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fee said: > I think New Media in particular is SO new (comparatively:) that > different rules apply. I know technology far better than i know a > 'venue'. I know an online audience far better than physical visitors, > and I wouldn't dream to assume that my skills (as they are) would apply > across the borders. However, is an online curator still a curator - do > you have to have 'met' your artists in order to curate them? <and...> > So to expand on my own question, 'Am I curator?'...should I find out by > applying for 'other organisation/venues' curatorial positions, or by > continuing internally to create opportunities for exhibiting > creativity? Is it the brand or the dream that stimulates a good > exhibition? I had a gradual drift from being someone who actually made work to being a curator. At some point, around 1995, I realised that I found other people's work far more fascinating than my own, and found it extremely rewarding (emotionally, not financially!) to try and create opportunities for artists I liked to make fantastic works. The jobs I had after that were spent trying to find these opportunities to make interesting work happen. Sometimes it was in a gallery context, sometimes it was public art, sometimes it was on mobile phones, sometimes it was an event with speakers. What defines you as a curator is a curiosity about interesting work and a passion to share it with others. Everything else - venues, non-venues, budgets, audiences, etc - is learnt experience, and anyone can gain that if they have a bit of chutzpah and can stick it out for a few years. What defines great curators is passion and curiosity, not just a knowledge of exhibition administravia. The people I most admire for curating interesting work - sara diamond, steve dietz, andrew chetty, peter ride, ben weill, sara cook, eddie berg and many others - have huge amounts of experience and chutzpah, but more importantly a genuine passion for what they curate. Having said that, a key part of the curator's role is to make it as easy as possible for the artist to make the work they want to make, so being good at battling with museum directors, planning officials, marketing departments and funders is essential. There's been quite a few projects where i've struggled in that area, and the artists have suffered. That's not good curation, even if you have all the curiosity and passion in the world. matt