The Art Museum Curator: Persevere, Adapt, or Reinvent

When: Friday, February 14^th, 12:30 – 2:00

Where: Hilton Chicago

Over the past decade, museums have undergone vast change in terms of their programs, governance, and outreach to the public.  So, too, has the role of the curator, which continues to be the most powerful link between art and audience. Today’s curators find themselves pulled in many directions, torn between their central role as custodians and interpreters of art works, and the new demands of the participatory museum. How should curators position themselves within the 21st century art museum? 

This session will explore the challenges that curators face today as they balance their varied responsibilities related to exhibitions, acquisitions, collections, scholarship, trustee cultivation, etc., while also helping to shape the visitor experience. Panel participants will offer case studies of particular experiences—whether they succeeded or failed—that offer insights into the perseverance, adaptation, and/or reinvention of the curatorial role in museums.

Confirmed Panelists:

Elizabeth Armstrong, Curator of Contemporary Art/Center for Alternative Museum Practice (CAMP), Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Cody Hartley, Director of Curatorial Affairs, Georgia O'Keefe Museum 
Nadine Orenstein, Curator, Metropolitan Museum of Art
T. Barton Thurber, Associate Director of Collections and Exhibitions, Princeton University Art Museum

Chair: Emily Ballew Neff, Wylodean and Bill Saxon Director and Chief Curator, Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, University of Oklahoma