By Curating Design: Context, Culture and Reflective Practice

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. Review This is an essential document contextualizing the vital role the design curator plays in demystifying design and creating new audiences for contemporary design exhibitions. By covering the birth and development of curating as a profession, from the original private collections of strange and wonderful objects to contemporary seminal design shows, from the old cabinet of curiosities of the wealthy to current debates on artefact appropriation, it authoritatively sets the landscape for informed discussion. As the design profession expands to almost every sphere so does the curation of design. This book investigates the new frontiers of design and by doing so it validates design in each new frontier. Curating Design isn’t only valuable to design curation educators and practitioners but to anyone keen to understand and cater for the new appetite of contemporary audiences for exhibitions exploring the ever-expanding borders of design approaches to complex current topics. -- Fabiane Lee-Perrella, Founder of Flour Studio, UK Like the gifted curator she is, Donna Loveday gives this comprehensive survey of the fast emerging field of design curating a context of history and theory, while effectively highlighting individual stories. As both a practitioner and teacher, nobody is better placed than Loveday to unpick the intricate relationships between designers, curators and museums. -- Deyan Sudjic, Director Emeritus of the Design Museum, UK and Professor of Architecture and Design Studies at Lancaster University, UK About the Author 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.