curating
Organizing a collection
Curating originally meant managing a museum collection—selecting, organizing, and presenting works for public display.
The term has expanded dramatically: people now curate playlists, social media feeds, reading lists, and wardrobes.
The common thread is thoughtful selection from abundance: She's been curating her Instagram aesthetic for years.
The word sometimes carries an ironic edge when applied to trivial choices.
Public display of items
- collectionGathered set of items
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
- gallerySpace for displaying artwork
- archivesStored historical documents
specimens · acquisitions · provenance · conservation · catalogue · display · installation · retrospective
Garment storage furniture
- capsuleEnclosed dose container
- minimalismAesthetic of reduction
- declutteringEliminating unnecessary possessions
- aestheticConcerning beauty or art
selection · intentional · lifestyle · collection · taste · editing · refinement · simplifying
Descriptive information about content
- taggingAttaching identifying markers
- organizingSystematically putting in order
- archivingStoring for long-term keeping
- databaseOrganized digital information collection
cataloguing · indexing · taxonomy · collection · repository · folders · sorting · labeling
Public display of items
- gallerySpace for displaying artwork
- commissioningOrdering work to be made
- installationProcess of putting in
- themeCentral recurring concept
vision · narrative · juxtaposition · contextualization · catalogue · vernissage · retrospective · salon
Arranged media collection
- feedSupply with sustenance
- selectionChosen item or items
- algorithmFinite problem-solving procedure
- recommendationAdvised course of action
aggregation · filtering · editorial · newsletter · digest · roundup · highlights · picks
exhibition
Public display of items
- collectionGathered set of items
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
- gallerySpace for displaying artwork
archives · specimens · acquisitions · provenance · conservation · catalogue · display · installation · retrospective · permanent
wardrobe
Garment storage furniture
- capsuleEnclosed dose container
- minimalismAesthetic of reduction
- declutteringEliminating unnecessary possessions
aesthetic · selection · intentional · lifestyle · collection · taste · editing · refinement · simplifying · organizing
metadata
Descriptive information about content
- taggingAttaching identifying markers
- organizingSystematically putting in order
- archivingStoring for long-term keeping
database · cataloguing · indexing · taxonomy · collection · repository · folders · sorting · labeling · annotation
exhibition
Public display of items
- gallerySpace for displaying artwork
- commissioningOrdering work to be made
- installationProcess of putting in
theme · vision · narrative · juxtaposition · contextualization · catalogue · vernissage · retrospective · salon · ensemble
playlist
Arranged media collection
recommendation · aggregation · filtering · editorial · newsletter · digest · roundup · highlights · picks · discovery
- creative actscreating, designing, drawing, sculpting, composing
- decoratingdecorating, adorning, embellishing, ornamenting, beautifying
- online actionsposting, click, commenting, tap, replying
- vinyl recordsvinyl, vinyl records, LP, record, album cover
- collectingcollector, art collection, stamp collecting, collectible, coin collecting
- organizingorganizing, categorizing, grouping, structuring, classifying
curatinghoarding
Excessive accumulation of goods
amassing · stockpiling · dumping · piling up · throwing in
curatingneglecting
Failing to attend to
ignoring · disregarding · abandoning · forgetting · overlooking
curatingscattering
Distribution in many directions
disorganizing · jumbling · randomizing · cluttering · disordering
- playlist curationOrganizing songs into sequences
- content curationGathering and organizing material
- art curationSelecting works for display
- data curationMaintaining quality of stored information