VisArts Emerging Curator Program 2024
Application Deadline EXTENDED: January 5, 2023, Midnight
VisArts invites applications from emerging curators to work with an experienced mentoring curator to develop and present an exhibition at VisArts in the Kaplan Gallery in the fall of 2024.
The VisArts Emerging Curator Program offers a unique opportunity for an emerging curator or artist with an interest in exhibition-making or curating to work with an experienced mentoring curator to develop and present an exhibition and to assist in the presentation of the mentor’s exhibition. To develop expanded education programming and enhanced visitor experiences, the 2024 Emerging Curator and the 2024 Mentoring Curator will also focus on developing tools to support public programming that promotes social interaction, creative exchange, and audience engagement.
VisArts will provide the Emerging Curator with $10,000 budget to cover exhibition costs and curatorial fees. Additional funding and staff support for printing, promotions, and execution of exhibition programming is available. The program is one year and will begin in January 2024.
International applicants must be eligible to work in the United States. VisArts is unable to provide or assist with visas.
The selection panel includes the VisArts Galleries Director & Curator, Artist Advisory Council, and the 2024 Mentoring Curator.
VisArts is a nonprofit arts center in Rockville, Maryland. We’re the largest visual arts organization in the area and an active, significant presence in the greater metropolitan arts community. Our contemporary art galleries, artist studios, and 355 POD Space Gallery are located in Rockville Town Square, a thriving gathering place for the local community. VisArts presents exhibitions of contemporary art in our five galleries, along with related programs and events. We also offer Emerging Curator and Studio Artist Programs along with art classes and VisAbility Art Lab, our supported studio for adult emerging artists with disabilities.
2024 Mentoring Curator: Mehves Lelic
Mehves is an Istanbul-born artist, curator and educator based on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. In her work she ponders modernity and heritage, belonging, and the resulting relationship with the environment. She is an Assistant Professor of Art and Art History and the Director of Mosely Gallery at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. She holds an MFA from Bard College and a BA from the University of Chicago.
Lelic’s photographic work has been exhibited internationally in venues such as the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, Rotterdam Photo Festival, PhotoNOLA, Filter Photo Chicago, the Ogden Museum, Institute of Contemporary Art Baltimore, Cosmos Arles France, the Photographers’ Gallery Istanbul, and others. Her work has been published in the National Geographic, GEO Magazine, Ain’t Bad, Lenscratch, C41, Aesthetica and Der Greif. She has been awarded the National Geographic Expeditions Council Grant, the City of Chicago Individual Artists’ Award, the Turkish Cultural Foundation Cultural Exchange Fellowship, the Association of Art Museum Curators (AAMC) Conference Fellowship, and the ArtTable Faith Flanagan Fellowship.
Lelic previously served as Curator and the Head of the Curatorial Department at the Academy Art Museum in Easton, Maryland, and Associate Curator and Public Programmer at Salisbury University Art Galleries. Her curated and organized exhibitions include: Spatial Reckoning: Morandi, Picasso, and Villon (2023); Laura Letinsky: No More Than It Should Be (2023); Marty Two Bulls, Jr.: Dominion (2023); In Praise of Shadows: Jun’ichiro Tanizaki and Modern and Contemporary Works (2023); Mary Cassatt: Labor and Leisure (2023); Fractured Modernities: Contemporary Art from Turkey (2023); Fickle Mirror: Dialogues in Self-Portraiture (2022); Jackie Milad: Vestige (2022); Norma Morgan: Enchanted World (2022); The Movable Image: Video Art by Collis/Donadio, Shala Miller, and Rachel Schmidt (2022); Hoesy Corona: Terrestrial Caravan (2022); and On Water (2019).
Curatorial Collaboration
During the yearlong program, the curatorial team (mentoring curator and emerging curator) will:
Conduct curatorial research
Develop a cohesive and compelling exhibition proposal
Develop writing skills for catalogs and other printed and online materials
Develop budgets for executing exhibitions and exhibition programming
Communicate with artists and lending institutions, developing contracts and loan information
Research and develop a plan for incorporating technology upgrades to gallery programming through website enhancements, use of tablets and apps, and production of video and audio materials
Design and implement educational exhibition programming and outreach activities that engage artists, curators, and public audience of all ages
Develop sponsorship/fundraising initiatives to support the exhibition programming (if needed)
Oversee exhibition design and installation
Develop marketing and public relations materials in support of the exhibition, such as press releases, website + social media content, and print media
The VisArts Emerging Curator Program provides emerging curators with practical, hands-on experience at a community arts organization. It’s designed to support diverse exhibitions presenting a broad spectrum of ideas and curatorial approaches. In addition, it enhances the VisArts exhibition experience by developing educational opportunities, public programming, and opportunities for community engagement through expanded use of interactive interpretive media.
Application
Applicants don’t need to have a fully realized curatorial proposal, but we’re interested in getting a sense of your interests, tastes, and sensibilities. The formal proposal will be developed with the support and guidance of the 2024 Mentoring Curator and the Galleries Department.
To apply online, create a Submittable account and complete the form.
Submission Requirements
1. Application form
2. CV
3. Evidence of past curatorial projects:
Up to 10 still images
Up to five minutes of video and audio tracks
List of images with artist name, title, year, medium, and descriptive information
Supporting PDF documents
4. A statement that addresses the following:
What makes presenting an exhibition in a nonprofit community arts center with the guidance of a mentor an ideal opportunity?
What do you hope to achieve with this exhibition and mentoring program?
What do you consider your curatorial intentions or interests in regard to exhibition-making?
How do you envision enriching the audience experience?
How would you engage the community?
What sorts of programming and content delivery would you like to see paired with exhibitions?
Timeline
Application deadline: January 5, 2024
Finalists notified: January 12, 2024
Finalist interviews: January 15-16, 2024
Emerging Curator notified: January 22, 2024
Program: January 2024 – January 2025 (detailed schedule TBD)
Emerging Curator exhibition: November 15, 2024 – January 19, 2025
Mentoring Curator exhibition: August 2 – September 27, 2024
About VisArts
VisArts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Our mission is to transform individuals and communities through the visual arts.
A hub for artistic exploration and social impact since 1987, VisArts brings people together through shared creative experiences, including:
Award-winning art classes, camps, and parties for children and adults
Critically acclaimed contemporary art exhibitions, programs + events
Studio Artist and Emerging Curator programs
VisAbility Art Lab and Accessible Arts Classes for artists with disabilities
Community art workshops
Art + Wellness programs
Volunteer and internship opportunities
The Rockville Arts Festival
These inspire new ideas, encourage self-expression, embrace diverse perspectives, and celebrate the visual arts as fundamental to a connected community.
www.visartscenter.org