was an amazing experience. The Professors were incredibly approachable and engaging, they allowed me to pursue my own ideas while providing guidance and support that proved instrumental in my research. The course work was interesting and challenging and provided a very international scope of the many different facets of the art world. The campus is located near some of the best museums in London, and many courses included meetings with key members of museum and gallery staffs. These trips were some of my favorite experiences as they provided insight into the structure and inner workings of museums and galleries, and were a chance to apply what we learned about in class in an interactive environment. The program helped me find an internship at a contemporary art gallery in London which turned into a full time position after completing my MA. I am now planning on doing a PhD in cultural heritage stability in the near future, something I know I would not have considered if not for the support and advice of my Richmond professors.
The MA in Arts Management and Curating at Richmond exceeded my expectations. Having worked both in the public and private sector in New York, the program was instrumental in refining my abilities and preparing me for a career in the Arts. For it is based in the prestigious area of Kensington, the classroom expanded to the renowned art institutions nearby such as the V&A and Serpentine Gallery. The MA takes advantage of its surroundings and provides an immersive learning experience. Nearly every week we would go on field trips to hear from museum curators, arts managers, researchers, among others, offering us an exclusive “back stage” pass to renowned London museums and galleries. The lectures were carefully planned to match our curriculum, providing the perfect balance between theory and practice. The faculty engaged with each of us individually, being attentive for our particular strengths and weaknesses as well as our various abilities and interests. Because the course curriculum covers a broad range of knowledge, from arts education to the arts market, I grew confident and ready for the current demands of the international arts world.
I feel very fortunate to have been a part of a wonderful community at Richmond. While getting my MA is Visual Arts Management, I developed close relationships with my professors and lasting friendships with my classmates. I was able to expand my knowledge and experience in the art and museum world on an international scale. Unlike other schools, Richmond’s location in central London allowed our classes to venture out to the innovative and internationally famous museums and galleries it is known for, we made the city our classroom! The small class sizes help you to become close to your classmates and your professors. The individual attention during class and throughout the course of writing your research project was crucial to my success in the MA program. In addition, the practical experience I gained from the internship requirement was crucial in helping me land my first job in a museum. After I got my MA in Visual Arts Management at Richmond, I have gone on to work at The Wallace Collection and Two Temple Place.
It wasn’t an easy choice for me, when I was looking for a university to do my MA degree. Not only was I leaving my home country, family, friends and moving to a completely new world, I was also predetermining my future path. And today I can’t express how happy I am with my choice.
Choosing this course not only helped me to accommodate myself to the new city, being located in one of the most artistic and beautiful areas in London, it also constantly pushed me to step out of my comfort zone and cross the borders of conventional, conservative and theoretical studies, that I was used to.
Practicality of this education, its close cooperation with multiple art organizations and lectures by invited young professionals in the field, were instrumental in forming my appreciation of the art management in London and understanding of how this field is functioning.
MA in Visual Arts Management and Curating prepared me for the issues in the professional art world. Interdisciplinary approach allowed me to have a privilege of knowing the overall multi-departmental structure of museum and be able to solve problems that some of my colleagues are not aware of.
Today I have an experience of volunteering at the V&A and interning for a small gallery in London that allowed me to closely assist one of the world’s renowned contemporary artists – Vitaly Komar and co-curate his exhibition. None of that would be possible without the help and support I got from my MA degree and constant motivation for self-developement. I consider my choice of education one of the most successful in my life and don’t regret any day spent at Richmond University.
Throughout my time studying for the M.A. in Visual Arts Management and Curating, I was consistently challenged and inspired. Lectures, practical exercises, coursework, and incredible mentorship from professors made for the most valuable educational experience I have had in my life. Living in London, surrounded by the arts, further enhanced the culture of curiosity and professional ambition that the professors encouraged. I felt confident in my abilities during my internship placement at an education-focused nonprofit, thanks to what I learned at Richmond. I was offered a position at my host organization at the conclusion of my internship, and I could not be happier working in the arts.
When I began researching which Masters programme might be right for me the majority of courses I came across specialised in a certain area of Arts Management. However, still unsure of a specific aspect of Arts Management I wanted to pursue, when I came across this MA in Visual Arts Management and Curating I was excited to gain knowledge over a variety of disciplines. This course not only allowed me to gain a wide knowledge and experience across the arts sector as a whole, it also allowed me to really get a hold of my specific interests and which direction I wanted to go in once completing my Masters.
Another aspect of this course I was equally surprised and delighted at was the immense amount of support we got from both our lectures and other faculty members, cementing relationships I’m sure we will all continue.
When I decided to switch career paths to the arts, I knew I wanted to attend an institution located in a city where I would have access to world class art. Richmond University has exceeded my expectations in that not only did I experience London, I was able to learn and visit arts organizations across the UK and Europe. The flexibility within our assignments allowed me to explore my interests while also challenging me to expand my knowledge about the art world. My connections with professors, guest speakers, and classmates, have resulted in lifelong colleagues and friends.
Faculty who teach on this programme:
Dr Kate Mattocks
Dr Nicola Mann
Dr Tom Flynn
Duration: FT (one year), PT (two years)
Research-led teaching from the IVAC (The Centre for International Visual Arts and Cultures)
All MA Art History and Visual Culture and MA Visual Arts Management and Curating students, and members of the Art Appreciation Society are automatically entitled to membership of the IVAC free of charge. Richmond students enrolled on other Masters programmes and undergraduates with an interest in the visual arts are welcome to all IVAC events free of charge.
