Art curating class takes over NYC

Author: Mallory Falk

After 16 years as chief curator of the Middlebury College Museum of Art, Emmie Donadio has taken on a new role: Winter Term professor. Her class, Curatorial Practicum, is less of a traditional History of Art and Architecture course than novel experiment. Though students complete many standard assignments - writing papers, making PowerPoint presentations, researching artists online - they also, less conventionally, take the lead: by the term's end, they will choose contemporary artwork for the Museum collection. "This class [is] a great hands-on introduction to the business side of the art world," says Katherine Franklin '05.5. "I really feel like [we're accomplishing] something."

Curatorial Practicum has been six years in the making. In 1999, an alumna set up an acquisition fund, allowing Middlebury students to select and purchase photography, film and video art. History of Art and Architecture, Studio Art, and Film and Media Culture majors and minors joined Donadio in the decision-making process - additional help came from those involved in the Museum Assistance Program. Though students were central to the project, Donadio did much of the work, finding artists and sorting through research materials. The group made its selections from slides and JPEGs. The project was a success, but Donadio sought something more intensive. "[I thought] it would be best if students could see the works first-hand," she says.

So began the push for Curatorial Practicum. Donadio designed a class that gave students more control over and access to the artwork. Culminating in a four day trip to a number of New York galleries, Curatorial Practicum provides students with a true buyer's perspective. The six members of Donadio's class - who range from first-years to senior Febs and all have strong backgrounds in the arts, now do most of the research themselves and even recommend artists for consideration. In New York, they will meet with the artists and view selected photographs up close. The class will visit between 14 and 16 galleries, some of which currently employ Middlebury alumni. Donadio hopes to stop by a couple of artist galleries and art museums as well.

After the trip, students will be better able to choose pieces for the collection. They must decide whether to acquire a few large works or several smaller, less expensive pieces. The group typically purchases three to four photographs but, as Donadio notes, the students may choose to "spend all the money on one acquisition or get something less known that costs less."

Curatorial Practicum is a rare course offering. Donadio knows of only two other schools with a similar program. Students are given a great deal of responsibility: they are trusted to spend the endowment wisely and select strong contemporary works. "This is serious business," Donadio says. She admits that the project is still an experiment, but believes that both she and her students have benefited greatly from the class. "One could argue for doing this in a semester," Donadio says, admitting that she would like to continue and perhaps even expand the course. Thanks to the alumna donation, Curatorial Practicum could receive funding for another four years. Franklin agrees. "I think the class has been a success," she says. "We've learned a great deal about a wide variety of contemporary photographers and video artists, some well-established and others a bit more cutting edge and have made well-informed decisions about which artists would best serve the purposes of our museum."