Curatorial Activism

Catalog description

Current art world statistics demonstrate that the fight for gender and race equality in the art world is far from over: only 14% of the work displayed at MoMA in 2016 was by non-white artists; only a third of artists represented by U.S. galleries are female, but over two-thirds of students enrolled in art and art-history programs are young women. However, there are many curators working worldwide to offset these racial and gender disparities. Arranged in thematic sections focusing on feminism, race and sexuality, this course examines and illustrates pioneering examples of exhibitions that have broken down boundaries and demonstrated that new approaches to curating are possible, from Linda Nochlin's 'Women Artists' at LACMA in the mid-1970s to the Whitney Biennial of 2019. This course profiles key exhibitions by pioneering curators, including Okwui Enwezor, Nan Goldin, Marcia Tucker, Catherine de Zegher, Fred Wilson, Jonathan Katz, and other curators who understand that institutions must be a driving force in this area and a vital source of inspiration for today's expanding new generation of curators.