The Department of Exhibition and Performance Spaces welcomes all curatorial ideas, and is willing to work with curators to help develop exhibition proposals. If guidance is needed, please request a meeting with a staff member prior to submitting an exhibition proposal. For support, contact Director of Exhibitions Meg Duguid at 312.369.8686 or mduguid@colum.edu.
DEPS accepts proposals year-round. New proposals are reviewed in the Fall and Spring semesters.
Proposals can be submitted via email to:
or via physical mail to:
Glass Curtain Gallery
1104 S Wabash Ave, first floor
Chicago, IL 60605
Prior to submitting an exhibition proposal, please read the Curatorial Proposal Guidelines. All proposals must include a Coversheet and Image List. Submissions which do not meet proposal criteria or by-laws will not be reviewed. All referenced materials are available for download in the right columm of this page.
Once a proposal is submitted, it will be forwarded to the Curatorial Review Board for consideration at one of its biannual proposal selection meetings. The Curatorial Review Board is an advisory board comprised of annually rotating students, faculty, alumni, community partners and departmental staff. Final approval and scheduling is made by the director and exhibition staff. The Board and/or staff may request revisions or supplementary materials for the proposal, may contact the applicant's professional references and/or request to meet with finalists as part of the selection process.
The Department of Exhibition and Performance Spaces (DEPS) is dedicated to the College's mission to develop and showcase student bodies of work by providing hands-on experience with all aspects of the exhibition process. Students can submit artwork for exhibitions, assist with gallery installations, work with visiting artists, attend workshops and panel discussions, apply for employment opportunities and curate exhibitions.
Curating exhibitions is a learning experience that provides students the opportunities to develop their curatorial voice through the process of choosing artwork and designing an installation to communicate a vision. It provides a unique perspective into the exhibition planning process. Curating allows students to voice what type of art they would like to see, what issues they would like discussed and what installation designs they would like to explore.
A Student Curatorial Guide is available for download on the right column of this page. To provide more information about curating from the student perspective, below are personal interviews with past student curator Michelle Graves:
An Interview with Student Curator: Michelle Graves
Student Curatorial Guide Supplement
The Curatorial Review Board is an advisory board comprised of annually rotating undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, alumni, media relations and departmental staff. The Board reviews exhibition proposals semi-annually, guiding and coordinating department programming efforts. The Board also provides assistance in ensuring a fair representation of the Columbia College community that corresponds with the mission of blending traditional pedagogy with a cutting-edge, hands-on approach to education.