Curating Structures

Join curator Kirsteen Macdonald and members of the LUX Scotland team for Curating Structures, a workshop that is part of LUX Scotland’s professional development programme for early career Aberdeen-based artists and curators.

Why work as a group? What can we do together we can’t do by ourselves? How might non-institutional curatorial work be structured? This workshop explores questions of cooperation and collaboration beginning with a presentation and reflection on Kirsteen’s recent curatorial research and practice. The session will continue through short readings and participant discussions to consider different experiences of organising your own work.

The event is open to those who are interested in learning about different approaches to making public programmes of moving image work, collaboration and cooperation. We would expect that the group would include participants at an early stage of their career who would value learning new methods and developing their interests in a supported space led by an established curator. There are 15 spaces available and no prior experience of curating is expected.

Please note that the workshop is for participants based in Aberdeen who are no longer in full-time education.

Kirsteen Macdonald is an independent curator and researcher based in Glasgow. Her doctoral research (completed in 2020) explored the curatorial as both dependent on, and a form of, local infrastructure. She is co-founder of the curatorial cooperative Chapter Thirteen and has developed discursive platforms including Framework (2010 – 15) and Curatorial Studio (2016 – 20) supported by the Scottish Contemporary Art Network. Her recent curated projects include Chikako Yamashiro’s solo exhibition ​‘Chinbin Western’ for DCA, Dundee (2021); ​‘Home Economics’ at The Pearce Institute for GI Festival (2021); PARSE Journal ​‘Art and Work’, Gothenburg, Sweden (2018); and ​‘What’s Love Got to Do with It?’ with philosopher Vanessa Brito at Galerie Art-Cade, Marseille, France (2018). She currently works as Visual Arts Officer at Creative Scotland and Associate Lecturer in Art History at Newcastle University. Between 2014 – 18 she was a Lecturer in Design, History and Theory at the Glasgow School of Art; worked for Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art (2009 – 12); Timespan in Helmsdale (2010 – 12); was a Board member of engage-the national association of gallery education (2007 – 11); Market Gallery, Glasgow (2011 – 14) and an inaugural member of the advisory board for LUX Scotland.