It was the small pieces of colored tape applied experimentally at the last moment that made Piet Mondrian’s monumental Victory Boogie-Woogie fragile. They also presented a huge headache for Emily Hall Tremaine who purchased Victory Boogie-Woogie in 1945. “Almost from the day it arrived, this collage began to tremble and I realized that even losing… Read more »
Topic: Behind the Scenes
Staging Complex Art
This episode was originally posted on the Fresh Art International podcast. Today, we invite artists, curators, a media specialist, and an invigilator to talk about art that challenges the resources of traditional exhibition spaces. Their backstories reveal how building relationships—through eco-systems, architecture, choreography, media archaeology and virtual community engagement – make exceptional art encounters possible. Featured voices: Brian Sonia-Wallace, Sarah… Read more »
Curating Video in a World of Infinite Screens
Whether it’s to text a friend or binge watch a series, sitting in front of a screen has become a comfortable familiarity, one that is an integral part of our daily lives. Through technological advances, video is now accessed and used in endless capacities. As a medium, it has become as complex as its most… Read more »
When Art Surrounds: Exploring the Built Environment
Anna Kunz’s recent exhibition, Color Cast, at the Hyde Park Art Center surrounded visitors in a field of color that made one feel as if they were walking between the painted gestures of a large-scale painting. Draped across the space were large swaths of material painted in yellows, pinks, and reds that swayed with the… Read more »
Exhibitions as Experiences: Moving Beyond Object Display
Shipping estimates can be soul crushing. I say this as an art curator. For organizers of contemporary art shows at or for non-profits, the inevitable reality often is that this or that percentage of your total budget, or of that or this grant you received, must and will be spent on fine art couriers, insurance… Read more »
The State of Curatorial Education
The title of “curator” has become increasingly present both in and out of an art world context and, perhaps in response, there has been a rise in popularity of curatorial programs in higher education. As public access to art and modes of viewing change, what it means to “curate” has been repeatedly confronted and challenged…. Read more »
Registrar Interview: Andrea Phillips
This is part one of a two-part series featuring art museum registrars and the special challenges they face in working with site-specific and large-scale contemporary art pieces. Andrea Phillips is the Chief Registrar and Collections Manager at Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City, Missouri. Below she talks about how she came to be an… Read more »
Registrar Interview: Ariana Webber
This is part two of a two-part series featuring art museum registrars and the special challenges they face in working with site-specific and large-scale contemporary art pieces. Ariana Webber is the Registrar for Exhibitions at the MIT List Visual Arts Center in Cambridge, MA. Below she talks about campus hacking culture, loan agreements for performance… Read more »
Letter from the President of the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation
Dear readers, contributors, and idea generators, Welcome to Exhibitions on the Cusp! This year-long platform celebrates and explores curators, creators, and connected communities. The Cusp is curious about the evolving, intersecting, and blurring roles in the advancement of contemporary art. It is also eager to understand the position of curators in our cultural and community… Read more »
What to Expect from Exhibitions on the Cusp
Welcome to Exhibitions on the Cusp! This publication is for all creators, curators, and communities, and we hope you’ll share in making this space one of lively and relevant discourse on issues shaping contemporary art. In that spirit, we’ve adopted a content plan that will evolve with your feedback and implemented site features that foster… Read more »
Exhibition Award Impact on Curators and Institutions
The entrance to the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMOCA) was bathed in an eerie purple light for their 2014 exhibition “Covert Operations: Investigating the Known Unknowns,” curated by Claire C. Carter. Against the wall glowed Jenny Holzer’s 2010 work, “Holzer’s Ribs”, eleven curved LED signs in a bright, visual chorus, which scrolled through lines… Read more »