Professional Trajectories of Novice Art Curators in Contemporary Russia: Current Situation and Prospects

The profession of contemporary curator, which emerged in the West in the 1960s and 1970s, came to Russia only in the last decade of the 20th century. Thirty years later, curatorship as a profession is still in the process of professionalization. The reason for this is not only in the specifics of the Russian art system, but also in the lack of legitimization for curatorship in society. These aspects have an impact on the conditions of professional formation of novice professionals. Accordingly, the goal of this paper is to determine how professional trajectories of novice curators are constructed within the contemporary Russian art system and the position of the profession of curator in Russia, in general. For this purpose we need to consider such concepts as motivation to enter and stay in the profession, professional self-identification, specificity of educational and practical experience in the profession, professional plans and success in the profession within the framework of this study. The informants of this study are 2nd and 3rd year undergraduate students and 1st and 2nd year graduate students majoring in curatorship. The results of the study showed that when it comes to personal motivation for entering the profession, aspiring curators tend to focus on internal satisfaction from being in the profession rather than on material wealth, prestige, or fame. We can say that novice curators formulate their professional mission oriented on the transformation of the field of contemporary art in general. The role of education in the professional development of beginning curators in Russia is ambiguous. Nevertheless, it provides an opportunity to carry out practical work, which is a key way to increase social capital and professional competences of the novice curator. According to the results of the study, we can also talk about the lack of a unified understanding of the construction of professional plans by novice curators. In addition to this, there is no unified understanding of success in the profession; the informants are mainly focused on the internal understanding of success achieved by organizing exhibition projects. In theoretical terms, this work can serve as a basis for a subsequent study of the institutional conditions of professional development as a curator within the Russian art system. Moreover, the data obtained as a result of the study can contribute to the formulation of effective policies to support emerging professionals.