MA in Art History / MA in Curatorial & Museum Studies

Both the Art History and the Curatorial & Museum Studies programs offer lively MA by coursework programs (run in conjunction with the Art Gallery of South Australia); an MA by research and a PhD program - the last two programs are part of the higher degree by research programs in the School of History and Politics at the University of Adelaide.

Postgraduate studies represent the culmination of student training in Art History and we offer a vibrant research community in which postgraduates take an active role in furthering Art Historical knowledge

Master of Arts (Studies in Art History) and Master of Arts (Curatorial & Museum Studies)

From 2009, a new double degree, Master of Arts (Studies in Art History) and Master of Arts (Curatorial & Museum Studies) will be offered. The combined degree program enables students to undertake a comprehensive and complementary (historical, theoretical and practical) curriculum based on both art historical and curatorial & museum studies coursework, a minor art history thesis and two curatorial & museum studies research projects as well as a 20-day industry internship.

Master of Arts (Studies in Art History)

The Master of Arts in Art History is a course-work masters program. The Dissertation or thesis is the final component of the Graduate Program in Art History, worth 12 units of a total 36 units for the Masters degree. After successful completion of the Dissertation, students graduate with the award of MA in Art History.

Students may undertake the dissertation program full-time over 1 semester or part-time over 2 semesters.

The Thesis/research project
ARTH 5520 (full time)
ARTH 5521A & 5521B (part-time)

The dissertation gives students the opportunity to pursue an area of interest which might also prove of benefit in future career paths. It aims to develop in students a capacity to work independently, to carry out research and to report the results in a formal document that demonstrates the ability to argue the case. The Dissertation should be 15,000 - 18,000 words excluding abstract, bibliography and appendices.

The dissertation can be a thesis by research or a project. A Project might take the form of working to a brief negotiated jointly with the Program Coordinator and the Gallery. For example, it might comprise the work required to mount an exhibition, prepare a catalogue, feature a particular part of the collection, or make a new acquisition, to be submitted as a report in a form negotiated between the candidate, the supervisor(s), and the Course Coordinator.

Depending on the thesis proposal and area of interest, one or two supervisors may be allocated to supervise the dissertation (either by thesis or by project) and they may be from the University, or the Gallery, or both. There may be some instances where an outside supervisor is co-opted

The following staff can offer supervision:
Associate Professor Catherine Speck, Coordinator, Graduate Program in Art History
Professor Ian North, Visiting Fellow, School of History & Politics
Dr Georgina Downey, Visiting Fellow, School of History & Politics

MA thesis topics completed

Pre-requisites for entry

1. an honours degree in a relevant field at 2A or higher
2. completion of the Graduate Diploma in Art History subjects at a distinction level average

NB: the thesis topic must be in a course taken as part of the graduate diploma.

Time Commitment
The Masters by coursework program consists of a fortnightly work-in-progress seminar, held on alternate Friday afternoons from 3.30pm - 5.00pm and individual supervision sessions. Most of the student's time is spent in researching and writing the dissertation. Students should meet with their supervisor(s) every 2-3 weeks for 45-60 minutes approximately.

Assessment
The dissertation is assessed by two examiners, neither of whom will have supervised the work. Students submit 2 soft bound copies of the thesis for examination.

Master of Arts (Curatorial & Museum Studies)

The Master of Arts in Curatorial & Museum Studies consists of four coursework courses in Art History (which is equivalent to the Graduate Diploma in Art History), followed by two specialist MA courses in Curatorial & Museum Studies - Curatorial & Museum Studies A and Curatorial & Museum Studies B. Each of the Curatorial & Museum Studies courses contain a research project and Curatorial & Museum Studies B features an internship.

List of Readings

Curatorial and Museum Studies A focuses on the history and philosophy of museums and their collections; cultural and ethical issues of collecting; collection development, display and interpretation of permanent collections; databases, registration practices and collection management. Students will complete a self-directed research project.

Set Texts:
Museum Methods, Museums Australia, 2002.
Preziozi, D. Grasping the World: The Idea of the Museum, Ashgate, 2004.
Simpson, Moira G., Making Representations: Museums in the Post-colonial Era, Routledge, London, 2001.

Curatorial and Museum Studies B looks at the nature and purpose of exhibitions; the role of the curator; exhibition development, display and interpretive programs; public programs marketing, sponsorship and funding. Students will complete a 20 days internship in a gallery or museum, and a self-directed research project.

Set texts:
Barker, E. (ed) Contemporary Cultures of Display, Yale University Press and Open University, New Haven, London, 1999.
Heathcote. C. The Exhibition Handbook: A Practical Guide for Organising Exhibitions in Australia Museums, Galleries, Libraries and Community Centres, Museums Australia Inc. (Victoria), Melbourne, 1997 (out of print).
Rouette, G. Exhibitions: A Practical Guide for Small Museums and Galleries, Museums Australia, 2007.
Thompson, J.M.A. (ed.) Manual of Curatorship: A Guide to Museum Practice, 2nd edition, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, 1992 (out of print)
Wallace-Crabbe, Marianne, Guidelines for Internships, Art Museums Association of Australia, Fitzroy, Vic., c1993.

What is an Internship

Interns are exposed to a broad experience of the life of the Art Gallery of South Australia and other galleries and museums. Student placements include working in the curatorial section of an art gallery in collection-based research and exhibition development; and puublic programs including education, marketing and public relations.

The exact nature of the internship program negotiated depends on the time of the year and the specific needs and commitments of the Gallery or Museum staff involved.

The internship aims to

• broaden students' skills, expertise and experience in museum and gallery work
• enable students to explore how specific areas of a museum operate (for instanct the curatorial department) and to see how such activities fit into the larger institutional infrastructure
• develop in students an understanding, awareness and critical appreciation of the museum and gallery culture
• develop specific skills in students including collection-based research, cataloguing, researching artists and their work for forthcoming exhibitions, writing captions and wall text panels, becoming familiar with conservation issues and planning an exhibition hang

The following staff can offer supervision:
Associate Professor Catherine Speck, Coordinator, Graduate Program in Art History
Dr Lisa Mansfield, Lecturer, Graduate Program in Art History
Professor Ian North, Visiting Fellow, School of History & Politics
Dr Georgina Downey, Visiting Fellow, School of History & Politics
Julie Robinson, Senior Curator of Prints, Drawings & Photographs
Tracey Lock-Weir, Curator of Australian Art
Rebecca Andrews, Assistant Curator of Australian Paintings & Sculpture
Jane Messenger, Associate Curator of European Art
Robert Reason, Curator of European & Australian Decorative Arts
James Bennett, Curator of Asian Art
Maria Zagala, Associate Curator of Prints, Drawings & Photographs

Pre-requisites for entry

1. an honours degree in a relevant field at 2A or higher
2. completion of the Graduate Diploma in Art History subjects at a distinction level average

Time Commitment
The Masters by coursework program consists of a weekly work-in-progress seminar, held on Tuesday afternoons from 3.00pm - 6:00pm and individual supervision sessions. Students should meet with their supervisor(s) every 2-3 weeks for 45-60 minutes approximately.

Assessment
The research project consists of a 9,000 word paper for each of Curatorial and Museum Studies A & B.

MA by research and PhD programs in Art History

• Australian art
• Gender representation and space
• Landscape and landscape theory
• Modern art and modernity
• Contemporary art
• Photography and the history of photography
• Australian Indigenous art
• British art
• Art theory: postmodernism and post-colonialism

The following staff can offer supervision:
Associate Professor Catherine Speck, Coordinator, Graduate Program in Art History
Professor Ian North, Visiting Fellow, School of History & Politics
Dr Georgina Downey, Visiting Fellow, School of History & Politics

The MA and PhD program consists in an initial structured program, regular supervision sessions and an annual postgraduate conference presentation to the Discipline of History postgraduate community.

Prerequisites for research degree entry

1. MA: pre-requisite is a BA (Hons.)
2. PhD: prerequisite is a BA (Hons) or an MA degree

Current PhD students and topics
Jane Hylton, South Australian Colonial art
Avis Smith, The history of china painting in Australia
Jennifer Harris, The acquisition of 'civilisation and enlightenment': the formation of Japanese art collections in Australian public galleries and museums from 1879 - 1945.
Karen Magee, The Photography of Captain Samuel White Sweet (1825-1886).

Dr Vesna Drapac (vesna.drapac@adelaide.edu.au) coordinates the research degree program in the History discipline, but initial enquiries about Art History topics should in the first instance be made with Dr Catherine Speck (catherine.speck@adelaide.edu.au)

For more information about the Research Degree program at the University of Adelaide, see http://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/postgrad/