Standards #2: curation

Goal: Shift power, shape narrative, and embody values in how, who, and want to present.

The worksheet below is geared towards artists seeking to work in collective by curating artistic experiences alongside their values.

Curation is one of the primary ways power, legitimacy, and narrative move through the arts. (Who is invited, who is trusted, who is paid, and whose work is seen as “aligned,” or “rigorous.”) Because of this, curation for us is not primarily about selecting “the best” work but building conditions for beautiful values-aligned systems & experiences.

There's no “right way” to curate. Different teams have different budgets (or none at all), time/labor capacity. Our own work often happens with limited or no funding for creation, let alone curation. So we design to be intentional under constraint, rather than perfect.

This worksheet is a bridge between values / design principles and the decisions that curation requires. It is pre-populated with examples drawn from Street Works own practices. These pre-populated fields are not best practices; they’re intended to make the exercise easier and show what it can look like when values are carried into process.

Before using this worksheet, you should already have:

• Named your values and their characteristics

• Identified design principles, if any, that matter most to you

Fields

• Decision Area: This names a moment where curatorial power shows up.You can add, remove, or rename decision areas based on your project. Examples include: who is eligible, who reviews, and how much labor is expected

• Question to Answer: This column reframes the decision area as a clear question you must answer. The goal is to make the choice explicit rather than letting habit, urgency, or aesthetics decide for you.

• Your Standard (Plain Language): Here, you write your rule, commitment, or boundary in everyday language. (Eg, what you will do/not do, what takes priority, and more.

• How This Shows Up in the Process: This column translates your standard into concrete action. For example:

  • Where does this show up operationally?

  • What would someone actually experience differently?

  • How would a reviewer, artist, or collaborator see this in practice?