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With year’s conference will focusing on our visual arts community’s interpretation, promotion, and usage of, as well as its reaction to and impact on the concept of identity, panels will investigate: the appropriation of Native American
and First Nation cultures, the identity of Islamic art, loss of self and history in assimilation, and a culture of silence within the curatorial community. A new Focus session will open a dialogue on the issues surrounding African
Art. We will also feature a workshop with Dr. Kenneth V. Hardy, Ph.D., Clinical & Organizational Consultant, Eikenberg Institute for Relationships on FOCUS Global Museum Practice: African Restitution Case Studies.
Panel: BIPOC Reflections on Moving Forward
As we continue to move through the time and space of this new decade, we are currently beholden to a crossroads of certain uncertainties and a reckoning to establish change within art institutions and spaces – especially in terms of equity and identity. Recent reports continue to show representation of identity in front and behind the scenes as an elusive mode. If recognized, only the few are visible or seen as viable to participate, akin to spectral beings filling voids when needed but consistently obscured by institutional practices dominated by White hegemonic aesthetics and supremacy. As BIPOC curators how are we processing this reality where art and “identity” is becoming a mainstream fixture (again)? How and when do we work with or break from hegemonic systems? What are some of the histories, practices, and truths that we are holding to guide us through this time? The main question is what do we need to move forward.
Moderator & Organizer
Marissa Del Toro, Independent Curator and Art Historian
Panelists
Stephanie Archangel, Curator, History Department, Rijksmuseum
Vivian Crockett, The Nancy and Tim Hanley Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art, Dallas Museum of Art
Jaclyn Roessel, President/Founder, Grownup Navajo
Jennelyn Tumalad, Independent Curator and Program Manager
Panel: Algerian National Museal Collections
Algerian National Museal Collections have suffered during several years, and mainly before 1962, of a deficit in representation of the successive sequences of its history. In fact, only the prehistorical and antique periods have been largely explored in the first half of the twentieth century, so the actual concern of the Algerian museologist is to present to the young public the largest panel of artistic and archeological documents able to retrace every step of Algeria’s national history.
Speakers
Harichane Zoheir, Director, Musée du Bardo, Algerian Ministry of Culture
Dalila Orfali, Chief Curator and Director, National Fine Arts Museum of Algiers
Harichane Zoheir, Director, Musée du Bardo, Algerian Ministry of Culture
Panel: Changing the Culture of Silence
Curators, valued for our scholarship, are often positioned as the core of our institutions. Yet, permeating the curatorial identity is a virulent, industry-wide “culture of silence.” This panel seeks to denounce this culture and discuss concrete ideas for positive change by defining our relationship with an ongoing cycle of abuse, bullying, and micro-aggressions enmeshed in our identity as curators and work culture. Naming the form abuse and power take regarding gender, race, ethnicity, elitism, and privilege reveal its grip on our industry.Stemming from patriarchal systems, curators, in order to advance, mimic and perpetuate these attributes, unaware of their misuse of power. This conversation will challenge our profession to do better, to break this cycle of abuse, and explore new models that demonstrate respect for oneself and others. Taking cues from principals found in mentorships and practicing emotional intelligence, we can create a new curatorial leadership culture of care and respect.
Moderator & Co-Organizer
Elisabeth Agro, The Nancy M. McNeil Curator of American Modern and Contemporary Craft and Decorative Arts, Philadelphia Museum of Art
Co-Organizer
Nicole Cook, Program Manager for Graduate Academic Partnerships, Philadelphia Museum of Art
Panelists
Hyeyoung Cho, Director, Songhyun Art / Editor-in-Chief, Monthly Hanok Magazine / Representative for South Korea, International Academy of Ceramics
Christina Olsen, Director, University of Michigan Museum of Art
Diva Zumaya, Assistant Curator, European Painting and Sculpture, Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Workshop: On Becoming and Being a Cross-Racial Ally
In times of great racial turmoil, turbulence, and strife there is always a population of committed and conscientious individuals outside of the targeted racial group who aspire to be allies in the struggle for racial and social justice. Being an effective cross-racial ally requires more than having good intentions or possessing a passionate desire to make a difference. At its core it is less concerned about what one says, or aspires to be, and more about the actions that one ultimately takes. Being an effective cross-racial ally requires knowing thyself as a racial being as well as developing mastery of a skillset that is germane to having intense, complicated, and nuanced conversations about race and racism. This workshop will conduct a comprehensive exploration of the salient issues and pitfalls that often impede the ability of the well-intentioned aspiring ally from becoming and being an effective cross-racial ally. Special attention will be devoted to identifying the steps and strategies for becoming and being an effective cross-racial ally.
Speaker
Kenneth V. Hardy, Phd, Clinical & Organizational Consultant, Eikenberg Institute for Relationships
Panel: Is this Appreciation or Assimilation?
This session will be a thoughtful discussion on the current institutional question of whether or not to fold Indigenous North American Artists into American collections. Meant as a sign of respect and reconciliation, institutions considering this option seeks to recognize the many contributions Indigenous people have made to the American artistic conversation. However, might there be unintended consequences to this action? Panelists will explore areas of tension in this latest institutional question. We will critically examine whether such actions support the efforts of Indigenous artists to gain recognition and momentum in the artistic field and among a broader audience, or undermine Indigenous sovereignty by disrupting the legacy and trajectory of Indigenous North American artistic history. Panelists will consist of Indigenous elders, artists, and Indigenous and non-Indigenous curators, bringing a breadth of different perspectives and experiences to the discussion.
Moderator & Organizer
Dakota Hoska, Assistant Curator of Native Arts, Denver Art Museum
Panelists
Andrea Carlson, Artist and Writer
Robert Cozzolino, Patrick and Aimee Butler Curator of Paintings, Minneapolis Institute of Art
Jolene Rickard, Associate Professor, Department of History of Art and Visual Studies and Art Department, Cornell University
Panel: Museum & Marketplace Collaborations
Lisa Dennison, Sotheby’s, Chairman, Americas
and Nina Del Rio, Sotheby’s, Vice Chairman, Americas; Head of Advisory and Museum, Private and Corporate Art Services
discuss areas of overlap and opportunities for partnership between the often distinct museum and marketplace realms. Topics covered will include opportunities for joint cultivation and fundraising efforts, strategies and methodologies
for collection review and valuations, considerations for navigating the secondary market, and collaborative public messaging approaches.
Speakers
Nina del Rio, SVP, Vice Chairman, Americas; Head of Advisory and Museum, Private and Corporate Art Services, Sotheby's
Lisa Dennison, EVP, Chairman, Americas, Sotheby’s
Panel: The Identity of Islamic Art
The name of the scholarly field shifted from Muhammadan Art to Mussulman Art and since the end of the 19th century it has been referred to as Islamic Art. Today, the term “Islamic” Art is discussed and debated among scholars and curators of the field, especially with regards to its formation, its Colonialist background (which includes Orientalism and nationalism), and its connotations in the post 9/11 world, a time of increasing Islamophobia. Artistic traditions identified as “Islamic” originated in diverse cultures, traditions, and civilizations, and developed through extensive trade networks and interactions. Often but not always, artworks arose under the umbrella of the Islamic faith and presented a certain unity in variety. Today, the field also includes contemporary art, and still raises a basic question about its definition and identity, namely: what is “Islamic” about Islamic Art? The panelists provide an exploration of the field’s past and present and discuss the position of Islamic Art—its possibilities and precarities—within the art world, academia, and the museum.
Moderator & Organizer
Filiz Çakır Phillip, Curator, Aga Khan Museum
Panelists
Christiane J. Gruber, Professor and Chair, History of Art, University of Michigan
Linda Komaroff, Curator of Islamic Art and Department Head, Art of the Middle East, Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Tammam Azzam, Artist
FOCUS: Global Museum Practice: African Restitution Case Studies
The long-simmering issue of restitution of African artworks from public institutions in Europe and North America has taken on even greater urgency in recent years amidst calls for the decolonization of museums and rising public awareness. While most acknowledge the legal, ethical and moral imperative faced by collecting institutions, there is little consensus with regard to the methods and guidelines that would best inform efforts for restitution and the various forms it might take. This FOCUS program presents three case studies involving the restitution of African art as distinct and concrete examples from which we may learn. In a series of thirty-minute conversations, specialists from Africa, Europe, and the United States, will discuss the goals, strategies, successes, and challenges of three initiatives that extend over a 15-year period. A concluding conversation and Q&A will bring the conversations together and look ahead to future possibilities and solutions.
The workshop was created by and will be guided and directed by Kathleen Bickford Berzock, Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs, The Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University and Christa Clarke, Independent Curator and Affiliate, Hutchins Center for African & African American Research, Harvard University, AAMC & AAMC Foundation Past President & Trustee Emerita.
Panelists
Ahmed Z. Abubaker, Retired Chief Curator, Addis Ababa University, Institute of Ethiopian Studies
Edith Ekunke, Curator, Retired Director of Museums, ICOM Nigeria
Monica Hanna, College of Archaeology and Cultural Heritage; The Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport
Enotie Ogbebor, Artist
Barbara Plankensteiner, Director, Museum am Rothenbaum - World Cultures and Arts (MARKK), Hamburg, Germany
Ciraj Rassool, Professor, Department of History, University of the Western Cape
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