As an aspiring curator, Diego was drawn to ECA because of the community environment of the School. History of Art being a part of the art college provided Diego with opportunities to meet and work with artists.

Since graduating, Diego has been able to find a job as a curator and has gained experience researching collections, making exhibitions, and lecturing at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Why I chose to study Modern and Contemporary Art: History, Curation and Criticism - MSc

Firstly, the inspiring and radical work of my programme directors, Dr Angela Dimitrakaki and Dr Kirsten Lloyd, assured me that ECA would be a place where I would be supported in my goal of challenging hegemonic narratives in the history of art.

As an aspiring curator, I was also drawn to the fact that the History of Art department was part of the art college – it provided me with opportunities to meet, dialogue and work with artists, which I am always looking to do.

Finally, the University of Edinburgh’s reputation for academic rigour was a big draw.

My time at ECA

I had an overwhelmingly positive experience at ECA and I found the environment simultaneously creative, experimental and academically rigorous which was very intellectually stimulating. I felt supported by the academic and professional services staff throughout my entire time there. Three years after graduating, I still speak with my Personal Tutor, Dr Kirsten Lloyd, and Dr Lucy Weir for guidance and advice.

I interned at the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) in Glasgow which gave me a first-hand view of Scotland’s rich contemporary art scene and provided me with curatorial experience in a major museum that helped when applying to future jobs. Along with the two other interns, I curated a public programme for one of GoMA’s exhibitions. As part of my course, I only participated in individual research projects, but through my initiative, I co-curated a small exhibition on the grounds of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art alongside a fellow course mate.

If I were to start again, I would make a more concerted effort to work with artists at ECA, across a number of disciplines, through my independent initiatives. In addition to this, I would ask the programme directors to include more non-Western histories of art into the course curriculum. 

My experiences since graduating

After graduating, I felt saddened to leave both a city that I had grown to love and the intellectually fulfilling environment at ECA. Like many of my course mates, I aspired to work in curation. Although this did not happen immediately, I successfully applied for the position of assistant curator at the Essex Collection of Art from Latin America at the University of Essex in 2019.

Since then I have gained experience researching collections, making exhibitions, and lecturing at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. In 2020, I was hired for an academic position as a project curator within the School of Philosophy and Art History at the University of Essex for a project examining environmental sustainability and the arts in Latin America.

My biggest achievement since leaving ECA has been launching this project, titled entre – ríos, in which I commissioned over twenty research projects, alongside two co-curators, by artists, scientists and activists which are housed on a bespoke digital platform. Along with the launch of this platform, we curated an accompanying exhibition at the University of Essex, a series of workshops at the National Autonomous University of Mexico and will be curating a display at BienalSur.

My advice to new and current students

My advice for prospective students is to be proactive – try and meet as many like-minded people as you can and start your own independent projects with them. Work experience in this industry is rare and you often have to make your own opportunities. I would also remind them to make sure they take time to socialise and have fun – I met some of my best friends in my year at ECA.

For those who are graduating this year, my biggest advice would be to have patience, prepare for rejection but to keep trying. Getting your foot in the door in museums and academia is extremely difficult and I had to deal with a lot of rejection before finally getting my opportunity. This required being flexible and moving away from the UK’s traditional artistic ‘centres’ and going to Essex.