The Center for Curatorial Studies and Art in Contemporary Culture at Bard is a highly respected program. CCS Bard students studying the curation of contemporary art (art made from the 1960s until the present). CCS Bard only awards master's degrees, but also allows students to develop their curatorial skills in student-run exhibitions. Its proximity to New York City's contemporary art scene is another attraction for potential applicants.
Center for Curatorial Studies and Art in Contemporary Culture
Bard College
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504-5000
845-758-7598
bard.edu/ccs/ccs/
The California College of the Arts in San Francisco offers graduate degrees in Curatorial Practice as well. The term "curatorial practice" is deliberate, as CCA designs its program to teach curatorial methods of present non-traditional forms of art making. The first Curatorial Practice program on the West Coast, CCA also covers art practices in Asia and Latin America, to include San Francisco's diverse cultural scene.
Graduate Program in Curatorial Practice
California College of the Arts
1111 Eighth St.
San Francisco, CA 94107-2247
415-551-9239
cca.edu/academics/graduate/curatorial-practice
The International Studio & Curatorial Program of East Williamsburg, Brooklyn offers curator residencies of three to 12 months. Though the ISCP does not offer a degree, such programs allow the aspiring curator to make important connections and take a creative and largely self-motivated approach to curating. The ICSP began as a program of artist studio residencies, but expanded its program in 1999 to recognize the increasingly important role that curators play in contemporary art. The ICSP allows future curators to work closely with working artists, take advantage of guest lectures by prominent curators and artists as well as pursue academic interests.
International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP)
1040 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211
718-387-2900
iscp-nyc.org/f_programs.html