Minor Overview

About this minor
The Curatorial Studies minor is designed to assist you in the development of your career prospects in art galleries, museums and other cultural institutions. Curatorial Studies balances the study of art history with the study of collecting and curating from historical, contemporary and practice-based perspectives. You are exposed to the museum and gallery environment through gallery-based learning and ‘behind-the-scenes' site visits to cultural institutions, and, there are opportunities to undertake intensive study tours in artistic capitals such as Paris, Rome and China. A key component of the Curatorial Studies minor is an internship in visual arts organisations where you will be supervised by professionals so that you can develop your curating skills in ‘real-life' situations. This invaluable workplace experience, coupled with your study of art history and curatorial practices, provides a unique opportunity for those seeking to broaden their base of practical and professional competencies. For students taking a minor which shares units with their other unit sets (majors or minors): in order for minors to be recognised on academic and graduation documents, students may only have a maximum of one unit overlapping between their unit sets.
Outcomes
Students are able to (1) locate artworks within their historical, social, cultural and political contexts; (2) articulate connections between art history and curatorial practices; (3) evaluate the organisational structures and practices of collecting institutions; and (4) demonstrate practical knowledge of the processes associated with caring for collections and developing exhibitions.

Units

Key to availability of units:
S1
Semester 1
S2
Semester 2
N/A
not available in 2025 – may be available in 2026 or 2027
Take the following unit:

Availability Unit code Unit name Unit requirements
S2 HART3204 Curatorial Studies Internship
Prerequisites
ARTF2000 Curatorial Practices
or HART2274 Introduction to Museum and Curatorial Studies
Take unit(s) to the value of 6 points:

Availability Unit code Unit name Unit requirements
S1 HART1000 Ways of Making: The Creative Process and Material History of Art
Incompatibility
Successful completion of
level 1 6 points Unit(s) HART1000 Great Moments in Art
S2 HART1003 Ways of Seeing: Themes and Theories in Art None
Take unit(s) to the value of 12 points:

Availability Unit code Unit name Unit requirements
S1 ARTF2000 Curatorial Practices in Contemporary Arts
Prerequisites
Successful completion of
one level 1 Unit(s) in your chosen degree
Incompatibility
VISA2051 Curatorial Practices
S2 HART2274 Introduction to Museum and Curatorial Studies
Prerequisites
HART1000 Great Moments in Art (formerly VISA1000)
or HART1003 Ways of Seeing: Themes and Theories in Art
Incompatibility
VISA2274 Introduction to Museum and Curatorial Studies
Substitute units—students can substitute one of the following units for either ARTF2000 or HART2274:

Availability Unit code Unit name Unit requirements
N/A HART2001 Curating First Nations Art
Prerequisites
Successful completion of
HART1000 Great Moments in Art
or HART1003 Ways of Seeing: Themes and Theories in Art
or INDG1150 Aboriginal Encounters: Strangers in our Backyard
or INDG1160 Boodjar Moort Katitjin: Introduction to Indigenous Heritage and Knowledge
Incompatibility
HART3001 Curating First Nations Art
N/A HART2044 Contemporary Art and Tradition in China
Prerequisites
HART1000 Great Moments in Art
or HART1003 Ways of Seeing: Themes and Theories in Art
Incompatibility
HART3044 Chinese Art: Contemporary and Traditional
N/A HART2203 (Inter)national History of Art Study Tour
Prerequisites
Completion of 1 of the following units: HART1000 Great Moments in Art (formerly VISA1000), HART1003 Ways of Seeing: Themes and Theories in Art, ARCT1010 Drawing History, ARCT1001 Art, Technology and Society (formerly HART1001)
or LACH1020 The Culture of Nature
Incompatibility
Students may not be able to complete this unit if they have already completed HART2042/3042 Living Paris: Experiencing and Representing the Modern City and/or HART2283/3282 Rome.