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Grand Union
Education

University of Birmingham MA Art History and Curating

Education

Since 2016 Grand Union has collaborated with the Department of History, Curating and Visual Studies at the University of Birmingham to create opportunities for early career curators.

A wide exhibition view in which a variety of sculptures and structures can be seen.

Exhibition view, 2019, On the subject of precarity.

Grand Union staff lead on taught sessions and work with each cohort of students to co-devise a public project in connection with the existing programme at Grand Union. Students spend time researching specific areas in relation to Grand Union’s core artistic outputs, such as exhibitions, public programmes, and online resources, working together, with guidance from the team, to undertake research, studio visits with artists, and devise a public presentation of their work. There are also opportunities to engage with the inner workings of Grand Union throughout the year, from exhibition openings to shadowing meetings with artists.

We work together closely on developing student’s practice, whereby topics might include how to curate contemporary artists and artwork; conducting ethical studio visits; making a project proposal; presenting a programme for and with audiences; using PR and marketing; writing project copy; making projects more accessible; fundraising for artistic projects; working with designers; learning how to work across disciplines (exhibitions, digital, publications, public programming and learning and education); and developing key evaluation skills.

For previous examples please see the drop-down menu below:

A landscape image of many people sitting and standing around desks covered in craft materials, working on creating objects. At the far side of the room, the wide doorway is open to the outdoors, where a gazebo covered in fairy lights and more people can be seen. A disco ball and DJ equipment can also be seen in the foreground of the image.
Unmasking || Remapping: Masked Ball and Workshops, Digbeth First Friday, June 2024, Digbeth, Birmingham. Image Courtesy of Grand Union.

Unmasking || Remapping was a series of events designed and planned by Ella, Ruozhu, Karolina, Jingnan, Lottie, and Rose from the MA Art History and Curating course at University of Birmingham. This programme responded to our exhibition, ‘Love is Real, and It’s Inside Of My Computer’ by Babeworld x utopian_realism, exploring themes of neurodiversity, inclusivity, and accessibility.

This programme saw many exciting events including a Masked Ball with performances from utopian_realism and Naoibh McNamee; workshops with Babeworld and Bunny Bissoux; an Emotional Mapping workshop with Lee Mackenzie; and a screening and Q&A with Babeworld and Anne Duffau in collaboration with Flatpack Film Festival. The students also commissioned a new publication, produced by The Holodeck, featuring writing by Roo Dhissou, Bunny Bissoux, and Naoibh McNamee.

A landscape image of a lightly-coloured gallery space. At the centre of the image, an artwork consisting of three knitted jumpers with oversized arms hanging from a silver rod, suspended from the ceiling. Between the jumpers, a screen with an image of a green tree canopy is visible to the right, black headphone hang alongside the screen. To the left, small objects sit on little white shelves, and there is a large window.
‘Support Structures’ by Emelia Kerr Beale, ‘There Has To Be Somewhere’ at Grand Union, 2023. Image by Patrick Dandy.

‘There Has To Be Somewhere‘ was a group show that presented sculptural, textile, ceramic, and film works by artists Rachael House, Lucy Hutchinson, and Emelia Kerr Beale, curated by the 2022-23 UoB MA Art History and Curating cohort.

Each of the works exhibited explored personal experiences and collective histories, challenging societal norms of belonging. The artists explore themes of well-being, self-acceptance, self-advocacy, and support, that spark conversations around disability, queer identity, and feminist issues.

The exhibition title was chosen as a hopeful yet urgent message towards somewhere we can take comfort and make our own; sanctuary is not primarily a place but something that can be lived. There Has To Be Somewhere was created as a quiet space for contemplation and discussion. Through displays of craft, the exhibition looks at the past and present to correct misconceptions, rewrite narratives, and imagine desirable futures. The works’ collective reference to the natural world reminds us of the healing power of nature which can recentre us in times of discomfort.

A landscape image of a dark gallery space. Wooden columns are scattered around the space, in various sizes and positions. A person dressed in black sits upon part of one of the columns, as sunset-coloured lighting shines down upon them and the installation.
Mina Heydari-Waite, Installation view of ‘In sleep it made itself present to them’, Grand Union 2022. Image by Patrick Dandy.

‘The Age of Dreamers is Over’ navigated the historical scales of anthropogenic* rupture, and the converse potential for collective healing. This immersive exhibition brought together interactive sculpture, sound, and light works from artists Louise Beer, Jack Lewdjaw, and Mina Heydari-Waite. Unified by the idea of the night and darkness as a site of creative energy and potential growth, the three artists included in this exhibition have examined forms of rupture from the climate crisis; to revolution and colonialism; to the decay of the English high street. Reflecting upon the notion of ruination and rebuilding, ‘The Age of Dreamers is Over‘ explored the impact of human hands on one another and on the very world we live in – if we have the capacity to destroy then we can also attempt to mend and create.

*Anthropogenic: originating in human activity.

A square graphic image. Curving, calligraphic black text reads 'On Tropism' across the centre of the image; the word 'on' is much smaller than 'tropism'. The background of the image is a soft mushroom cool-toned beige shade.

‘On Tropism‘ was a project platforming new bodies of work by three Grand Union studio artists, in June 2021. ‘On Tropism‘ consisted of an online performance by composer Dan Cippico; illustrations displayed on billboards across Birmingham’s canals by Mengxia Liu and a mail art project by photographer Adam Neal. Each artist’s work is accompanied by online panel talks, providing space for everyone to discuss the themes and topics addressed within their work in more detail.

“Tropism” is a biological term that usually refers to the movement of a plant’s growth, in response to external stimulus. It encapsulates how both curator and artists’ conceptions of art making and display have been challenged and expanded, during a time of rapid adaption to new and untested ways of working. The innovative mechanisms of display utilised by ‘On Tropism’ are the result of approaching the many obstacles brought about by a global pandemic as an opportunity to think creatively.

A landscape image of a publication lying upon a medium-grey surface. The publication features a bright, light blue cover which reads 'Borderlines of the Present' in black text, with various sizes of black lined rectangles. The edge of the publication is staggered, and looks like a staircase.
Borderlines of the Present, publication, 2020.

‘Borderlines of the Present‘, celebrated the recent works of two UK-based artists Farwa Moledina and Nick Jordan. They explore themes of resistance to binary perceptions by giving voice to communities – Muslim women and Tripolitan craftsmen – that exist in ‘in between’ spaces. This project attempts to bridge the communication gap in art appreciation by subtly guiding the readers through the social, art historical and political contexts of the artworks. By launching ‘Borderlines of the Present‘ as a website and a print publication, it caters to people who enjoy the intimate act of reading whether online or in the feel of a book.

This publication has been produced by the 2019-20 cohort of students on the MA Art History and Curating programme at the University of Birmingham.

A landscape image of a brightly lit gallery space. Various artworks are visible through the space, including large pieces of translucent fabric hung from a black metal frame, painted with swirling earth-toned abstract patterns, and a wooden swing suspended from the ceiling with painted fabric on its seat. The shiny grey concrete floor reflects light from the room-wide windows.
‘On the subject of precarity’, Exhibition view, Grand Union, Birmingham, 2019.

‘On the Subject of Precarity‘ was a group exhibition with artists Betsy Bradley, Gareth Proskourine-Barnett, and Rafal Zajko. The term precarity – a state of perpetual instability – seems to be especially pertinent within the current moment. Informed by a widespread sense of collective societal anxiety, the exhibition explores the perception of precarity in the entanglement of past, present, and imagined futures.

‘On the Subject of Precarity’ opened on Digbeth First Friday in May, where visitors were invited to watch the deconstruction of Rafal Zajko’s ice sculpture – a performance piece that explores ideas surrounding instability.

A landscape image ofs a white-walled gallery space, with its windows covered by blinds. Within the space, there is a large screen showing a black and white erotic image. Two people, dressed in dark clothes, sit upon a white mattress, looking towards the screen.
‘After BUTT’, 2018, Ian Giles.

‘Three Models for Change’ was a group exhibition with artists Chris Alton, Ian Giles, and Greta Hauer curated by MA Art History and Curating students Ryan Kearney, Alice O’Rourke, Ariadne Tzika at the University of Birmingham, in association with Grand Union and hosted at Stryx Gallery.

‘Three Models for Change‘ was a group exhibition asserting the importance of historical awareness in establishing the future potentials of communities. The works in this exhibition fluctuated between three actual and staged narratives: the formation of a fictional Quaker-punk band; the staging of cross-generational Queer histories; the uncertainty surrounding a newly formed volcanic island and its territorial disputes.