Curator Neklyaeva Eva

Curating Performing Arts – A Handbook

I am applying for writing residency to focus on research and writing of the first handbook on curating within the field of performing arts. The term “curator” came into the performing arts from the visual art field in the beginning of 2000s, and since then firmly took roots, developing into a unique set of practices. With the increasing popularity of the profession, as well as appearance of new training programs within the academic field, there is a need for a practical, easily accessible handbook on the subject that can serve both as a guide for people entering the profession, as well as developing the discourse on curatorial strategies for practitioners. The handbook will rely on a large number of interviews and case studies from a global community of the performing arts, giving visibility to smaller institutions, new models of production, strategies for decolonizing curatorial practice, as well as the actual reality of producing complex projects in performing arts, working with limited means, in a constantly shifting and precarious environment. At the moment I am collecting data for the handbook and plan the online platform for the public conversation. The bigger part of interviews will be done in the fall 2021, and I plan to have the text ready for publishing in the end of 2021. The writing residency in the spring on 2021 will give me a possibility to write the first draft of the book.