The CCA work-based MA pathway is an ambitious partnership with, currently, 22 galleries and museums nationally, from the north-east of England to the Kent coast.* It combines professional experience in the workplace with an academic programme of studies, addressing current curatorial theories and critical debates in contemporary art, thus providing a unique training framework. Central to this tripartite collaboration between the Royal College of Art, Arts Council England and the national hosts, is the goal of training curatorial staff for the future: curators who are prepared to respond to new demands from both artists and audiences, and who themselves reflect the make-up of the nation’s diverse communities. The work-based MA pathway is a positive-action initiative for students from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds who possess a burning passion for contemporary art. Britain has changed enormously over the last 30 years, and the arts along with other areas of culture need to reflect that change – from developing new approaches to commissioning, through to establishing imaginative partnerships to support and publicise art from all disciplines. Our aim is to produce professionals who possess both the critical faculties and the practical skills to meet the demands of a dynamic visual arts sector.

The programme would like to recognise the commitment of the network of host organisations, student supervisors and personal tutors who generously gave both formal and informal support to the establishment of this pathway, and we wish all our graduating students from this new MA pathway every success in their careers as future shapers and enablers of the arts. 


* See student entries for the names of the 2010 –12 host organisations.