Art Curator / Arts Administrator
Research, select, and present visual art for galleries, museums, cultural festivals, and public art programmes — or manage the organisational, financial, and operational aspects of Sri Lanka's arts and cultural sector.
Art curators and arts administrators are the people who make the cultural sector function — researchers and storytellers who select, contextualise, and present art to audiences, and managers who run the organisations that produce, present, and preserve cultural work. Art curation involves deep research, critical writing, relationship-building with artists, and the creative act of exhibition design — assembling artworks into coherent conversations that generate meaning for viewers. Arts administration involves strategic, operational, and financial management of arts organisations: galleries, museums, theatre companies, dance troupes, film festivals, cultural festivals, and arts councils. In Sri Lanka, the arts and cultural sector includes: the National Art Gallery and state-run cultural institutions; private galleries in Colombo (Saskia Fernando Gallery is Sri Lanka's leading contemporary art gallery with international reach); the Sri Lanka National Film Corporation; cultural festivals (the Sri Lanka Design Festival, Sri Lanka International Film Festival, Colombo Fashion Week); theatre companies and venues (Lionel Wendt Theatre, John de Silva Memorial Theatre); arts councils and foundations (Arts Council of Sri Lanka, Foundation for Arts and Cultural Enterprise); and international cultural programmes (British Council Sri Lanka, Goethe Institut, Alliance Française — all run significant arts programmes). The profession requires art historical knowledge, critical thinking, writing ability, and project management. Internationally, art curators are based at museums (the British Museum, Tate Modern, MoMA), auction houses (Christie's, Sotheby's), biennials (the Venice Biennale), and independent project spaces. Sri Lankan art curators have increasingly participated in international biennials and art fairs, representing contemporary Sri Lankan art on the world stage. Training is available through BA Fine Arts (UVPA), cultural management programmes, and international MA courses in Curating or Arts Management.
What a Art Curator / Arts Administrator does daily
- Research artworks, artists, and art movements to develop exhibition concepts with critical depth
- Select artworks and artists for exhibitions, working with private collectors, public collections, and artists' studios
- Write exhibition texts: wall labels, catalogue essays, press releases, and artist statements
- Design exhibition installations: spatial arrangement of artworks, lighting, wall colours, and visitor flow
- Manage collections: acquisition, cataloguing, conservation, and loan administration
- Programme arts events: panel discussions, artist talks, workshops, and education programmes alongside exhibitions
- Manage galleries and arts organisations: budgets, staffing, board relations, and fundraising
- Write grant applications and funding proposals for arts programmes
- Build and maintain relationships with artists, collectors, funders, and the international art community
Step-by-Step Career Roadmap
- Visit galleries and exhibitions regularly — start at the National Art Gallery, Colombo
- Write about art: describe what you see, how it makes you feel, and what you think the artist intended
- Learn art history basics: periods, styles, and major artists from Sri Lanka and globally
- Volunteer to help organise school art exhibitions
- Read about artists: biographies, interviews, and artist statements
- Visit the National Art Gallery and write a 300-word response to one artwork
- Curate a small display of artworks in your school
- Research a Sri Lankan artist and present their work to your class
- Subscribe to and read Art Review, Artforum, or similar publications
- Curating is as much writing as it is looking — develop both simultaneously
- Visit as many different types of exhibition as possible: contemporary, classical, historical