The Center for Curatorial Leadership acknowledges the increasing need for curators to learn new skills that are essential in the new museum climate. These skills combine traditional curatorial connoisseurship and art historical scholarship with administrative, managerial, and fundraising expertise. Simply stated, the aim of the program is to create a new kind of curator, one who is able to take responsibility for the art in his or her care, and who is also capable of handling the internal and external managerial responsibilities integral to their institution. The Center is located in New York City, and draws upon the rich resources of museums and academic institutions in New York and elsewhere. An advisory board, including distinguished directors, trustees, curators, collectors and other cultural leaders from across the country, plays an important role in the ongoing development of the Center.
Cost:
The CCL absorbs the cost of tuition, travel, and accommodation for the fellows.Fellows:
The Center attracts curators currently working in American art museums at all levels of the profession. The group comprises ten carefully selected fellows each year; most have had at least ten years of curatorial experience. Mentoring is a key element of the program. Directors and trustees from museums around the country serve in an advisory role and participate in curriculum development.Curriculum:
The curriculum consists of a combination of "teaching" and "doing." Professors teach concentrated academic courses in non-profit management, finance, negotiation, board development, and strategic long-range and short-term initiatives. Museum directors and administrators provide hands-on instruction.In addition to this intensive program, throughout the year the Center plans to hold executive leadership seminars during which directors, trustees and curators will come together to share information about the most important issues currently facing the museum world.
Beginning each year in January, the program consists of the following:
- A two-week intensive program in New York that includes teaching (led by faculty members from Columbia University's Business School) and practical exposure and assignments (to be provided by museums, cultural institutions, and other civic organizations across the city)
- A one-week residency at a museum different from the curator's home institution
- A mentorship to cover the overall six-month time span of the program
- A long-term team-based project to be decided by the fellows in January and presented in June, on a topic of importance to the museum profession at large
- In June, a final week residency with team assignments
The program combines readings, direct teaching, individual practice and team projects. The following areas are important topics addressed by the program:
- Change Management
- Decision Making
- Finance
- Managerial Accounting
- Strategy
- Negotiation
- Conflict Resolution
- Organizational Structures
- Human Resources
- Governance
