Black Swan Arts Open 2022, judge profile

Curator of Contemporary Programmes and Special Projects at The Holburne Museum, Bath.

Before joining the Museum, Will was Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA), Glasgow. Previous roles include stints at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Arts, Gateshead and Whitechapel Gallery, London.

Recent presentations include a new commission by Mick Peter, a major outdoor presentation by Felicity Hammond, and ‘My Kid Could’ve Done That!’. The latter was co-curated with his five-year-old daughter featuring work made by artists and their kids. He is currently working to deliver two new commissions. The first is by Nalini Malini, then followed by Turner Bursary winner Alberta Whittle’s first show in a UK museum.

Before moving to Bath, Cooper produced a wide range of large-scale projects. This included a group show, exploring the legacy of pioneering Orcadian filmmaker Margaret Tait. And the first historical survey of influential Scottish painter Jack Knox in nearly thirty years.

Will has led on museum acquisitions of important works by artists including:

• Anne Collier
• Walter Price
• Victoria Morton
• Turner Prize 2018 winner Charlotte Prodger

While at BALTIC, he worked with artists such as Heather Phillipson, Lorna Simpson and Thomas Bayrle.

• BA, History of Art and Architecture, Courtauld Institute of Art, London
• MA, Curatorial Practice, Whitechapel Gallery, taught via London Metropolitan University