This week I enrolled on the MA Curating course at Sunderland University. I thought it time to get something academic and art related. I struggled with the decision – do I go for an MFA, practice based – but then I couldn’t convince myself that this was the right move – what would I actually achieve? A lot of my work currently is about researching new practice and I get to play a lot in my or other peoples studio’s around making work but not necessarily having to produce a definite product at the end of it. I also know how tenuous the life and income of a freelance artist is and I wanted something tangible which may contribute to putting some food on the table in the future.
I like working freelance but having more tools in your portfolio that you can do is no bad thing. I enjoy writing and would like to write about art but lack the knowledge of art history and all that contextualises – I want to be able to write about art – others’ and my own – in a more informed, critical way. I want this to push me to make better work too. In addition I also want to be able to expand that skill base around exhibiting/curating/galleries and education. Working with a producer on Fragmenting the Codex has been a real eye opener and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without her.
Considering all these factors lead me to the MA Curating. The thought of going back into academia is daunting – reading, writing essays, tutorials etc whilst trying to earn a living to pay for it and therefore manage projects of my own – it seems a massive undertaking.
The image below is an installation view of text at The Tetley as part of my No Time For Nostalgia residency.
