The South London Gallery, based in Camberwell, will host a free curator training programme for people from poorer backgrounds in the new year.

The programme, which provides 12 participants with curatorial training for a year while paying them London living wage, will be carried out in collaboration with New Curators, a registered charity.

New Curators said the aim of the programme was to help diversify the curatorial profession.

“We want to help make the art world more accessible and equitable because we believe this will make it richer and more relevant,” they said.

New Curators added that they will follow guidelines from the Social Mobility Commission to decide who is eligible. 

A report commissioned by Arts Council England found that many people in the cultural sectors are forced to undertake unpaid work to gain work experience needed for them to secure employment, which “favours those from higher socio-economic classes who have financial support”.

“We know that training to become a curator is expensive and entering the profession can be difficult. Little wonder our industry is often seen as elitist and characterised by a lack of diversity,” New Curators wrote on their website.

They stated that they will support their participants not only financially, academically, and professionally, but also mentally, through a collaboration with the mental health charity Young Minds.

The New Curators programme is not accredited but participants who complete the training successfully will receive a certificate from the charity. 

Applications to the programme close on February 5, 2023 and training will start in September 2023. 

In the summer of 2024, South London Gallery will also host an exhibition on which the participants will have worked.