Curatorial Practice and Exhibition Creation
CEAS 405A
Fall 2026
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01
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This Course in curatorial practice is intended to culminate in the curation of an exhibition to be featured in the Center for East Asian Studies (CEAS) Gallery in second semester, 405B. Through biweekly seminars in the Fall semester, students will be introduced to curatorial thinking and strategies, developing both academic and practical skills to create exhibitions as a form of critical practice. Students will learn, consider, and critique the different approaches to the display and interpretation of objects (how they are telling a story and why). Professional experience in the visual arts field will be gained through the planning, research, and realization of a project in the gallery. The course will be co-advised by the Assistant Curator of Education and Associate Director of Visual Arts at the Center for the Arts and a relevant member of the CEAS faculty, who will consult on the exhibition. Wesleyan¿s East Asian Art and Archival Collection (an educational resource collection that includes works of art in various media from East Asia) will be the resource from which to curate an exhibition, which would also involve working with the Collections Manager. This seminar is an opportunity for students to work with Wesleyan arts professionals, collections specialists, and faculty to curate an exhibition in this space. Exhibition topics can vary but must have an East Asian component and/or be aligned with the focus of the Mansfield Freeman College for East Asian Studies. These proposals are only a starting point, as projects will be refined and developed over the course of the tutorial. Students may end up curating in teams (consisting of at most two students) or independently, depending on class size and project areas. Students interested in applying but without a project in mind are encouraged to set up a meeting with Wendi Field Murray, Manager of the East Asian Art & Archival Collection, to discuss potential areas of research (wmurray01@wesleyan.edu). Please note that the intended commitment to an exhibition is two semesters. The first semester course, CEAS405A is the research and development of the exhibition, the second semester course, CEAS405B will be devoted to the production, installation, and programming of the exhibition. |
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| Credit: .5 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA CEAS |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (College of East Asian Studies Minor)(College of East Asian Studies) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
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Examinations and Assignments:
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Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
To apply, students should submit a curatorial project proposal or a statement of interest in curating from the CEAS collection (250 words) by July 1. Applications should be emailed to Rosemary Lennox, Assistant Curator of Education, rlennox@wesleyan.edu, and Ben Chaffee, Associate Director of Visual Arts, bchaffee@wesleyan.edu.
Exhibition topics can vary but must have an East Asian component and/or be aligned with the focus of the Mansfield Freeman College for East Asian Studies. These proposals are only a starting point, as projects will be refined and developed over the course of the tutorial. Students may end up curating in teams (consisting of at most two students) or independently, depending on class size and project areas. Students interested in applying but without a project in mind are encouraged to set up a meeting with Wendi Field Murray, Manager of the East Asian Art & Archival Collection, to discuss potential areas of research (wmurray01@wesleyan.edu). Please note that the intended commitment to your exhibition is for two semesters. The first semester course is the research and development of the exhibition; the second semester course will be devoted to the production, installation, and programming of the exhibition.
Class meets twice/month on Wednesdays at 11:00 am
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Instructor(s): STAFF
Times: TBA; Location: TBA |
Permission of Instructor Required
Enrollment capacity: 12 | Permission of instructor will be granted during the drop/add period. Students must submit either a ranked or unranked drop/add request for this course. |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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