Curating.info

Rhizome is a leading arts organization dedicated to the creation, presentation, preservation, and critique of emerging artistic
practices that engage technology. Through open platforms for exchange and collaboration, our website serves to encourage and expand the communities around these practices. Our programs, many of which happen online, include commissions, exhibitions, events, discussion, archives and portfolios. Rhizome is an affiliate of the New Museum of Contemporary Art. For more information about Rhizome, visit: http://rhizome.org/info/


Rhizome seeks a Curatorial Fellow from February through June 2011. The Fellow will support the curatorial and editorial departments at Rhizome through research, writing and administration. This position is a unique opportunity for a person interested in pursuing a career in contemporary art to further their engagement with the field and hone their professional skills.

The Curatorial Fellow must be based in New York and must be able to commit to 16 hours of work per week, for 5 months, beginning in Spring 2011. This position is unpaid, but academic credit may be arranged. The Curatorial Fellow will work directly with artists and be overseen by the Executive Director and Senior Editor.

The Fellow's primary responsibilities include:

- Coordination and development of the Rhizome ArtBase, including managing submissions and reaching out to artists

- Researching topics for editorial coverage and writing articles for Rhizome's blog and publications

- Administrative support of programs, such as Rhizome's monthly New Silent Series at the New Museum

- General support of the organization

QUALIFICATIONS: Candidates should have a high level of familiarity with contemporary art and particularly new media and its history. Education or advanced experience beyond the undergraduate level is preferred. At a minimum, the candidate should have very strong writing, editing, and analytical skills, and very high internet literacy. Knowledge of Microsoft Office software is also required and basic Photoshop skills are preferred.

TO APPLY: Please email a cover letter, resume or c.v., three references, and three writing samples (url's or attachments) to Ceci Moss editor(at)rhizome.org. Review of applications will begin immediately. Starting date is February 15, 2011

DEADLINE: February 3, 2011

apexart: Soliciting Unsolicited Proposals: accepting submissions January 14 - February 14, 2011.

For the 14th year running, apexart accepts 600-word, idea-based proposals
for exhibitions in New York City. Reviewed independently, anonymously and
without support materials, submissions are evaluated solely on the strength
of the idea. More information: www.apexart.org/unsolicited.htm

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York, USA) is seeking a Curatorial Assistant for Collections.

This position is responsible for assisting with various curatorial needs for the Guggenheim’s permanent collection, including facilitating and processing new acquisitions, managing curatorial paper and electronic records for collection artworks and artists, responding to various internal and external queries about artworks in the collection, and providing support as needed for collection exhibitions, outgoing loans, and museum publications, including the Guggenheim’s Web site.

For more information, please visit the jobs section of the Guggenheim's website.

A training intensive for aspiring curators

Building on its history as a hub for curatorial ideas, ICI is supporting a new generation of curators to develop exhibition proposals. The Curatorial Intensive is a short-term, low-cost program taking place this June in New York for emerging curators across North America. From an open competition, 6-10 individuals will be selected to come to New York and work with some of today’s leading curators and artists. Through a rigorous schedule of workshops, discussions and critiques, as well as site visits to local institutions and artist’s studios, each participant will be led through the process of developing an idea for an exhibition into a full exhibition proposal.

After the New York phase of the project is complete, ICI will continue working with participants long-distance to finalize their proposals. The Curatorial Intensive has been organized in partnership with the CUE Art Foundation, who will provide their virtual gallery as a platform for participants to publish their proposals online so that broad publics, as well as the hundreds of institutions with which ICI works, can view the final proposals.

ICI is uniquely positioned to establish The Curatorial Intensive, having worked with a wide range of curators to develop innovative traveling exhibitions. In 35 years ICI has organized 116 shows, which have been presented in 570 institutions in 47 states and 23 countries worldwide, and experienced by nearly 6 million people.

The Curatorial Intensive was developed by ICI’s Executive Director, Kate Fowle, who recently joined ICI after working as the International Curator at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing. Prior to her time in China, Fowle spent 6 years in San Francisco at the California College of the Arts, where she was the director of the MA Program in Curatorial Practice, which she founded in 2002 with Ralph Rugoff.

Teachers & Advisors

Dan Cameron (Founding Director, Prospect New Orleans); Kate Fowle (Executive Director, ICI); Matthew Higgs (Director and Chief Curator, White Columns); Eungie Joo (Director and Curator of Education and Public Programs, New Museum); Maria Lind (Director, CCS Bard); Nicola Trezzi (US Editor, Flash Art); and Fred Wilson (artist).

Program Timeline

Application Deadline: March 12, 2010
New York Program: June 6-15, 2010
Proposals Published: July 15, 2010

Application Guidelines

Applications must include a 300-word description of an exhibition idea the applicant would like help in developing. Submissions should include an exhibition concept or key idea, and any artists that the applicant is considering.

Also required is a current resume, plus a 1-2 page letter of intent that outlines why applicants want to participate in The Curatorial Intensive, as well as an example of a recent exhibition that has made an impact on the applicants.

Applicants must be over the age of 21. Current graduate students are not eligible to apply for The Curatorial Intensive.

Fees & Scholarships

The program fee is $1,500. This covers local travel and admissions to museums and other institutions. Participants will be responsible for covering their travel expenses to and from New York as well as accommodation. In its commitment to make The Curatorial Intensive accessible to individuals from diverse economic backgrounds, ICI will offer full or partial scholarship packages to several program participants.

Individuals interested in applying for scholarships will need to submit an additional letter which addresses the following questions: 1. What are your future educational and career goals? 2. How specifically would The Curatorial Intensive help you to achieve those future educational and career goals? 3. Because this scholarship is partially awarded on need-based criteria, please explain the specific nature of your past or current financial challenges.

For More Information / To Send Application Materials

ICI (Independent Curators International)
799 Broadway, Suite 205
New York, NY 10003
T: 212.254.8200 x 26
F: 212.477.4781
education -at- ici-exhibitions.org


The Curatorial Intensive has been generously supported in part by the ICI Patrons, Partners and Benefactors, and The Dedalus Foundation.

OPEN CALL: EYEBEAM FELLOWSHIPS 2010

APPLICATION DEADLINE: December 11, 2009.

All applicants will be informed of their application status by January 15, 2010.

CONTEXT: Eyebeam is the leading not-for-profit art and technology center in the USA. Our unique collaborative environment fosters fellowships and residencies, research, education, public programming, and a vital web space, eyebeam.org. We are located in the heart of NYC’s Chelsea art district in a resource rich 15,000 sq.ft. space. Please see the Fellows and Projects sections of our web site for information on current and previous work developed at Eyebeam.

OVERVIEW: Eyebeam is seeking applications from artists, hackers, engineers, designers, curators, and creative technologists to participate in our Fellowship program. Fellows at Eyebeam spearhead new research and develop new work. The ideal Fellow has experience working with and making innovative technological art or creative technology projects, and has a passion for collaborative development. Fellows will bring this experience and working approach to Eyebeam where they will have the opportunity to engage in their own independent projects, projects initiated by other Residents or Fellows, and projects conceived collaboratively with Eyebeam’s staff, Fellows, Residents, and research partners.

Up to four Fellows will be selected for the upcoming 11-month cycle, which will run from March 1, 2010 to January 31, 2011. Selected Fellows will be expected to spend at least four days per week working at Eyebeam. Fellows are expected to contribute to the Eyebeam community as mentors to residents and youth working at Eyebeam and as principals in research initiatives, programs, and education. Leadership in Research Groups is compulsory and is explained further, below.

SUPPORT: Fellows receive a $30,000 stipend during their stay in NYC with Eyebeam. It is possible for Fellows to take on additional external teaching or consulting work, as long as s/he can fulfill commitments to Eyebeam at the same time.

International applicants are welcome to apply, although we do not have the resources to provide travel or accommodation. We are happy to work with selected applicants, where required, to help them to secure funds to cover these expenses. International Fellows are responsible for securing their own visas for the Fellowship period. We are happy to provide paperwork and advice to help expedite the process.

PARTICIPATION: All Fellows are expected to share elements of their practice via formal or informal learning opportunities within the Eyebeam community or our public community. We offer program support in developing work for performance, events, seminars, exhibitions, or other public and educational programming within Eyebeam’s space (and beyond) during the term of the Fellowship.

Core to Eyebeam’s methodology is the brokering of relationships between artists, hackers, coders, engineers, and other creative technologists in the context of an open and shared culture of investigation and critique. We foster and facilitate relationships whereby technologists and artists come together to germinate and incubate their ideas, develop new processes, and create new works through a period of immersion in a social and professional context which is rich in technology, expertise and ideas. Collaborative partnerships at Eyebeam will be fostered though group critiques, discussions and projects and between other Eyebeam Fellows, Residents, and Staff.

RESEARCH GROUPS: Fellows will be expected to collaborate with Eyebeam staff to oversee, develop, and manage emerging research areas in our Research Groups. Research Groups bring together creative practitioners working at Eyebeam as well as expert individual participants and external partners. Initiatives led by Eyebeam Research Groups have included public outcomes such as seminars, workshops, publications, and exhibitions.

Current Research Initiatives: Eyebeam’s current Research Groups include Sustainability, Education, Open Culture, Project Blackbird (Humor and Code), and Urban Research. For more information on each of these Research Groups, including descriptions, related projects, and participants, please see the Research section of our web site. Within each of these Research Groups, Eyebeam is looking for applicants with specific interest in and crossover with their own work in the following inquiry threads:

- Education in Practice: Engagement with artists working in community-based and collaborative projects with youth, peers, or other targeted audiences. We favor ideas over skills and formative experiments over fixed curricula. (Education)

- Design for Social Change: Investigation into collaborative design process and methodology as it relates to creative intervention, activism, and tactical media; expanding our perspectve on “open source” to include the built environment, urban development, and public policy. (Open Culture and Urban Research)

- Open Source Ideologies: Expanding Eyebeam’s ongoing research in Open Culture with a particular focus on intellectual property, licensing issues, and law and its relation to artists and cultural innovators. (Open Culture)

- Food in the City: Investigation into NYC as a locus for media artists to embrace technological innovation and environmental, sustainable, regenerative concerns in synch with green and open source initiatives. The intention is to gather biologists, environmentalists, food activsts and media artists to consider urban agriculture, bio-generative art and other strategies. (Sustainability)

NOTE: We are specifically seeking applicants with advanced expertise and investment in at least one area of our ongoing Research Groups such that each Group will be led by an incoming fellow, with an emphasis on the above inquiry threads. Participation in these research initiatives will directly inform and shape future initiatives, education, and public programming at Eyebeam.

Application Requirements: Applications are only accepted via our online application system. Applications received after the deadline of 11:59 PM (EST), December 11, 2009, will not be accepted. All applications and work samples must be submitted through the online form. No exceptions will be made. You can create a user/password during the application process and log back into the server to update your application before the final deadline.

Complete applications must include the following information:

- Contact Information
- Resume or CV (.rtf, .pdf, .doc)
- Work samples in the form of URLs or uploaded media. Include a project description with your work sample that explains your contribution to the piece, how it is meant to be viewed and how it relates to your proposed project(s)/research.
- Concise responses to all application questions

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Online application system, FAQ and other information available at the Eyebeam website.

Thanks, we are excited to hear from you!

Statement on Diversity: Eyebeam is committed to building a diverse creative environment. We recognize diversity as encompassing personal style, age, race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, language, physical ability, religion, family, citizenship status, socioeconomic circumstances, education and life experiences. We consequently encourage applications from the broadest possible range of artists and creative technologists to all of our programs.

apexart Franchise Two - 'considering the same boundary between art and business. again'

Accepting submissions from anyplace, now through December 15, 2009

As the art world adopts strategies from the world of business, cultural organizations have set up franchises around the globe. For the second year, apexart is joining this trend and setting up its own franchise in a new city.

This competition is an opportunity for anyone from anywhere to create their own temporary apexart in your city, town or village. For a four-week exhibition from March 13 - April 17, 2010, you will be the director, curator and/or staff of your own apexart franchise with a budget, a modest salary, and almost complete control. apexart will provide the funding (up to 10,000 USD), along with the necessary guidance to make your curated exhibition happen. This includes an apexart brochure in an edition of 10,000 and its distribution around the world to more than 108 countries and a visit or two from us

In addition, prior to your show, we'll arrange to bring you to NYC for three days, to visit apexart.

The Franchise is an opportunity to help bring an idea to fruition in a new place and to give someone an interesting opportunity. This year we will exclude people in large cities like New York, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo from applying, and invite submissions from locations with less than 500,000 people. Places such as Moshupa or Priboj. Baton Rouge or Lübeck, Cadiz or Az-Zawiyah, Heidelberg or Zinder.

To participate, please submit a reason in the form of a 250 word essay, along with four images, to tell the jurors why apexart should come to you. We encourage applicants to use the 250 words in any way they see fit. Applications will be accepted until December 15, 2009.

Visit apexart.org/exhibitions/franchisetwo.htm for information on how to apply.

Eyebeam Atelier in New York, USA will be holding a Curatorial Masterclass led by Eyebeam research partner Sarah Cook from CRUMB, the online resource for curators working with media art. The series will be an opportunity for emerging and established curators of art to get together within a focused period of time to learn from each other’s practice, and to develop a greater understanding of curating, open source methods, and working in the public domain.

Through filmed discussions with guests such as Hans and Liz Bernhard, Steve Dietz, Patrick Lichty, and Eyebeam executive director Amanda McDonald Crowley, the Curatorial Masterclass will examine the following themes:

Day 1: Tues., July 7, 3–5PM
What open source is and what it means for art
Guests: Curator, Scott Burnham (Creative Director, Montreal Biennial 2009); Dominic Smith (co-founder, Polytechnic, UK)

Day 2: Thur., July 9, 3–5PM
Fair use, copyright, and the role of publication and documentation in curatorial practice

Day 3: Tues., July 14, 3–5PM
How to manage collaborations and networks effectively with new media tools
Guests: Eyebeam Executive Director, Amanda McDonald Crowley; curator and artist Patrick Lichty

Day 4: Thur., July 16, 3–5PM
Working in the public domain
Guest: Curator, Steve Dietz

Day 5: Tues., July 21, 3–5PM
Getting to know your audiences and useful evaluation

Series Format: The first hour of each day will be a formal conversation modeled on CRUMB’s tea-time chats, and will feature established curators and artists. The second hour will be a rigorous participant driven discussion, building upon the first hours themes and insights. Following each presentation and workshop, participants will have the opportunity to stick around for beer o’clock and conversation with presenters and fellow masterclass participants, as well as participants from other Eyebeam Summer School programs.

Registration will be strictly limited.
Please register online here:

https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/528/t/9265/shop/shop.jsp?storefront_KEY=664

Rhizome is a leading arts organization dedicated to the creation, presentation, preservation, and critique of emerging artistic practices that engage technology. Through open platforms for exchange and collaboration, our website serves to encourage and expand the communities around these practices. Our programs, many of which happen online, include commissions, exhibitions, events, discussion, archives and portfolios. Rhizome is an affiliate of the New Museum of Contemporary Art.

Rhizome seeks a Curatorial Fellow from late April through August 2009. The Fellow will support the curatorial and editorial departments at Rhizome through research, writing and administration. This position is a unique opportunity for a person interested in pursuing a career in contemporary art to further their engagement with the field and hone their professional skills.

The Curatorial Fellow must be based in New York and must be able to commit to 16 hours of work per week, for 6 months, beginning in Spring 2009. This position is unpaid, but academic credit may be arranged. The Curatorial Fellow will work directly with artists and be overseen by the Director and Senior Editor.

The Fellow’s primary responsibilities include:

- Coordination, and development of the Rhizome ArtBase, including managing submissions and reaching out to artists
- Curating sections of the Rhizome website
- Researching topics for editorial coverage
- Writing articles for Rhizome’s blog and publications
- Administrative support of programs, such as Rhizome’s monthly New Silent Series at the New Museum
- General support of the organization

QUALIFICATIONS: Candidates should have a level of familiarity with contemporary art and particularly new media and its history. Education or advanced experience beyond the undergraduate level is preferred. At a minimum, the candidate should have very strong writing, editing, and analytical skills, and very high internet literacy. Knowledge of Microsoft Office software is also required and basic Photoshop skills are preferred.

TO APPLY: Please email a cover letter, resume or c.v., three references, and three writing samples (urls or attachments) to Ceci Moss at editor(at)rhizome.org. Review of applications will begin immediately. Deadline is April 15, 2009.

Soliciting unsolicited exhibition proposals

Continuing their annual Unsolicited Proposal Program, apexart is currently accepting 600-word, idea-based proposals for evaluation by an international panel of apexart associates (curators, artists, writers, philosophers). Submissions are reviewed independently, anonymously and without visual support material—they are evaluated solely on the strength of the idea. No mountain too high, no river too deep!

Previous curatorial experience is in no way required, and will not factor into the selection process.

The two proposals with the highest ratings will be presented at apexart in the 2009/10 season (September 2009 to August 2010). For those in or outside the field, this program is a unique opportunity to have a professionally mounted exhibition in New York City!

Applications are welcomed and encouraged from around the world. Visit the site for more info, guidelines, past winners, and to apply: http://www.apexart.org/unsolicited.htm

Proposals accepted online only from February 1 to 28, 2009.

apexart - The Franchise
Resolving another boundary between art and business

apexart wants to come to you. Any city, any town, anywhere in the world. apexart is franchising a one-time exhibition opportunity where apexart will come to your city and appoint you the director of your own temporary non-profit exhibition space. For a four-week exhibition in May, 2009, and in the months preceding, you will be the director and/or curator and/or staff of your own institution with a budget, a salary, and complete control.

apexart will provide up to $10,000 USD in funding and the guidance to make your curated exhibition happen. In addition, prior to your show, apexart will arrange to bring you to NYC for three days, all expenses paid, to visit apexart and meet the staff.

Submit up to a 250-word statement on why apexart should come to you. You may use your 250-word count in anyway you think best. You can emphasize the idea, the execution or the content. Decide on your own the best way to sway the judges. Applications will be accepted until midnight December 1, 2008 EST, from anyone, anywhere in the world. The results will be made public on or before January 10, 2009.

More information here.

Submit your application here.

Here's the April '08 edition of Pick 'N Mix, my monthly annotated list of little news items in the realm of curating.

- The Whitney Biennial is generating the usual column inches. Of interest in the coverage of the Biennial is the ongoing commentary about the curators themselves, and their intentions. Jerry Saltz's recent column discusses the significance of their age: "I was thrilled that the Whitney was prepared to give itself over to young curators. [...] no sooner had Huldisch and Momin been named than Whitney director Adam Weinberg pulled back the reins, announcing that the two would be "overseen" by the museum’s chief curator, Donna De Salvo, and that they'd "work with" three older "advisers," Thelma Golden, Bill Horrigan and Linda Norden." A piece entitled "The Facebook Biennial" in NY Magazine, offers a detail-rich portrait of the two curators, from the ways their careers unfolded (apparently, Momin's highly planned, Huldisch's not as as much) to the technology in the room: "Momin pulls out an iPhone, Huldisch a battered Motorola".

- In a recent post on Tara Hunt's blog, she talks about the example of how the now-ubiquitous Post-It note came into being. (Stay with me, here.) Tara writes about the three personalities that were responsible for the Post-It note's success: the Creator, Catalyst, and Champion.

"...the Creator, Spencer Silver, had come up with the glue that makes the Post-It note work almost a decade before the Catalyst, Arthur Fry, found a use for the glue (keeping his church choir sheets staying put). But even then, it didn't even make it past corporate scrutiny until they found Champions: the people who were able to take the idea and sell it to others. [...] Creators are the inventors, the coders, the people who come up with a crazy idea. Quite often, though, they aren't able to connect that crazy idea with a real life issue to be solved. That's the Catalyst's job. Catalysts are really awesome at understanding real life applications of wacky ideas. They are connectors. But Catalysts aren't always good at marketing their ideas nor can they replicate themselves, so they need Champions (many of them) to take that awesome application of the wacky invention and spread the word. The three types of people behind innovation are necessary to make ideas come alive and spread."

And so, in the cultural domain, are curators catalysts or champions? A bit of both? Are they also sometimes the creator? I found this example to be an interesting way to think about the ways that the role of the curator can shift and requires a wide range of skills and roles to be played.

- And now, for a little light bedtime reading... A recent paper by London-based think-tank Demos about cultural learning provides food for thought. "In the context of recent government announcements about cultural education, Demos today challenged cultural professionals and educationalists to provide a new and coherent direction for creative learning and for encouraging creativity through culture. Culture and Learning: Towards a New Agenda, a consultation paper written by John Holden, is published today to invite debate and responses." Demos is a very interesting think tank, I recommend you browse their full collection of cultural papers at their website.

Curatorial Fellowship
Sept. 2008 - May 2009
Application deadline: April 18, 2008

This nine-month fellowship at one of New York’s foremost non-profit interdisciplinary arts spaces provides the opportunity to work closely with The Kitchen’s curatorial staff as well as with a wide range of performing and visual artists. Founded in the early 1970s, The Kitchen identifies, supports, and presents emerging and under-recognized artists working in the areas of video, dance, music, performance art, media arts, and literature. This fellowship includes a $2,500 USD stipend and requires a time commitment of 24 hours per week, beginning in mid-September 2008 and ending in May 2009.

This is an excellent opportunity for a highly motivated individual who is either currently enrolled in or who recently completed a graduate program. At least one year of professional arts administration experience and a broad interest in experimental approaches to contemporary art practice across the disciplines is also important. The Curatorial Fellow works with Kitchen staff on all phases of the exhibition and presentation process, including researching new projects, writing brochure and educational copy, and assisting with the implementation of current exhibitions and performances. The Curatorial Fellow also develops crucial experience interacting with key staff in the development and communications departments at the institution.

Responsibilities may include: researching the work of emerging national and international artists for possible presentation at The Kitchen; corresponding with artists and guest curators; drafting press releases, wall texts, and project descriptions for the website; assisting with the logistical coordination of exhibitions, performances, and The Kitchen’s CD projects; serving as the liaison to dozens of artists participating in the annual benefit art auction; and assisting with the review and organization of artists’ submissions.

Applicants should submit a cover letter and resume by April 18, 2008 to Cody Trepte, The Kitchen, 512 West 19th Street, New York, NY 10011 or via email to cody -at- thekitchen.org. For more information, please contact Cody Trepte at 1-212-255-5793, ext. 28.

First of the month again... even with an extra day, February seemed short! Here's the March '08 edition of Pick 'N Mix, my monthly annotated list of little news items in the realm of curating.

• A fascinating article on the state of museums and galleries in China on ARTnews notes that a concern in the face of explosive growth "...has been the absence of training programs for museum professionals in China, a country where the term "curator" did not exist ten years ago. Even now, there is only one program in curatorial studies, run by the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, which is graduating its first class this year. "In China, we didn't have degrees such as arts management or curatorial studies, so most of the museum directors were originally artists," says Fan Di'an, who like many directors in China got his position through political appointment." The artist/curator model is well-established, particularly in North America, and so the reaction to a similar model emerging (albeit under quite different circumstances) is one to keep an eye on.


• If new media, Internet art and networked art are your thing, there's lots of good reading at this page at the BAM website, with several downloadable documents detailing conversations and interviews with curators, artists and directors by Karen Annemie Verschooren. The interview with Christiane Paul, Adjunct Curator of New Media Arts at the Whitney, is particularly fascinating and candid in its description of the early days of exhibiting new media artwork in a prominent museum.


• Thomas Krens is leaving the Guggenheim, and this act has sparked a lot of reflection on his years at the helm. Charlie Finch on artnet.com characterizes the influence of Krens on curatorial practice as "...turning everything into an art that was at once contemporary and exchangeable in ever increasing increments of value." It's a very critical standpoint that also claims that "...the land of Krens evoked the carnival and the circus. Whether showing Spanish painting gems, Aztec war toys, garments or bikes, Krens' vision included the kitchen sink, the golden bidet and everything in between." From that statement out of the USA, let's jump (gently) across the pond for a moment. The new Director of the National Gallery, Nicholas Penny, made a statement saying that as far as he was concerned, the era of the big, sexy blockbuster is over, and Guardian writer Jonathan Jones discusses how the blockbuster itself is not to blame, but that one should blame "sloppy curating - curating that is addicted to short cuts, allergic to the years of research and negotiations it takes to put on a really good exhibition." Food for thought.


• Finally, the New York Times reports that "nine months after taking over, Jeffrey Weiss has resigned as director of the Dia Art Foundation, saying he had realized he was not cut out for the job." Mr Weiss says: "It took me too far away from curatorial and scholarly work [...] I had an idea that being director of Dia would be different because it is such a small place. [...] My hope is to return to curatorial and scholarly work, but right now I'm taking a breath." It'll be interesting to see both who Dia hires next and what Mr Weiss does next, and serves as a point of reflection on where a curatorial career can be said to "terminate" -- does a curator need to stay in jobs expressly about curating, and leave museum/gallery direction to those with deeper interests in business/administration?

It's the first of the month, which means it's time again for Pick 'N Mix, my monthly annotated list of interesting tidbits that have captured my attention recently - this month, it seems to be interviews, interviews, interviews!

• The Uncuratorial Curator is a recent interview on artnet.com with Massimiliano Gioni, Director of Special Exhibitions at the New Museum in New York. In the interview, Gioni discusses the unique possibilities at the New Museum, his friendship with controversial Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, and much more. Speaking about future plans for his work at the New Museum, Gioni says: "...the museum itself is designed to become a place where the memory and the presence of the street is kept and preserved. [...] We want to do shows that are immersive. You come to an exhibition and the whole exhibition is an experience. It feels a little like being in the head of an artist."


• David Garcia recently posted an interview with Chinese artist Lin Yilin and some commentary to the nettime mailing list. The post and the responses it generated are excellent and well worth a read. Early on in his post, Garcia notes the role of the Western curator in the Chinese art boom:
  

  Most of this kind of support for Chinese experimental art seems to come from the western curators. In part this is because a significant number of Chinese artists have chosen to speak our 'language', by which I mean they have adopted the lexicon of western contemporary art practice and used it to explore and to navigate their own experiences of rapid modernisation. The benefits of this kind of political 'economy' flows in both directions; the language of contemporary art practice seems fit for the purpose of navigating the extreme volatility of current Chinese experience and our tired cultural vocabularies are enlivened and transformed by their collision with a new context.



• And last but not least, a good interview with Ex-Whitney curator Larry Rinder. Speaking about this new role as a college dean, Rinder says: "As a curator, you're generally dealing with things that are already made -- artifacts, works of art -- and trying to puzzle through what they mean and how to illuminate them through writing and juxtaposition. It's a reflective practice. Whereas working in an art school is a more productive activity -- catalyzing information and giving artists the tools and the provocations they need to move forward."

Welcome to the August edition of Pick 'N Mix.

• Out of all the online coverage of the "Grand Tour", I found Petra Chevrier and Cheryl Rondeau's documentation of their cycling tour of these mammoth art events one of the most entertaining sources. Art Ride 2007 is a terrific first-hand account of this confluence of art events, with lots of video footage to spice it up. Check it out!



• John Szarkowski, named "the single most important curator that photography has ever had" by Vanity Fair in 2005, has died at age 81 from complications arising from a stroke. Credited with launching the careers of Lee Friedlander and Diane Arbus, Szarkowski was the Director of Photography at New York's Museum of Modern Art from 1962 to 1991, and was also a highly influential critic.



• The Red House Centre for Culture and Debate in Sofia, Bulgaria is looking for proposals for its "Curator Season". Exhibition and event proposals must arrive by September 30, 2007, so check out their website for more details, and give yourself plenty of time (it's summer after all, so everything moves a little slower!) to respond to the call.