SPECIALISATION
Interior Design

DEPARTMENT
Design and Applied Arts

INSTITUTION
NABA, Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti - Milan Campus

ACCREDITED BY
Italian Ministry of Education and Research

TITLE AWARDED
Second Level Academic Degree

CFA
120

LANGUAGE OF TUITION
Italian or English

COURSE DURATION
2 years

Established in 2006, the Two-year course in Visual Arts and Curatorial Studies is among the first academic programs to pair solid education in the field of artistic production with highly specialized curatorial practice. The course, directed by Marco Scotini, is supported by world famous artists, curators, critics, filmmakers and intellectuals that are already part of the contemporary art system, and investigate the complex relation between art and visual culture, aesthetics, and social dynamics. Through an integrated approach with pedagogy, and the organization of events, exhibitions and publications, the study plan opens a research-based path - that is, it approaches art through a research method applied to different fields of knowledge. First of all, art is made by research and theory. Thanks to the positioning of the Visual Arts Department within the contemporary art system, and to its links with international institutions as well as prestigious professional contexts, the students can carry out many cross-disciplinary activities through lectures, workshops, seminars and exhibitions with the aim of creating new educational and operational models in contemporary art.

Ideal students have a good background of contemporary art, strong motivation and a natural inclination towards everything related to visual arts, curatorial practice, publishing, exhibition design, as well as a strong aptitude for work and openness to the exchange of ideas.

For admission procedures, please refer to the Academic Regulations.

This Master of Arts Degree course aims at providing the students with advanced training to fully master the methods and artistic techniques leading to the acquisition of professional competences, that are up to the contemporary art system. The course supports the development of sound professional figures in the entire field of contemporary art, based on:

• Sensible and mindful understanding of a methodological approach which enables the future professional to deal with a wide range of projects through a consistent vision, as well as to successfully manage all parameters, variables and technical competences needed to develop real-scale artistic and curatorial projects.

• The ability to develop critical approach that can enable the students to efficiently express themselves in any professional context, both local and international, and to deal with the constant variability and unpredictability of the contemporary scenarios.

• The in-depth investigation of the limits and complexity of the contemporary art system thanks to critical awareness, under- standing of meanings, creative and experimental thinking, inclusive and multidisciplinary approach, as well as self-expression through projects and research.

During the course, students are engaged in different kind of activities, according to the specific learning goals. Those activities may include:

• Front lectures

• Use of tutorials, videos or other media tools

• Development of individual or group projects

• Individual study or research

• Debates and presentations during classes

• Exercises and revisions

• Workshops

• Classroom demonstrations

• Visits to companies and organizations in the specific professional field

• Seminars and workshops with industry professionals or representatives

• Intensive workshops on specific subjects

• Individual sessions and tutoring

The achievement of learning goals is generally assessed at the end of the term, although intermediate evaluations may occur. Assessment methods vary according to the learning goals being assessed and may include:

• Verbal exams

• Written exams

• Practical demonstration

• Graded exercises

• Graded revisions

• Papers

• Complete projects

• Submission of papers, projects or research works

The Two-year MA course in Visual Arts and Curatorial Studies, is divided into 4 semesters of didactic activities, followed by a period dedicated to extra-didactic activities (internship, study abroad) and research for the dissertation work. Each academic year is focused on a specific theme, linked to the contemporary cultural debate.

The Visual arts 1 and Visual arts 2 courses reflect on an essential moment of the artist’s and curator’s activity: the production of artistic work that will be part of a critical and expository context. Curatorial studies 1 and Curatorial studies 2 introduce to the critical and curatorial practice by analyzing the themes of the production of exhibition models, guiding the students into first-hand experience in carrying out a curatorial project, from the creation of object-based narratives to the conception of different exhibition formats.

This teaching is linked the Critical writing 1 and Critical writing 2 modules, where the students will analyze the main codes and formats to communicate and evaluate a work of art, an exhibition, an artistic event, and at the same time will become familiar with the specialized magazines, as well as with press offices and printed or web communication.

The Exposed cinema studies module covers the ways cinema, video and web become part of the new exhibition formats such as biennials, museums and art collections. Finally, the Economics of art course helps understanding the economic and evaluation implications of the art system through its designated places, such as commercial galleries and auction houses. The courses of Exhibition design 1 and Exhibition design 2 include the Editorial studies module, and revolve around the investigation of the exhibition and editorial design options, that is, the theoretical and practical research around the idea of expanded display and art publishing (where books are also conceived as display areas). The Photography course starts with the study of analogic and digital media as preferential expressive media to understand the contemporary imagination, and the anthropological and social research. The course in Phenomenology of contemporary arts aims at analyzing creative acts and the singularization processes within the environment, i.e. ecosophy. Starting with the analysis of the evolution of museum spaces, the course in Museology reflects on today’s deconstruction of the traditional system, in favor of new temporary, ephemeral exhibition areas. The Visual anthropology course analyzes the influence between men and images, starting from the issue of the status of images in the contemporary system, to investigate their role and function in the everyday reality.

Finally, the History of contemporary art investigates the existing links among different cultural movements and contexts of the 1900s, also presenting original re-discoveries in contemporary art.

Moreover, the plan of this Two-year MA course is completed by a wide range of opportunities for extra-curricular project and educational experiences (workshops, collaboration with public and private institutions, activities with visiting professors, etc.). Starting from the fourth semester, the students are bound to individually and independently develop a research project on themes of personal interest. The research can involve semester abroad studies aimed at the completion of the Thesis for their Master of Arts Degree. According to NABA’s academic calendar, the students have about 10 months time from the end of the didactic activities to write their thesis and defend their final dissertation. Over the same period of time, the students can complete their training with vocational experience (internship) by public or private institutions, artist’s studios, archives, art galleries, or through NABA’s partnership projects (work experience).

The Two-year Visual Arts and Curatorial Studies MA course graduates have all the theoretical, technical and designing tools to start a professional career in different areas of the contemporary art system, among which museums, galleries, biennials, private foundations, archives, auction houses, newsrooms and publishing houses, to become:

• Artists

• Curators of exhibitions and events

• Editors for specialized magazines and books

• Art critics and art writers

• Exhibition Designers

• Registrars

• Museums and art galleries directors

• Art Managers

• Art Advisors - professionals who evaluate collections and archives in collaboration with public and private institutions.

• Consultants for auction houses

• Art dealers

• Managers of private foundations and private collections

The Two-year MA course in Visual Arts and Curatorial Studies graduates can undertake Doctoral studies in the fields of visual arts, curatorship, history of art, cinema.

At the end of the course, successful students will be able to:

• Prove their knowledge and understanding at a deeper level than what typically associated with lower courses of study, as well as their ability to devise and/or apply original ideas, in the scope of research.

• Develop deep understanding of the historic, artistic, cultural, political, social and economic roots of contemporary art and of its aesthetic reference models on a global scale, far from the western-centric thinking.

• Develop thorough knowledge of the practical and theoretical tools for artistic, curatorial, publishing, staging, and historic-critical projects.

• Develop thorough understanding of materials, techniques and technologies used in the fields of visual arts, curatorship, exhibition design and publishing.

• Verify the learning skills and inclination to self-sufficiency that allow for a constant development of research and application, in a self-directed and innovative way.

At the end of the course, successful students will be able to:

• Organize their individual or team work, by means of applying the most efficient methods, to carry out an artistic and curatorial project.

• Develop and carry out different kinds of projects in the fields of visual arts, curatorship, exhibition design and publishing.

• Apply the most efficient artistic production techniques and strategies, in order to develop and verify their projects.

• Apply the most efficient visual and textual communication strategies to represent their artistic and curatorial projects.

• Apply the most efficient strategies to promote their projects and/or personal profiles.

At the end of the course, successful students will be able to:

Profitably work individually and in a group, develop their organizational skills and deal with different professional figures.

Efficiently communicate their ideas, in a clear and straightforward manner, as well as the knowledge and reasons behind them, to specialized and non specialized audience, graphically or verbally.

Identify and properly address their professional aspirations, also evaluating the necessary tools and strategies to develop an independent professional career.

Assess their own competence and identify, if any, further training paths in the academic or professional environment.

At the end of the course, successful students will be able to:

• Apply their knowledge, understanding skills and problem solving ability to new or unfamiliar situations, in wider (or cross-disciplinary) contexts related to their scope of study.

• Integrate knowledge and manage complexities, as well as be able to evaluate the scenario even when information is limited or incomplete, including an assessment of social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of their knowledge and judgment.

• Analyze the contemporary art scenarios through mindful interpretation.

• Understand the evolution as well as political and cultural innovation phenomena of the contemporary societies.

• Understand customer requests within a wide and complex range of social and cultural references, and take into account the multiple instances that are the theme of an artistic and curatorial project.

• Assess research tools and strategies in contemporary art, in order to conceive and anticipate new artistic and curatorial visions, as well as new production and exhibition scenarios.

• Develop a personal and mindful approach to projects, based on a strict proceeding method and on the consistent use of critical thinking about the values and meanings of project and research.

• Develop an innovative and experimental approach to projects, by identifying new possible relations and links among the project itself and its social, political and cultural context.

• Develop an aptitude to be flexible and adaptable in their theoretical and design competences.