Curatorial Research Centre – Study it, Question it, Curate it

What we do


Education

Developing curatorial skills can help you in your professional and personal journeys.


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Research

Curiosity and the joy of discovery drives all of our work.


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Facilitation

Good facilitation has a lot in common with good curating.


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Latest ARTICLES


Animated GIF showing smart glass go opaque and then clear

When art meets science

The secret is in our name, which stems from the Golden Ratio, and points to the need to discover the ‘indices and ratios’ underlying art collections. Manoj Phatak, ArtRatio, 2019. The science behind conservation of precious art and artefacts is a concern for public galleries and private collectors alike. As curators we are always balancing […]


gramaphone horn Estonian National Museum

Immersive 3D sound as a tool for curators

Are you hearing my voice in your left ear? Then let’s get started. Visitors to Versailles exhibition binaural audio experience, The Met, New York City, 2018. Sound is a profoundly powerful sense. It can trigger memories, create experiences, and take people to new – and old – places. The philosophy of the Curatorial Research Centre […]


When is curating, not curating?

Putting photographs of beards on the internet isn’t curating. Emma King, museum curator. Everything is curated these days. We’ve all seen it. The Curator restaurant, Curators’ snacks, Curator clothes labels, beard curation and even curated ears–which has nearly 40,000 posts tagged on Instagram. By comparison #museumcurator is tagged in 4700 posts. But when is curating, not […]

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Our Philosophy

Curating narrows the gap between creating knowledge and communication. Our philosophy is inspired by the concept of creating collections of things. The act of collecting is about constructing knowledge (information and emotional) through explanation and stories. Possessing that knowledge bestows a person power. It is the curator’s purpose to share that knowledge (and its power) as widely and equitably as possible through brilliant communication and interpretation. 


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Curatorial Research Centre swirls

What Do We provide?

Course development

Digital and place-based course development for colleges, adult education, universities, individual organisations and groups. We have developed and are delivering a major work-based curatorial training and museum awareness course for Cornish museums called Citizen Curators on behalf of Cornwall Museums Partnership, supported by the Museums Association Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund.

Research projects

We help organisations analyse information and explore new subjects. Recently we have helped Historic England to update a guide to good practice and communicate shipwrecks to non-divers through 3D imaging on Sketchfab. Our research into medieval inscriptions has helped archaeologists at Tintagel to read words hidden for a thousand years.

Organisational help

Support for undertaking organisational change, leadership development and diversity and inclusion work. Our Director is an Accredited member of the Association of Facilitators and we have led facilitation events for the National Trust, Arts Council England and contributed insights to the Cultural Governance Alliance led by the Clore Leadership Programme.

Good Curating

Curate it all… 

…food, clothes, garden, music, colours, lights, writing, your room.

Good curating gives meaning to the choices you make when you choose, select and arrange.

It determines the ideas, people and stories you really care about. 

Study it
Question it
Curate it.

#goodCurating

Parlophone 45rpm record of Kites by Simon Dupree and the Big Sound.
Simon Dupree and The Big Sound, Kites, on 45rpm single by Parlophone, 1967. Part of a massive vinyl collection needing curation.

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