March 20–26, 2016
This March, Independent Curators International (ICI), in collaboration with the Contemporary Arts Center New Orleans and Prospect New Orleans, will organize the second Curatorial Intensive in the Crescent City.
Building upon the inaugural program in New Orleans in January 2015 and recent partnerships in the American South, ICI continues developing critical networks for regional and international exchange and platforms for new voices and multi-disciplinary practice. The Curatorial Intensive, a weeklong professional development program, offers curators the opportunity to discuss, among colleagues, the concepts, logistics, and challenges of organizing exhibitions, public programs, and other curatorial models.
The Intensive is designed to immerse a peer group of participants in a rigorous schedule of seminars, conversations, and presentations that support the process of developing an idea for an exhibition into a full proposal. The program is targeted toward self-motivated individuals—working independently or in institutions—who would benefit from a weeklong itinerary of discussions around the issues that arise for curators.
Seminars, site visits, individual meetings, and roundtable discussions will be led by a group of professionals that includes: Andrea Andersson (Chief Curator of Visual Arts, CAC New Orleans), María del Carmen Carrión (Director of Public Programs & Research, ICI), Thelma Golden (Director and Chief Curator, The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York), Gia Hamilton (Director, Joan Mitchell Center, New Orleans), Jay Pather (Associate Professor at the University of Cape Town and Director of the Gordon Institute for Performing and Creative Arts), Renaud Proch (Executive Director, ICI), Trevor Schoonmaker (Artistic Director of Prospect.4 New Orleans & Chief Curator and Patsy R. and Raymond D. Curator of Contemporary Art at the Nasher Museum, Duke University), and Cameron Shaw (Executive Director and Founding Editor, Pelican Bomb, New Orleans), among others.
Application guidelines
12–14 applicants working internationally will be selected to participate in the Curatorial Intensive. The applicant must have 3+ years of curatorial experience. All applications must include a 500-word description of an exhibition idea that the applicant would like help in developing. This description should outline the proposal concept and any artists under consideration. Also required are a current 250-word bio, a 500-word letter of intent, and a 300-word text that describes a recent curatorial project that has made an impact on the applicant, similar to an exhibition review. To apply, visit ICI’s website.
Fees and scholarships
The program fee is 1,900 USD. Participants are also responsible for covering travel and accommodation expenses. Scholarship packages that subsidize or eliminate the program fees are available and awarded based on merit. To apply for a scholarship, please include a letter of motivation with your application.
Scholarships are provided by ICI’s Access Fund and the Gerrit Lansing Education Fund. As part of a new partnership with the Joyce Foundation to support richer diversity in the curatorial field, new scholarships are available to African, Latino/a, Asian, Arab, or Native American (ALAANA) curators based in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, or Wisconsin. An ICI / beta-local scholarship is available for a curator from Puerto Rico based anywhere in the world, which covers the full program fee and travel. A scholarship for a curator from Turkey will be supported by SAHA.
For more information or questions, visit ICI’s website or email kimberly [at] curatorsintl.org.
The Curatorial Intensive is made possible in part by grants from the Hartfield Foundation; the Joyce Foundation; the Keller Family Foundation; and by generous contributions from Toby Devan Lewis, the ICI Board of Trustees, the ICI Gerrit Lansing Education Fund, and the supporters of ICI’s Access Fund.
About Independent Curators International
Independent Curators International (ICI) produces exhibitions, events, publications, research and training opportunities for curators and diverse audiences around the world.
About CAC New Orleans
The Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) is a multi–disciplinary arts center dedicated to the presentation, production, and promotion of the art of our time.
About Prospect New Orleans
Prospect New Orleans was conceived in the tradition of the great international exhibitions to showcase new artistic practices from around the world and contribute to the cultural economy of New Orleans and the Louisiana Gulf region.
