The 2024 Chicago Seminar brings together emerging, Chicago-based BIPOC curators over eight sessions, where participants both workshop a proposal for an exhibition or project and collaboratively think through developments in their own curatorial practice to further their unique curatorial voice. Participants will engage in discussions led by ICI staff, guest curators, artists, and other arts professionals, and shared reading. The Seminar will also conduct site visits at The Floating Museum, The Neubauer Collegium with Dieter Roelstraete, Tala with Francine Almeda, and Sixty Inches from Center with Tempestt Hazel. In addition, each participant engages in individual advisement sessions with specific mentors identified by participants and ICI staff during the introductory meeting. Over the course of the Seminar, each participant will workshop a propsal for an exhibition or project—a process that begins with short presentation on the idea during the first seminar, followed by opportunities for feedback from mentors and the cohort throughout the program. During our eighth and final convening, participants will present their final proposals to the cohort and a small panel of invited guests.
ICI's Curatorial Seminar is a free professional development program that supports emerging curators. 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. The unique program offers opportunities to gain knowledge and resources through ICI’s network, share ideas, and build an affirming network of peers who connect around common values.
