Four cities to discover different perspectives on curating

Santander, Bilbao, San Sebastian and Pamplona have been the first destinations visited by the students of the 3rd promotion of the Master in Curatorial Studies of the Museo Universidad de Navarra on their curatorial field trips. Following the security measures required by the pandemic, the 19 students, from 9 countries, have visited museums, galleries, artists' studios and other projects under the guidance of their directors. During these trips, they have had the opportunity to discover first-hand museums, galleries and art centers, artists' workshops and diverse and innovative projects that have offered them different perspectives on curatorial work.
 

For Manuela Muñoz Cossio, a 25-year-old Costa Rican, "in the midst of the uncertainty and constant perimeter closures, it has been incredible to be able to leave Pamplona with the master's degree. In each place we have been able to see many different ways of doing culture and living art: giants like the Guggenheim, the Botin Center, Tabakalera, locals like Fluent and Altxerri Gallery and unique ones like Chillida Leku and Centro Arte Faro. This has allowed us to contrast real practice with the theory we learn in the classroom on different scales and models". In this sense, he stresses that it has allowed him to "recognize the broad terrain in which curatorial practice is developed, even if it is in a close and reduced physical territory and, above all, the need to be aware of it". 

In this sense, Víctor Acebrón Delgado, 23 years old and from Alcalá de Henares (Madrid), emphasizes that the trips have helped them to better understand "the cultural panorama of the cities we go to and to understand many practical aspects that we have seen in class. Most of the trips have been really rewarding as they have allowed us to visit and get to know places and people that would have been practically impossible without the help of the museum.

Thus, on each outing, guided by their directors, curators and artists, they have visited institutions and projects such as the Botin Center,the Faro de Cabo Mayor Art Center and the Fluent project, in Santander; the Guggenheim Museum, the Azkuna Zentroa and BilbaoArte, in Bilbao; Chillida Leku, Kubo Kutxa, the Altxerri Gallery, Juan Aizpitarte's Reflex Space and Tabakalera, in San Sebastian; the Museum of Navarre and the Citadel, in Pamplona; and the Huarte Center for Contemporary Art, in Huarte.

For Acebrón, of all these destinations, "the most spectacular and special was the Guggenheim, due to its relevance in the world of contemporary art. But I also found interesting visits to alternative spaces like Fluent or the visit to the artist's studio in San Sebastian. Muñoz highlights visits like the one to the Huarte Center: "It was very enriching because we were able to hear from the mouth of one of the four directors the complete history of the project, its vision, its mission, successes and failures. We were also able to see a living space, occupied by artists with different and varied proposals".

Likewise, the student points out the proposals of Tabakalera and Azkuna Zentroa: "As both institutions are large-scale models with very broad programs, we were able to compare and contrast a posteriori. Also at Galeria Altxerri and Fluent we were able to talk and meet those who manage gallery models and smaller-scale curatorial projects and the possibilities and challenges they present".

Both students agree on the importance of having those responsible for each institution or project share their experience. "They have been very close people, willing to tell us about their experience with transparency and to answer all the questions we could think of about the spaces and projects," says the Costa Rican. This week, the students will travel to Vitoria.