please correct my ML, my deadline is on Monday (the 29th)

00Hi,02p

00I have already posted this letter some 10-11 days ago but it hasn't catched anyone's interest. I see that you are overflown with MLs from everywhere so I would be extremely grateful if you corrected it, at least the big mistakes...02p

00Thank you very much.02p

00I'm a curator in contemporary art, applying for a curatorial studies MA program in the US. I wrote a letter but I'm not sure if it is something they expect + it is probably not completely in English. They require a two-page letter. My professional cv will be attached. I would truly appreciate any experienced views on the content / in regard to the "strategy" and/or language corrections by a native speaker. Thank you very much in advance.02p

0007 January 200702p

00Graduate Committee02p

00Center for Curatorial Studies02p

00(x college)02p

00Dear Sir or Madam,02p

00Herewith I would like to submit my application for the Curatorial Studies Program.02p

00I have been working as a curator in ˙(x country) for six years. I will be graduating with MA degree in art history from (x University) in (x city) in June 2006.02p

00As the curator of (x) Gallery, I defined the profile of this middle-scale non-for-profit art venue as a space for projects of social, historical and political awareness, of site-specific work or projects based on process and dialog. I always aimed to engage artists, guest curators and partner-institutions in the creation of the program and collaboration proved to be a very effective means to create a complex program as well as for me to learn from others. Through my job, as well as by running independent project spaces besides, I gained opportunity to travel and explore other art scenes as well, to attend major art events in Europe and to meet and work with artists and art professionals from all over Europe. Also, these parallel activities unfolded on different scales, the project spaces being very low-budget and self-organized while (x Gallery) became increasingly active in international collaborations with numerous partners involved. This allowed me to gain overview and experience in various fields of contemporary art production and organization.02p

00Lately, I have been engaged in artistic practices and theory at the intersection of art, architecture and urbanism. Considering buildings and cities are supposed to provide human life with a clear structure, it seems that critical art has space to intervene when 1) fissures and gaps appear, 2) the system collapses or ceases to function 3) transition in form or function is taking place. Furthermore, if looking at urban life on a global scale, we could picture it very generally as a more and more formalized, almost automatic mechanism in the developed world where this crystallized structure appears to gradually disintegrate around its borders, as if sinking into a mud around in areas where urban environments flourish or vegetate with much less regulations and services provided, thus under poorer and more chaotic conditions. While this lack of standards and provisions cause evident problems for people, the overflow of these in North America or “old Europe” tends to reshape human interactions eliminating the need for individual creativity and spontaneous collaboration in every-day life interactions and problem-solving. Living in (x city), capital of one of the former socialist countries in Central Europe, I am interested in these differences, in the changes and transitions, the way economic and political power determines and social or cultural customs, routines of inclusion and exclusion alter these processes – and how this all materializes in cities like mine.02p

00In the future, I would like to work as a curator, preferably in close collaboration with artists, curators, architects or other related professionals, following up the process of the creation and communication of a project. I’m especially interested in the role of a curator in long-term, site-specific or socially aware art projects and in the representation of this kind of work in various contexts such as in a gallery or museum setting or for an audience not educated in art. I think that cooperation and dialog are at the heart of contemporary art production and I am curious how these can unfold when different creative practices (e.g. art and architecture) and ways of thinking meet.02p

00I believe that, at this point of my career, I need a more systematic understanding of and awareness in contemporary art and cultural theory in order to improve myself professionally. I feel confident in organizational work in my own scene, enjoy creative exchange and problem-solving and have specific interests and ideas to pursue; however, I feel insecure when elaborating concepts or in critical writing. I could provide the program with considerable but somewhat scattered knowledge on the European and especially on the Eastern-European art scenes as well as with practical professional experience I gathered; on the other hand, to re-think, re-arrange, deepen and complement these ideas and practices on a systematic basis with the guidance of an outstanding and specific academic program would be from what I could benefit the most. Additionally, to get acquainted with art scenes, policies and infrastructures other than what I have been familiar with would be a great challenge, too.02p

00Thank you very much for your consideration.02p

00Yours Sincerely,02p

00(my name)02p