Master in Curatorial Practice

The exhibition Eco-esistenze: forme del naturale e dell’artificiale curated by the students of the Master in Curatorial Practice kicks off the new edition of the course. Applications are open with earlybird promotions until April 2023 for the academic year 2023/24.

The Master’s in Curatorial Practice at IED Firenze trains future professional curators with solid theory knowledge and extensive hands-on experience in creating exhibitions and shows from concept development all the way to project execution.

On this course, students will learn how the professional curator produces knowledge that translates into accurate organization and communication of exhibitions within contexts where artworks experience constant interaction with the space around them.

There are three main areas at the core of this learning experience: The area of cultural studies, with an introduction to the history of modern and contemporary art, critical analysis of recent trends and insight into current curatorial strategies; The area of technical and practical skills, which is essential to develop the key organizational and management skills involved in a show or exhibition, as well as communication and marketing skills to reach out to different target groups; an intensive hands-on practice phase covering both curatorial work and a complete dissertation project from concept development to execution.

Daria Filardo, art curator with a long experience in the academic field, is the coordinator of the course. Among the member of the faculty are: Martino Margheri (Head of Education department, Palazzo Strozzi, Firenze), Fanny Liotto (Guggenheim Foundation, Venice), Camilla Mozzato (Curator, Centro Pecci, Prato), Valentino Catricalà (Curator, SODA Gallery Manchester),  Pietro Gaglianò (Curator, Director, Scripta, Florence),  Raimundas Malašauskas (Independent Curator and Writer), Yoeri Messen (Head of Education & Interpretation at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen - Rotterdam), Justin Randolph Thompson (Director, Black History Month Florence), and many more…

The master’s degree class of 21/22 (Carmen Ferreira De Terenzio, Marica Pia Galtieri, Veronica Gomez Puig, Elena Graglia, Beatrice Guercini, Sara Labianca, Shana Maria Lewis, Yolimar Martinez Merced, Anabella Salazar, Elena Sinagra and Wang Le), developed the end-of-the-year project: Eco-esistenze: forme del naturale e dell’artificiale, coordinated by Daria Filardo and Martino Margheri.

The work, devised to tie in with the Olafur Eliasson: Nel tuo tempo exhibition, is the result of cooperation between the Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi and the IED Firenze’s Master’s in Curatorial Practice. The dialogue with the artists, the exhibition and the activities will feature in a book published by Kunstverein Publishing, Milan.

Eco-esistenze: forme del naturale e dell’artificiale is a collective exhibition that through the work of seven artists (Leone Contini, Simone Donati, Claudia Losi, Elena Mazzi, Elena Nemkova, Caterina Sbrana and Nicola Toffolini) explores the convergence between natural and artificial spaces and the way in which communities perceive and experience such spaces. Eco-existences uses the languages of culture, anthropological research, science and narrative to expand our understanding of a reality that is still in the process of being defined. The exhibition enters a territory whose boundaries are still undefined and triggers a reflection on the now outdated contrast between man and nature.

The exhibition is located at IED Firenze, it is open until December 7, 2022 and it offers a rich schedule of events, lectures and workshops, in different venues of the city and in Palazzo Strozzi’s workshops.

The exhibition marks a new approach to IED’s educational spaces, renovated for the occasion and transformed by the artists into a gallery. The dialogue between art and pedagogical practices questions the function of visual language beyond the mere object and allows visitors and students of the school to experience art in a non-institutional space. The exhibition transforms the school and involves the public through a rich program of meetings and initiatives that will take place at the Palazzo Strozzi Foundation and in the city’s green spaces.

 Visit here for more information.

Cover illustration: Simone Donati, Varco Appennino, Calabria, 2016. Courtesy the artist.