curatorschap

Curatorship, or curatorschap in Dutch, refers to the office, role, and practice of a curator within cultural institutions such as museums, galleries, libraries, and archives. The term covers the stewardship of collections, the interpretation of objects, and the development of exhibitions and related programs.

Core responsibilities include acquisitions and collection development, research and interpretation, documentation and cataloging, condition reporting and conservation coordination, arranging loans, and planning exhibitions. Curators formulate themes, write scholarly texts, and collaborate with conservators, educators, designers, and researchers to present objects to the public.

Career paths typically require training in art history, archaeology, museum studies, or a related field. Roles range from assistant or junior curator to senior curator or head of a department. Curators may be employed by institutions or work as independent curators, and they often manage project budgets, grants, and donor relationships.

In contemporary practice, curatorship involves ethical considerations, inclusion, and decolonization of histories. Debates concern representation, provenance, and the responsibilities of institutions toward communities connected to objects, as well as how histories are constructed and presented.

See also: curator, museology, curatorial studies, exhibition, collection management.