From Coping to Curious: Unlearning and Reimagining Curatorial Habits of Care

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Reckitt, Helena. 2023. From Coping to Curious: Unlearning and Reimagining Curatorial Habits of Care. In: Elke Krasny and Lara Perry, eds. Curating with Care. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 169-182. ISBN 9781032069913 [Book Section]

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Abstract or Description

This essay argues for the need for a shift in approaches to curatorial work, from one of ‘coping’ to ‘curiosity.’ Drawing on my experiences working in contemporary art institutions, I reflect on how I felt compelled to present an image of unflappable poise. While my relationships and affects were instrumentalised at work, it struck me that the only feelings I felt entitled to display were those that could be put to institutional use. Arguing against the perpetuation of the coping curator, who downplays systemic problems and suppresses her own feelings, I propose the less anxious, more collaborative, unguarded, and experimental figure of the curious curator. To support my argument, I foreground key curatorial and institutional initiatives, carried out in non-profit arts organisations in the UK, Scandinavia, and Northern Europe, that demonstrate a commitment to more equitable, caring, and emotionally rewarding ways of working.

Item Type:

Book Section

Identification Number (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003204923-17

Additional Information:

"This is an Accepted Manuscript of a book chapter published by Routledge in 'Curating with Care' on 15 March 2023, available online: https://www.routledge.com/Curating-with-Care/Krasny-Perry/p/book/9781032069913. It is deposited under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way."

Keywords:

Feminist Curating, Curatorial Labour, Feminised Labour, Care of the Self, Institutional Feeling, Institutional Psychology, Instituting Otherwise

Departments, Centres and Research Units:

Art

Dates: