International Master's Program in Curating, including Art, Management and Law
The International MA Programme in Curating Art is committed to producing graduates who can think curatorially and practice curation creatively across a broad spectrum of cultural platforms, organizations, and collaborators in the service of a more democratic world.
Our collaborative history
The International MA in Curating Art is the first and pre-eminent curatorial programme in Scandinavia. Since its founding in 2003, its graduates have not only shaped Nordic curatorial practice but have held significant positions in art and cultural institutions globally. Curating Art is a unique programme, having been founded as a collaboration between Art History, Business, and Law at Stockholm University and two prominent art institutions in Stockholm: Magasin III and Liljevalchs konsthall. This collaboration now includes Accelerator, the experimental exhibition space at Stockholm University that opened in 2019. This collaborative spirit between the University and public cultural institutions, the classroom and the public exhibition space, research and presentation, theory and practice, characterizes every aspect of the programme.
Theory & practice woven throughout our curriculum
The curriculum maintains a dynamic balance between theory and practice. This balance reflects a commitment to research, experimentation, and critical reflection as crucial for informed and effective curatorial practice. The research component of the curriculum is built upon the theoretical concept of the curatorial, a distinctive way of thinking that informs all dimensions of curatorial practice. The curriculum affirms that theory and method are woven throughout every stage of curatorial production. Reflecting the programme’s origins in Art History, the curriculum also affirms the importance of studying previous iterations of curatorial practices in art and cultural history, as an indispensable means to develop a robust curatorial practice.
Art Law & Arts Management
In addition to maintaining an intimate relationship between the theory and practice of curation, the programme also expands the classroom experience to include its legal and administrative dimensions. The art law course prepares students to become familiar with the many ways that their practice is shaped by the legal implications of working with artists, works of art, and art organisations. The course is taught by the leading legal expert on art in Scandinavia, lawyer Katarina Renman Claesson. The course on Arts Management is co-taught by the programme’s four-person team: curator and administrator Nicole Bood, Dr Magdalena Holdar, curator Nina Øverli, and Dr Daniel A. Siedell. The arts management course is intended to empower curators to think and act creatively in, through, and if necessary, even against institutional networks and systems, in order to accomplish their goals. Case studies form the core of the course, showing how previous generations of curators and artists negotiated bureaucracies imaginatively. The course also prepares students for careers in organisational leadership by equipping them to embrace the creative dimension of arts management as well as recognise the importance of creative and imaginative leadership.
Hands-on practical experience
In addition to the rigor of the curriculum in the University, the programme is also characterised by its relationships with area arts and cultural institutions. This includes a ten-week internship during the second semester of the first year. In addition to this intensive hands-on practical experience at one of Stockholm’s premier arts organisations, students enjoy numerous opportunities during the programme to learn from curators, directors, administrators, and artists, throughout Stockholm and beyond through supervision and mentorship as well as workshops and extra-curricular projects.
This emphasis on practical experience has meant that over the course of two decades, the programme has become an important curatorial platform in its own right, producing exhibitions, publications, workshops, lectures, and other public events that have woven it into the fabric of the art and cultural life of Stockholm and beyond, as students experiment with collaborations that expand the practice of traditional curating formats.
Two final projects
The distinctive balance between theory and practice that characterises this intense two-year programme is ultimately reflected in the production of two final projects – a public curatorial project as well as an academic thesis – during the final year. These two distinct but related projects exemplify the programme’s commitment to curatorial practice as a form of thought, experimentation, and research. Moreover, the curriculum systematically and self-consciously transgresses disciplinary and institutional boundaries and habits (e.g., creative expression and academic research) in the service of projects and practices that increase knowledge, freedom, justice, and equality.
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Programme overview
The first year of the programme consists of 7 courses, including a 10 week internship. All courses in the first 1,5 semester combine academic and theoretical studies with practice based exercises. Two courses – Epistemology of the Humanities and English for Academic Research – are mandatory for all MA students at the Faculty of Humanities. The first year ends with a 10 week internship in a Swedish or international institution.
In the second year, the students produce their Master examination, consisting of a Master thesis (30 credits) and a curatorial project (15 credits). Both courses are tutored through individual supervision, in combination with group seminars. The last semester is also open for elective courses (15 credits) at Stockholm University or another university in Sweden or abroad, after agreement with the Director of the programme.
Parallel to the courses, the programme arranges extra-curricular activities, such as talks, seminars, and collaborative projects.
Curating Art provides ample opportunity to partake in projects and events that continuously take place in Stockholm’s rich art scene. Thus, we urge the students to prepare for full-time engagement during the two years of education.
Year 1
Semester 1
- Curatorship, 7.5 credits (main field of study: Curating)
- Epistemology of the Humanities, 7.5 credits (main field of study: History of Ideas)
- Audiences and Participation, 7.5 credits (main field of study: Curating)
- Art Law, 7.5 credits (main field of study: Curating)
Semester 2
- Arts Management, 7.5 credits (main field of study: Curating)
- English for Academic Research, 7.5 credits (main field of study: English)
- Internship, 15 credits (main field of study: Curating)
Year 2
Semester 3
- Thesis – Master's Course I, 30 credits (main field of study: Curating)
Semester 4
- Curatorial Project – Master's Course II, 15 credits (main field of study: Curating)
- Elective course(s), 15 credits
Independent project
As their final examination, the Curating Art students produce a Master's thesis and a curatorial project, which could be an exhibition, or encompass a range of other formats. The curatorial project is supervised by a professional curator. Over a period of 20 weeks, the student produces an individual project that is often presented and examined at institutions and arts organisations in the local area, or within wider public contexts. The project can be empirically or thematically linked to the Master's thesis, which is produced in the previous term, such that the thesis writing process can also function as an extended period of research in preparation for the practical project.
Installation view of Within & Against, 2022. Photo: Jean-Baptiste Béranger -
How to apply
Applications are to be submitted online via the University Admissions website
Application dates are 15 October 2024 through 15 January 2025.
Please note: There will only be one application round. We regret that late or incomplete applications will not be considered. In addition, we strongly encourage applicants to apply as early as possible during the application dates. We receive a high volume of international applications to the programme each year. Applying early allows more time to address potential questions or requests for additional documentation should these be requested from the admissions staff.
To complete the application, supporting documentation has to be uploaded electronically or submitted by delivery service/regular post in time for RECEIPT (not date of post mark) by University admissions in Sweden by 1 February at the latest, please see further instructions in the pdf-file “Application instructions”. Applications lacking the required documentation will not be considered – please make sure that your application is complete, well before the deadlines! Please note that dates for next application period are still preliminary, and may be changed/updated during the fall.
Approx. 8-10 students will be admitted.
For prerequisites and detailed application instructions as well as course details, please see the link/pdf-file below!
Application Instructions, Curating Programme (107 Kb)
Please note that all supporting documents in the application must be issued in Swedish, Danish, Norwegian or English. Documents that are not issued in Swedish, Danish, Norwegian or English must be translated into either Swedish or English.
For foreign applicants, further general information on studies at Stockholm University is available here.
For further information about the program, please send an email to: curator@arthistory.su.se, or contact the programme coordinator, Nicole Bood, Phone: +46 (0)8 674 74 31 (by appointment).
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More information
Publication series
Studies in Curating Art was founded in 2014 to explore curatorial research and the connection between curatorial theory and practice. Edited around a selected theme, the series has typically provided an opportunity for students in the MA programme to work with publishing as a curatorial tool. It moreover acts as a platform for faculty research into the curatorial.
Collaboration
The programme is working close to contemporary art institutions in and around Stockholm. They provide opportunities for internships, contribute with mentors in the programme, and generate extended networks to the students.
The exhibition space Accelerator is situated right next to the Department of Culture and Aesthetics.These institutions mirror different aspects of the art field, stretching between publically funded museums and artists’ spaces, private Kunsthalles, commercial galleries etc. Although the programme has an extensive network and wide array of collaborations in and beyond Stockholm, some of its most frequent partners are:
Iaspis – the Swedish Arts Grants Committee's International Program
Magasin III Museum & Foundation for Contemporary Art
Staff
- Nicole Bood (Head of Curatorial Administration)
- Katarina Renman Claesson (Course leader Art Law)
- Magdalena Holdar (Head of Curating; Director of Programme)
- Robin McGinley (Senior lecturer; leave of absence 2024-25)
- Daniel A. Siedell (Head of Curatorial Pedagogies)
- Nina Øverli (Head of Curatorial Projects)
Subject board
- Nicole Bood
- Magdalena Holdar
- Robin McGinley (leave of absence 2024-25)
- Daniel A. Siedell
- Nina Øverli
- 2 student representatives
Alumni Advisory Board
TBA -
Meet us
Meet our students
Ruoxi is a Master’s student from China. She loves art and art history, and after working in a public museum during the pandemic, she decided that she wanted to become a curator.
"I’m interested in the intersection of Art and Technology, specifically focusing on interactive new media art. When I was born, my grandfather was just about to retire. He started to spend more time with oil painting, classic Chinese painting, Chinese root carving, and shufa—a type of calligraphy art using Chinese characters. I was so lucky to have the chance to sit by his side and watch him work when I was young. His passion for art deeply inspired me, and it sparked my own love for classical art.
I obtained my BA degree in Art History. I was mainly focused on classic artists, particularly Dutch Golden Age oil paintings, and art history, like global trade and how Chinese export porcelain made its way to Western countries, and how art became a part of people’s daily lives, appearing in their homes. And when Dutch oil painters started making portraits or landscapes, you’d often see Chinese porcelain somewhere in their paintings. I became really interested in how this happened, how world trade influenced daily life, and how art made its way into people’s homes.
The master’s programme I’m studying is focused on culture and aesthetics. Sometimes, what we learn isn’t just about looking at the art itself, but also understanding the trends, the stories behind the art, and the broader lessons art can teach us.
During my junior year, I had the opportunity to volunteer at the Venice Biennale. It was in 2019, and I spent a whole month there, working as an exhibition host. I soaked myself in contemporary arts in the exhibitions in different pavilions a that ignited a passion for curating in me. And the deeper I dig into the area, the more interested I become. In our study programme, we have the opportunity to curate an exhibition in collaboration with Fine art students. We have mentors guiding us, but for the most part, we manage things ourselves, and it’s a really nice way to try things out without fear of failure. And I think that’s important because you need to develop this kind of confidence if you want to succeed."
Ruoxi Gao
Meet our teachers
Magdalena Holdar is associate professor of art history and curatorial studies, Head of Curating; Director of Programme. Magdalena has been engaged in the Curating Art MA Programme since 2007 and has, as part of a small team of teachers, shaped its curriculum and pedagogy as a blend of theory and practice. Receiving her doctorate at Stockholm University in 2005 with the dissertation Scenography in Action: Space, Time, and Movement in Theatre Productions by Ingmar Bergman, she has since moved her research interest towards collaborative artistic practices in the 1960s and 70s. Her publication Fluxus as a Network of Friends, Strangers, and Things (2022) explores artistic strategies that fuse art and life through collaborative work, in particular as it takes shape on a transnational level. Her research on Fluxus has also been published in Journal of Curatorial Studies (2017), the edited volume The power of the in-between: intermediality as a tool for aesthetic analysis and critical reflection (2018), and the exhibition catalogue Ken Friedman: 92 Events (2023). She has also participated in collaborative Fluxus art projects and exhibitions. Her commitment to practice-based teaching and learning in the academy and the arts led her to a visiting faculty position at Amherst College, MA, and a teaching collaboration with the Mead Art Museum (Contemporary Art and Curatorial Practice, 2014). She also taught in the multidisciplinary project course Challenges for the Emerging City at OpenLab, KTH (2016-18), and courses in art history at Konstfack. She has held workshops in object-based learning and academic reading for university faculty. Her teaching in art history at Stockholm University includes courses on introductory and advanced level, as well as supervising PhD students. Together with Daniel A. Siedell she has established WETLANDS, a collaborative and performative research practice that investigates the intersection of art, art history, and the curatorial.
Nicole BoodNicole Bood is the Head of Curatorial Administration for the International MA in Curating, and Programme Coordinator for the MA in Art History. Before moving to Stockholm, she worked as a producer and exhibition coordinator at the High Museum of Art (2004-10) in Atlanta, where she helped organise large-scale, traveling exhibitions, including the production of exhibition catalogues. Prior to her work at the High Museum, she managed the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art (2000-03) and its collection. In Stockholm, her experience in art management and administration was broadened to include the management of gallery spaces and an international art consultancy. She also worked with Stockholm-based film festivals CinemAfrica (2016-19) and Tempo (2019), as well as, Influence Film (2016-18), a non-profit organisation aimed to develop audiences for documentary film. Her teaching experience in Sweden includes guest lectures on art and exhibitions at Konstfack (2012) and Stockholm University (2012; 2023). In the U.S., she taught the course Feminism and Art (2010) at Oglethorpe University. She holds an MA in Art History (feminist art, art of the African diaspora) from Georgia State University, Atlanta, and is an alumnus of the International Master’s Programme in Curating at Stockholm University.
Nina ØverliNina Øverli is Head of Curatorial Projects in the programme. She is a curator and educator whose work is of focused on performative and participatory practices, engaging through art with varying models of inquiry, including activism, politics and pedagogy. Existing in an intersection of dance and visual arts, her projects are often hybrids between exhibitions and performance events. Since 2019 she has been teaching Curatorial Practice at the MA Curating Art, SU, supporting students in realising their own curatorial projects in collaboration with external organisations and institutions such as Accelerator, Konstfack and Konstfrämjandet. Based in Stockholm since 2010, she has extensive experience in exhibition production and organisation of curatorial events for different organisations and institutions in the city, including Index (2016-18), Magasin III (2012-14) and Weld (2018 ongoing). From 2014-17 she ran an extensive publicly funded regional development programme for the region of Jönköping together with co-curator Therese Kellner, a project that culminated in the production of four new site-specific performative and participatory artworks, as well as a publication: ‘Side-Show - konsten som deltagande samhällsaktör’ published 2016 with Konstfrämjandet, Stockholm. Since 2018 she is a regular contributor to the programme at Weld in Stockholm, where she runs a series of discursive events and other curatorial projects. For three successive years she was also teaching Methods and Forms of Writing in relation to Artistic Practice at Stockholm University of the Arts and Audience and Participation at MA Curating Art, SU, together with Bronwyn Bailey-Charteris (2020-23). She holds an MA in Art Theory (Art History, 20th Century) from Goldsmiths College, London and is an alumni of the MA Curating Art, SU.
Daniel SiedellDaniel A. Siedell is an art historian and curator and the programme’s Head of Curatorial Pedagogies. His work explores the intersections of art and religion, creative and spiritual practices, theory and theology. His current research as Visiting Researcher at the Stockholm School of Theology focuses on the theory and practice of curatorial thinking as a theological method. He is also Head of Curatorial Teaching & Learning in the M.A. Curating Art programme at Stockholm University. His previous appointments include Presidential Scholar & Art Historian in Residence at The King’s College in New York City (2013-23) where he developed a curatorial studies course and museum studies certificate; Director of Special Projects, Studio Enrique Martínez Celaya in Miami (2007-13); Assistant Professor of Modern and Contemporary Art History at the University of Nebraska-Omaha (2007-12); and eleven years (1996-2007) as Chief Curator at the Sheldon Museum of Art (University of Nebraska-Lincoln), where he also taught art history and museum studies. His books include Weldon Kees and the Arts at Midcentury (University of Nebraska Press, 2003); Martínez Celaya: Early Work (Whale & Star, 2005); God in the Gallery (Baker Academic, 2008); Who’s Afraid of Modern Art? (Cascade, 2015); and Enrique Martínez Celaya: Work and Documents, 1990-2015 (Radius Books, 2016). Trained as a specialist in modern and contemporary art and theory, he holds a Ph.D. from the Program of Modern Studies at The University of Iowa (1995). In addition to independent curatorial projects, he is completing a second doctorate, Exhibiting God: The Curatorial as Theological Method, which explores the curatorial dimension of theological discourse. He and Dr. Magdalena Holdar have established WETLANDS, a collaborative curatorial project that investigates the intersection of art, art history, and the curatorial through practice based research methodologies that include performances, events, and installations.
Robin McGinley is a British musician, curator of sound and new media, freelance events producer and arts educator based in Stockholm. He holds a PhD from the Music, Technology and Innovation Research Group at De Montfort University, UK and is co-Director of Interactive Agents, the independent production company and R&D think tank. (Leave of absence 2024-25).
Meet our alumni
Waheeda Baloch, class of '11
–When I applied for the programme, I was basically an artist and art educator. I had a fine arts degree and was teaching at the Institute of Art & Design before coming to Stockholm, but didn’t know about the wide field of curating art that I was introduced to through the Master’s programme at Stockholm University. Curating in Pakistan needed to develop a lot and we still don’t have any institutions where one can get such specialized degree.
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Contact
Head of Curating; Director of ProgrammeMagdalena HoldarSenior lecturer, associate professor
Programme Coordinator
- Phone hours
By appointment.
