Curating Design

Illustrated with contemporary case studies, Curating Design provides a history of and introduction to design curatorial practice both within and outside the museum. Donna Loveday begins by tracing the history of the collecting and display of designed objects in museums and exhibitions from the 19th century 'cabinet of curiosities' to the present day design museum. She then explores the changing role of the curator since the 1980s, with curators becoming much more than just 'keepers' of a collection, with a remit to create narrative and experiential exhibitions as well as develop the museum's role as a space of learning for its visitors. Curating as a practice now describes the production of a number of cultural and creative outputs, ranging from exhibitions to art festivals; shopping environments to health centres; conferences to film programming as well as museums and galleries. Loveday explores how design has come to the fore in curatorial practice, with new design museums opening around the world as well as blockbusting exhibitions of fashion and popular culture. Interviews with leading practitioners from international design and arts museums provide a spotlight on contemporary challenges and best practice in design curatorship.

Donna Loveday is an independent curator, writer and educator, and Course Leader of the MA Curating Contemporary Design at Kingston University, UK, in partnership with the Design Museum London, UK. She was formerly Head of Curatorial at the Design Museum and has over twenty years' experience of curating headline exhibitions and creative programmes.

List of Illustrations List of Contributors Acknowledgements Introduction Part One: Displaying Designed Objects in Museum and Exhibition Contexts, 1800s-2000 1.1 Cabinets of Curiosities and the Formation of the Public Museum 1.2 International Exhibitions 1.3 The Decorative Arts Museum and the Modern Art Museum 1.4 The Emergence of the Design Museum 1.5 A Rising Public Interest in Design 1.6 The Growing Popularity of Design Exhibitions 1.7 New Programmes to Train Curators Part Two: The Curatorial Turn, 1980-2020 2.1 A Changing Political Landscape for Museums 2.2 The Educational Turn: The Museum as an Ideal Learning Environment 2.3 Producing New Curatorial Formats: The Public Programme Curator 2.4 The Experiential Turn in Museums 2.5 Designing Exhibitions as Narrative Space 2.6 Curating Narrative and Experiential Exhibitions Part Three: Interviews with Eight International Design Curators 3.1 The Reflective Practitioner 3.2 The Interviews Corina Gardner (Victoria and Albert Museum, UK) Andrea Lipps (Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, USA) Riya Patel (The Aram Gallery, UK) Sumitra Upham (Crafts Council, UK) Renata Becerril (Abierto Mexicano de Diseño, Mexico) Fleur Watson (Centre for Architecture Victoria, Australia) Wilhelm Finger and Melita Skamnaki (Double Decker, UK) 3.10 Curating the Design Programme Closing Comments Bibliography Index