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Lesson 1 of 8
  • Year 11

The role and impact of curators

I can analyse, explain and apply curatorial principles.

Lesson 1 of 8
New
New
  • Year 11

The role and impact of curators

I can analyse, explain and apply curatorial principles.

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These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Curators organise and manage art exhibitions to enhance viewer understanding.
  2. Curators use space and flow to shape how viewers experience art.
  3. Curation involves selecting, arranging, and presenting artworks.
  4. Curators impact how art is perceived and interpreted by the public.

Keywords

  • Curation - the process of selecting and organising items in a collection, like artworks, objects, or digital content

  • Exhibition - a display of items such as artworks or objects, usually in a space such as a museum or gallery

  • Layout - the way things are arranged in a space

Common misconception

Making an exhibition is just about hanging art.

Curation requires skills and knowledge. Curation can create connections and a narrative between individual works.


To help you plan your year 11 art and design lesson on: The role and impact of curators, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Print a selection of case studies of exhibitions with curation or notes as per Task A.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Sticky notes, access to the internet for research or pre-prepared examples of exhibitions with curation of note.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these is a place where you are unlikely to see art displayed?

a gallery
a hospital
a public space
Correct answer: an airplane

Q2.
An exhibition is ...

a type of fabric used in fashion design.
a workshop where artists learn new skills.
Correct answer: a place or event where work is displayed for an audience.
a technique for printing on textiles.

Q3.
What does the word “theme” mean in art and design?

Correct answer: the main ideas or subject explored in a piece of work
the type of material used in a project
the artist’s name or signature
the price of an artwork

Q4.
What is the main purpose of an art exhibition?

to sell art materials
Correct answer: to showcase artwork to an audience
to teach people how to draw
to hold competitions for artists

Q5.
What is an artist’s statement?

a written explanation of the artist's life history
a written explanation of the artist’s hobbies and interests
a written explanation of the artist’s goals for the next year
Correct answer: a written explanation of the artist’s work, ideas, and process

Q6.
Why do artists research other artists’ work?

to insult their techniques, inspiration, and ideas
to directly copy techniques, gain inspiration, and reproduce their work
Correct answer: to learn techniques, gain inspiration, and understand different ideas