Entry No. 3 Everyone is a Curator Now
I want to start out by stating that my thesis (still in development) will be focusing on curation and its origin, limitations and overall meaning in the 21st century. What is its place in modern society compared to its original intention? So needless to say, this particular article pulled my attention immediately. The meaning of the word “curation” has strayed far from the definition of the word. The article states the following “The word “curate” comes from the Latin “curatus,” the past participle of “curare,” which means “to take care of.” For years, in museums and archives, curators did just that: polishing finishes, inspecting canvases, layering archival tissue. The idea of curators as creative agents in their own right, and master of the kind of the sociopolitical commentary that underpins many of today’s exhibitions, is relatively new.” The “original” state of being a “curator” is no longer just about the act of caring for and maintaining the state of art objects or artifacts. It’s not just about putting exhibitions together either (another interesting point made later in the article about the potential separation of curation and “exhibition making”). Nowadays everything is “curated” and that makes anyone a “curator”. There is a lack of credibility and training in what it means to be a curator. An instagram feed is “curated” just like a fancy restaurant's menu is “curated”. On instagram the user whose profile it is is “curating” the images and videos but to what standard is the curation level held to? Is there even one? In the conventional environment for museums and galleries there is a somewhat flexible and adjustable standard but there is still a certain set of expectations a curator is expected to execute. But with a world saturated with “curators” where did the standards start or go? Hans-Ulrich Obrist, the artistic director of Serpentine Galleries in London, stated “The proliferation of “curating” speaks of a generation anxious for authority and authorship, and also for meaning.” The galleries and museums used to be the authority on curation but are now lacking in their own credibility with the stolen weight of the word curation. Curators are stuck trying to find their place in their own world.
““I see a curator as a catalyst, generator and motivator — a sparring partner, accompanying the artist while they build a show, and a bridge builder, creating a bridge to the public,” ”