Speakers include:
- Jill Ahlberg Yohe, Associate Curator of Native American Art at Minneapolis Institute of Art
- heather ahtone (Choctaw/Chickasaw Nation), Director of Curatorial Affairs at First Americans Museum
- Kathleen Ash-Milby (Navajo Nation), Curator of Native American Art at Portland Art Museum
- Kathryn Bunn-Marcuse, Director of Bill Holm Center for the Study of Northwest Native Art, Curator of Northwest Native Art at Burke Museum, and Associate Professor of Native Art at University of Washington
- Christina E. Burke, Independent Curator, Burke & Associates Curatorial
- Karen Kramer, Curator of Native American and Oceanic Art and Culture and Director of Native American Fellowship Program at Peabody Essex Museum
- John P. Lukavic, Andrew W. Mellon Curator of Native Arts at the Denver Art Museum
- Jami Powell (Osage Nation), Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs at Hood Museum of Art and Dartmouth College
Schedule
Monday, June 12, 2023
Location: Sturm South, Denver Art Museum (second floor of DAM’s Sie Welcome Center)
8:30 am: Coffee, tea, and continental breakfast (coffee/tea remains available throughout the day).
9:00 am: Welcome by John Lukavic, heather ahtone, and Bill Belcher. Blessing by Anita Old Coyote.
9:30 am: Session 1: Decolonizing/Indigenizing with presenters Jami Powell, Jill Ahlberg Yohe, and Karen Kramer
Presenters will share experiences of Decolonizing and Indigenizing practices in different museum settings and discuss the possibilities and challenges associated with these approaches. Followed by time for a Q&A.
10:30 am: Break
11:00 am: Session 2: Methodology with presenters Katie Bunn-Marcuse and heather ahtone
Presenters will provide case studies of curatorial methodologies from their work and discuss strategies that have been effective, and why. Followed by a brief Q&A.
12:00 pm: Lunch, box lunch provided
1:30 pm: Session 3: Strategic Collaboration – Internal with presenters Kathleen Ash-Milby and Christina E. Burke
Presenters will share strategies and experiences utilizing cross-department collaboration to build better relationships and support for programs and goals. Followed by time for a brief Q&A.
2:30 pm: Break
3:00 pm: Session 4 - Strategic Collaboration – External with presenters Katie Bunn-Marcuse and John Lukavic
Presenters will discuss various types of collaboration with Native artists and communities with which they have been involved, including the rewards and challenges of this work. Followed by time for a Q&A.
Adjourn for the day [open forum for discussion-not scheduled].
Tuesday, June 13, 2023: Workshops
Location: Sturm South, Denver Art Museum (second floor of DAM’s Welcome Center)
8:30 am: Coffee/Tea/Continental Breakfast
9:00 am: Collection Development Strategies with Christina E. Burke
From acquisitions and cataloging to making resources accessible, collection development is a critical part of curatorial practice. Discussion will focus on strategic acquisitions and ways to leverage collection development for exhibitions, programming, research, and community engagement.
10:00 am: Break
10:15 am: Pitching An Exhibition Idea with Karen Kramer
What are some strategies for pitching an exhibition idea to colleagues, donors/funders, and communities? We will illuminate ways to approach new projects and garner internal and external support.
11:15 am: From an Idea to an Exhibition with Jill Ahlberg Yohe
This workshop focuses on the many ways an exhibition can take shape. Using a case study (in its infancy stage) and your own exhibition ideas, we will explore multiple paths in which a show can be developed and implemented in relation to institutional goals, funding, and timelines, curatorial approaches, collaborations, and scale.
1:00 pm: Adjourn for the day [lunch is not provided]
Photo by James Florio Photography.
About the Native American Art Curatorial Convening
In June 2021 and June 2022, Ucross hosted the first two sessions of the Native American Art Curatorial Convening (NAACC), a historic gathering that brought together many of the nation’s leading curators of Native art. Now in its third year, the NAACC aims to address the pressing need for Native representation in museums and visual arts organizations, develop new standards and practices involving Indigenous collections, and consider thoughtful mentorship for junior curators and emerging arts professionals from Native communities.
The Ucross NAACC is funded in part by the Andy Warhol Foundation of Visual Arts, the Ucross Foundation, and the Denver Art Museum.
