Are you passionate about art and curious about what happens behind the scenes in galleries and museums?
The Young Curators Development Program is a free opportunity for creative young people aged 16 to 25 to build practical skills, gain industry knowledge and connect with arts professionals and other young people who share their interests.
Delivered by Boroondara Youth and Town Hall Gallery, the program includes four hands-on workshops exploring collection management, arts writing, exhibition design and marketing. Participants will gain insight into how galleries operate while exploring future study, volunteering and career pathways in the arts and cultural sector.
This program is delivered in partnership with Boroondara Youth and Town Hall Gallery.
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible for our Young Curators Development Program, you must be between 16 and 25 years old.
You must also meet the following criteria:
- A young person living in Boroondara
- A young person working or volunteering in Boroondara
- A student at a school or institution in the City of Boroondara
- Part of an arts organisation or arts community group in the City of Boroondara
- a person who identifies as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, and lives or studies in the Inner East Region (City of Boroondara, Monash, Manningham or Whitehorse).
First Nations, culturally diverse, and LGBTQIA+ people, and people living with disability are encouraged to apply. For information about the accessibility of our venues, see our Visit us page.
If you need a hard copy of the application form or would like support to complete your application, contact the Boroondara Youth team at [email protected] or call (03) 9278 4608.
Assessment criteria
To be successful, you must meet the eligibility criteria above, and you also need to show:
- clear enthusiasm for the arts
- strong written communication
- openness and willingness to learn
- interest in working in the arts industry in the future.
Successful applicants
You will be notified of the outcome of your application in writing by Friday 12 March 2027.
If successful, you will:
- commit to attending at least 3 of the 4 program learning modules
- enhance your understanding of the Town Hall Gallery season program with major and community exhibitions and other public programs
- take part in an end-of-year graduation celebration.
What you will learn in the program
Module 1: Collection management
Learn the basics of caring for cultural materials in private and public collections. This module gives insight into the theoretical and practical steps curators follow to ensure items in the Town Hall Gallery Collection are kept safe and preserved for future generations. This module will cover industry standards for collecting a range of objects, including culturally safe protocols and handling of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural materials.
Module 2: Working with artists and art writing
Gain insight into the important relationship between artists and curators. This module explores the creative brainstorming and background planning involved when preparing for an exhibition, in addition to the process of writing about an artist’s practice for online and print.
Module 3: Exhibition design and display
Learn the basics of exhibition design and display. This module will focus on the process of designing, installing and de-installing exhibitions, and designing for universal access and inclusion. Discover how curators work closely with artists, install technicians, and various contractors to install artworks.
Module 4: Marketing for the visual arts
Find out how to get the word out about your exhibition or visual arts program. This module gives insight into the preparation for public programs and covers a range of marketing topics such as photographing artwork, writing promotional copy and image descriptions (ID), and advertising in print and social media to reach your intended audiences.
More information
For more information, contact the Boroondara Youth team at [email protected] or call (03) 9278 4608.