ArtPrize, the radically open international art competition decided equally by public vote and expert jury, today announced the four emerging curators that will participate in the second annual ArtPrize Fellowship for Emerging Curators program. Selected by ArtPrize institutional venues’ curatorial teams to assist with their 2016 exhibitions, these four curators are also slated to curate their own exhibitions for the eighth annual event. $40,000 in ArtPrize grant funding will be distributed evenly among venues and Fellows.
The ArtPrize Fellowship for Emerging Curators program — part of an expanding portfolio of ArtPrize granting programs totaling over $280,000 — launched in 2015, offering emerging curators the opportunity to gain valuable experience working alongside curators at established ArtPrize institutional venues. These venues, including Grand Rapids Art Museum, Kendall College of Art and Design, Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts and SiTE:LAB, curate excellent exhibitions year-round. The ArtPrize curatorial fellowship program is designed to spread the expertise of these institutions and foster the growth of curatorial practice in the region during and beyond the annual event.
“ArtPrize provides a fertile ground for testing ideas and innovating on how to curate temporary exhibitions that are thoughtful and engaging,” said Kevin Buist, ArtPrize Exhibitions Director. “By offering emerging curators guidance through this program, we hope that the shared expertise and the value of this experience spills over into their ongoing independent practice, building greater curatorial capacity in the region.”
New for 2016, ArtPrize is partnering with Independent Curators International(ICI) — a New York-based nonprofit producing exhibitions, events, publications, research and training opportunities for curators and diverse audiences around the world — to deepen this experience through a three-part Curatorial Mentorship program. This partnership will provide ArtPrize Fellows and partner institutions with the opportunity to connect with curators working on the national and international level, and will include presentations by Renaud Proch, ICI Executive Director, and María del Carmen Carrión, ICI Director of Programming and Research, as well as additional guest curators drawn from ICI’s extensive network. The program will close with a public roundtable discussion during the eighth annual ArtPrize event.
“Last year, we witnessed the caliber of work these emerging curators can bring to ArtPrize, with the nomination of ‘Processing Fiber at 250 Monroe’ — curated by ArtPrize 2015 Fellow Elizabeth Hertl — to the Jurors’ Shortlist for Outstanding Venue,” noted Katie Moore, ArtPrize Exhibitions Manager. “I’m excited to see how this partnership with ICI will shape the experience for the curators, both emerging and established, participating in this Fellowship program.”
ARTPRIZE 2016 FELLOWS
Brianna Baurichter | Grand Rapids Art Museum
From drawing to dance, choir to orchestra, Brianna Baurichter is fascinated by numerous art forms. Having earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Studio Art from Columbia College Chicago, she continues to study the performing arts and integrate them into her visual practice. Soon to graduate from Kendall College of Art and Design with a Master of Fine Arts degree, Baurichter will work alongside Ron Platt, Chief Curator at Grand Rapids Art Museum.
Julia Victor | Kendall College of Art and Design
A curator and art historian from Detroit, Julia Victor earned a Master of Arts degree in the History of Art from Courtauld Institute of Art at the University of London. She completed an internship at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Detroit in 2015, and has collaborated on the realization of experimental events, exhibitions and workshops to engage the Chicago arts community. Victor will work with curator Michele Bosak at Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University.
Alison Erazmus | Urban Institute for Contemporary Art
A visual artist, curator and educator working southern Illinois, Alison Erazmus earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 2008. Since then she has exhibited her own creative work nationally and developed numerous exhibitions featuring modern and contemporary art in galleries throughout the United States. Erazmus will work under the mentorship of Heather Duffy, Exhibitions Curator at the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts.
Steffanie Rosalez | SiTE:LAB
As an artist, musician and community organizer, Steffanie Rosalez is passionate about equity work. In 2005, she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Studio Art and Communications from Hope College. As Program Director at Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities, she has been planning and implementing arts programming for youth and families, and working to provide equal access and opportunities through the arts for residents in the Roosevelt Park Neighborhood since 2011. Rosalez will work alongside Paul Amenta, Curator and Co-Founder at SiTE:LAB.
ArtPrize will once again take place across downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan from September 21 to October 9, 2016. Venue registration for the eighth annual event will close tomorrow April 7, and artist registration be open from April 18-June 2.
