About
Since 2023 the Emerging Curator Program has provided an early-practice curator the opportunity to produce a funded exhibition and series of public events at Curl Curl Creative Space with support from Council’s arts specialists and mentorship from the curators at Manly Art Gallery & Museum.
2025: Jasmine Stephens
Having recently completed a Master’s in Curating and Cultural Leadership, Jasmine Stephens is interested in the potential for art to engage deeply with social issues and invites audiences to explore differing truths through intercultural and collective encounters.
Her exhibition titled Embodied, seeks to challenge social and cultural disconnection between hearing and Deaf communities by exploring the profound ways in which our individual rhythms are intrinsically linked to the rhythms of others. It will examine how our physical and emotional experiences are shaped by the people around us, and how representations of identity and dialogue come to life in tangible forms.
2024: Daniel Press
Sculptor and curator Daniel Press is known for his innovative approach to sculpture and commitment to uncovering emerging trends in Australian contemporary art and through this program he developed MASS, an ambitious exhibition and public program at Curl Curl Creative Space.
MASS presented a thought-provoking exploration of the environmental histories of Curl Curl, responding to the pressing realities of our climate crisis. The exhibition showcased collaborative works from eight female-identifying artists, delving into themes of ecofeminism, transformation, and place-making. Read more...
MASS Artist Talks
Watch videos of curator Daniel Press in conversation with artists from the exhibition:
2023: Jodie Dowd
Noongar basket weaver and curator Jodie Dowd was the inaugural Emerging Curator Program recipient in 2023. As part of the program, Jodie received mentoring from the MAG&M curatorial team and delivered an exhibition at Curl Curl Creative Space in July 2023, Honouring our Knowledge Keepers.
Jodie’s exhibition was a direct response to the 2023 NAIDOC theme, For Our Elders. Featuring multidisciplinary works by seven First Nations artists, the exhibition honoured Elders, Ancestors, animal kin, and Gai-mariagal Country through song, poetry, paintings, photographs, and cultural practices such as weaving and bush dyeing.