ARHT6932: Semester 2, 2025

Units ARHT6932 Semester 2 2025 [Normal day]

Unit outline_

ARHT6932: Ways of Curating: Exhibitions and Display

Semester 2, 2025 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Exhibitions are the key medium through which art is displayed and interpreted as a prominent and diverse part of contemporary culture. This unit engages with current exhibitions in Sydney art museums and art spaces to interrogate textual, theoretical, and exhibition-based strategies. Students will critically engage with ways of thinking about curating from decolonisation, globalisation and communities, to historical, narrative, biographical, feminist, queer and activist models as they relate to current exhibitions in situ. A range of curatorial appraches will be analysed alongside historical and current art exhibition critique.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Art History
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Donna Brett, donna.brett@sydney.edu.au

Assessment

The census date for this unit availability is 1 September 2025

Details
Criteria

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length	Use of AI
Presentation	Exhibition Review Review/Critique	40%	Week 06 Due date: 12 Sep 2025 at 23:59	2500 words	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
Written work	Research Project Essay Research Project	60%	Week 12 Due date: 31 Oct 2025 at 23:59	3500 words	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Detailed information can be found in Canvas

Assessment criteria

Refer to the Coursework Policy 2014, Schedule 1

For more information see guide to grades.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

You can use generative AI tools for open assessments. Restrictions on AI use apply to secure, supervised assessments used to confirm if students have met specific learning outcomes.

Refer to the assessment table above to see if AI is allowed, for assessments in this unit and check Canvas for full instructions on assessment tasks and AI use.

If you use AI, you must always acknowledge it. Misusing AI may lead to a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy.

Visit the Current Students website for more information on AI in assessments, including details on how to acknowledge its use.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The University expects students to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

Our website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. This includes advice on how to avoid common breaches of academic integrity. Ensure that you have completed the Academic Honesty Education Module (AHEM) which is mandatory for all commencing coursework students

Penalties for serious breaches can significantly impact your studies and your career after graduation. It is important that you speak with your unit coordinator if you need help with completing assessments.

Visit the Current Students website for more information on AI in assessments, including details on how to acknowledge its use.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Exhibition making and Curatorial practice: The Exhibitionary Complex	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 02	Exhibition and Display: Old and New	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 03	The Anatomy of an Exhibition	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 04	Thinking Curatorially	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 05	Decolonising the Museum: Strategies and Discourse	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 06	Indigenous Modes of Curation	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 07	Other Approaches: Feminist Curatorial Strategies and Queering the Art Museum	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 08	Activating Collections: Interventions and Time	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 09	Distraction, Spectatorship and Wretched Screens	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 10	Spaces for Art	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 11	Spectatorship and Audiences	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 12	Reviews and Critique	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 13	QandA Discussion	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance is compulsory. This unit will be run primarily at the Art Gallery of NSW. Remote access is limited to offshore students only.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Terry Smith, ‘The Australian Art Exhibitionary Complex’, in The Australian Art Field: Practices, Policies, Institutions, edited by Tony Bennett, Deborah Stephenson, Fred Myers, and Tamara Winikoff (London: Routledge, 2020).

Steven Miller, The Exhibitionists: A history of Sydney’s Art Gallery of New South Wales (Sydney: AGNSW, 2022), chapters 2 and 19.

Michael Brand, ‘Introduction’, in Michael Brand ed., The Sydney Modern Project: Transforming the Art Gallery of New South Wales (Sydney: AGNSW, 2022).

Terry Smith, Thinking Contemporary Curating (Independent Curators International, 2012), Preface and chapter 1.

Terry Smith, Thinking Contemporary Curating (Independent Curators International, 2012), chapter 2.

Cara Pinchbeck, ‘Yiribana … This Way’, in Michael Brand ed., The Sydney Modern Project, chapter 3.

Stephen Gilchrist, ‘Indigenous Curatorial Interpellations: Insistence and Refusal’, in The Australian Art Field: Practices, Policies, Institutions, edited by Tony Bennett, Deborah Stephenson, Fred Myers, and Tamara Winikoff (London: Routledge, 2020), chapter 18.

Nicholas Chambers, ‘Between here and there: collecting and displaying modern and contemporary international art’, in Michael Brand ed., The Sydney Modern Project, chapter 6.

Terry Smith, Thinking Contemporary Curating (Independent Curators International, 2012), chapter 4.

Justin Paton, ‘Something always not seen’, in Michael Brand ed., The Sydney Modern Project, chapter 14.

Isobel Parker Philip, ‘Looking forward: contending with the contemporary’, in Michael Brand ed., The Sydney Modern Project, chapter 13.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Demonstrate a strong understand of exhibition curatorial strategies
LO2. Articulate critical analysis of exhibition making through written and verbal communication
LO3. Undertake detailed research and articulate complex ideas
LO4. Understand the role of exhibition making in contemporary culture at the intersection of art, curating exhibitions, historical and contemporary critical reception

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

This unit has been redesigned to enable close analysis of curatorial, exhibition and display strategies.

Additional information

This unit is designed to analyse and critique exhibition and display methodologies and practice at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Over the duration of the course we will consider a diverse, yet focussed range of questions that will lead us through the North and South galleries to consider curatorial strategies of the past and present.

Additional costs

only public transport

Site visit guidelines

Site Visits to the Art Gallery of New South Wales

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Additional costs

Site visit guidelines

Disclaimer

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