Drawing alumna on working as assistant curator for renowned UK exhibition

Can you tell us more about what your role will include?  

My main job is to coordinate artists, particularly installation artists, who submit site-specific proposals for their work to appear in the cathedral. I’m there for encouragement, advice and to offer an extra pair of hands and eyes. I’m also responsible for moving, placing and tweaking any artwork in the exhibition, as well as liaising between artists and the cathedral’s stonemasons to help make every proposal come true.  

It’s important for the artists to feel confident and accomplished in their work, since a lot of them have been making these pieces for months leading up to the exhibition. Things don’t always go to plan, as the artists ultimately need to slot their work into the complex architecture of a 13th-Century gothic cathedral, which can be logistically quite challenging. The pieces I’ve helped unpack, inspect and place are situated in every area of the cathedral, from the wet grass of the churchyard to the 50ft rafters of the nave. Sometimes all it takes is to shift something an inch to the left, and the work feels like it has always belonged there.

I’m here to make the artists feel like they’ve done the best they possibly can, and that starts with how I make them feel about the work they’ve made for this historic space. Alongside curating, I was asked to help select the winner of the St Cuthberts Mill Prize for a work on paper, which was very exciting. I feel proud to be advocating for Drawing in the wider contemporary art scene.

In what ways will you bring your learnings from your course to your new role?

My degree in Drawing has given me a strong understanding of visual language and the relationship between art and its surroundings. These aspects are central to my role as an assistant curator, especially when working with site-specific installation.  

My degree encouraged me to look closely, think critically and remain open to interpretation, all of which inform how I approach the curation of installations in an unconventional show space. I hope to bring a drawing practitioner’s perspective to the role, considering space, process, composition and narrative.

How did you find your experience of studying BA(Hons) Drawing at Falmouth?

The BA(Hons) Drawing course shaped the way I see. What I loved about the course was how our tutors and technicians came from backgrounds in research, professional practice, stone carving, printmaking, filmmaking and more, so I was always backed by the idea that drawing is transferable to any kind of creative role.  

The course takes on a small group each year, so you get a real in-depth understanding of different people’s processes, practices and aspirations. I was always encouraged to explore my interests in curation alongside my studio practice, whether that was in the presentation of my own work or the work of my peers. We were often challenged on the perceptions of our work and the choices we made in presenting it, and I think that was what made me realise I could build a career from being on the ‘other side’ of exhibitions. I feel ready to tackle the art industry with this degree.

Learn more about the exhibition with Wells Art Contemporary

Explore BA(Hons) Drawing at Falmouth