Previously,  a curator was a rather dusty, slightly Dickensian chap who took care of the contents of a museum. About as unsexy as you could get.

Then suddenly, a couple of years back, the verb “to curate” entered the language.  Curating overnight became painfully hip.

I first heard it in connection with the magnificent Meltdown festivals at the Royal Festival Hall in London. Creddy individuals like Yoko Ono, John Peel,  Robert Wyatt and Elvis Costello were invited to choose a their own concert programme of different artists and “curate” the event.

Quite an imaginative use of language. Why not?

But since then, everyone has jumped on the bandwagon. Nowadays people curate everything. Not only  festivals, but also also  websites and even restaurant menus.

What next?  How broad can the usage get?

Curating shopping lists, children’s birthday parties, DJ sets, photo albums?

I would love to write more but I must be off and curate our laundry!