Curatorial Studies

About this Course

This workshop is a collaboration between Mathaf Arab Museum of Modern Art and the VCUarts Qatar Alumni and Community Education Program.

This initiative offers a general introduction to curatorial practice across two sessions, during which participants will explore the criteria and challenges shaping the field today. While the emphasis will be on contemporary art, other disciplines will also be addressed, along with the impact of social media in recent decades.

Following an introduction to the specific remit of curators — including a small number of case studies — the course will adopt a hands-on approach, addressing practical challenges through group exercises. Where and how does a project begin? What are the options for moving audiences through space? How can research that accumulates behind the scenes be shared or communicated effectively? Participants will be encouraged to present their own curatorial efforts and exchange constructive feedback. Sessions will rely strongly on collective engagement.

The course will also highlight the rich history of artists appropriating curatorial strategies for their own purposes. Ideally, it will inspire artists and designers to develop curatorial experiments of their own. A third and final session will take place after a short break, allowing ideas to mature, questions to form, and time to complete a small assignment introduced during the first two sessions.

This seminar builds on the experience of the April 2025 Mathaf seminar, Why Curating, which demonstrated a growing local interest in curatorial studies. By engaging with VCU alumni, the workshop also seeks to strengthen ties with a community that is of significant value to Mathaf and Qatar Museums — both as an audience and as a pool of potential future collaborators. Ultimately, this initiative also serves as a step toward establishing a dedicated curatorial training program in the Gulf region.

Who should attend?
Individuals interested in curating exhibitions of contemporary art, and those wishing to learn how to submit proposals to venues, apply for internships, pursue a career in the arts, or undertake a university degree in Curating or Museum Studies.

Class Outline

• Session 1 : Introductions, basic terms and case studies
• Session 2 : Practical collective exercises 
  
  

Schedule

Start: Tues, 27 Jan, 2026
End: Sun, 8 Feb, 2026
Lessons: 2
Days: Sunday & Tuesday
Time: 5:00- 7:30 pm
Location: Mathaf Modern Museum of Arab Art
Cost: Free

Instructors

Tirdad Zolghadr, Mathaf Curator of Academic Engagement

Tirdad Zolghadr is a curator and writer who has been a member of the curatorial team of Mathaf Arab Museum of Modern Art Doha since 2024. Published writing includes fiction, art criticism and curatorial research, e.g. REALTY: Beyond the Traditional Blueprints of Art & Gentrification (Hatje Cantz 2022). Curating includes biennial settings as well as long-term collective initiatives. Teaching engagements most recently include a Guest Professorship at the postgraduate program of the University of the Arts Berlin (UdK). Zolghadr has been an advisor at the Rijksakademie Amsterdam since 2008.