Denise Courcoux
Denise is an arts administrator who has had a lot of experience with art exhibitions such as the Bluecoat. Courcoux studied BA fine Art with English Literature, then went on taking on various voluntary roles to broaden her experience. This then meant she was able to get her foot in the door as an Information Assistant at the Bluecoat Gallery.
She then took on roles from within as a Gallery Coordinator and then an Exhibitions Officer. These roles allowed her to coordinate temporary exhibitions including installs and deinstalls, as well as dealing with contractors, taking up project management and working with various artists and partners.
Almost a decade later, Courcoux took on Postgraduate Studies completing a Masters in Art Gallery & Museum Studies which allowed her to benefit from professional practice opportunities and begin a route within art curating whilst developing research interests.
Other roles include Museum Manager for Nantwich and Port Sunlight Museums in which she was responsible for exhibitions, events, volunteers & more. She has also taken on the role as Exhibitions Production Coordinator for the Science & Industry Museum in which she tackled bigger exhibitions and permanent displays.
although not a route I think I would go down myself, it was extremely beneficial to listen to the advice she would have given herself if she could go back in time; where she makes a point that 'most people are figuring it out as they go along too' so not to worry about having a definite career path set in stone. Keeping in touch with people you meet along the way is a great way of networking and securing future connections, too.
what i took away of most value, was the advice Courcoux gave on writing job applications, in that they do indeed take time. If you do your research, it will show. Make sure you understand exactly what the job is and what it involves.
I felt this was important, as it is the time in which myself and my peers are beginning to apply for graduate jobs as we look to graduate later on this year.