In the 2024 New York Curatorial Seminar, six New York-based curators were selected from nominations by ICI Collaborators for this professional development program. The cohort met monthly from June to September 2024 for discussion-based seminars and site visits across New York, led by ICI staff, guest curators, artists, and arts professionals. Over the course of the Seminar, each participant also workshopped a proposal for a project and received individual advisement from selected mentors, who provide a unique perspective on the participant's curatorial practice. Seminar sessions will took place at various locations around New York City, including Participant Inc., where director Lia Gangitano, who spoke about the the role of alternative spaces in New York's cultural landscape, and The Laundromat Project. After meeting with Kemi Ilesanmi, who served as the former Executive Director, we met with current E.D. Ayesha Williams, who shared the history of the organization, discussed modes of community leadership, and centering the voices and concerns of local residents in both their programming and the ways they work.
About the Curatorial Seminar
ICI's Curatorial Seminar is a free professional development program that supports emerging curators to advance their practice. It centers a first-person approach to curating, and focuses on strengthening curatorial practices that support overlooked artists and engage with local art communities while working outside of a large institution. This unique program offers opportunities to gain knowledge and resources through ICI’s network, share ideas, and think through developments in one's own curatorial practice. Through this process, the Seminar seeks to build an affirming network of peers who connect around common values, and support the sharing of knowledge among early-career curators.
