How I got my break as a curator

The curatorial profession is specialised and competitive. Six curators tell us how they got their career break.
Neon sign saying "this must be the place" against geometric painted wall. Curator job

ArtsHub recently spoke to six curators across three states about why they loved their jobs. We wanted to take that conversation further, so we asked them how they landed their first curatorial position.

Unsurprisingly, most of them started off volunteering before stepping into professional roles. The curatorial field is specialised and competitive, but it is also one of those career pathways that is designed to allow fresh talent to bubble up, and emerging curators to then step into mid-career roles.  

Unlock Padlock Icon

Unlock this content?

Access this content and more

Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's National Visual Arts Editor. For a decade she worked as a freelance writer and curator across Southeast Asia and was previously the Regional Contributing Editor for Hong Kong based magazines Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. Prior to writing she worked as an arts manager in America and Australia for 14 years, including the regional gallery, biennale and commercial sectors. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW. Twitter: @ginafairley Instagram: fairleygina