Exhibitions & Cultural Projects
I see my curatorial work and cultural production as not only about a selection of objects for display, but more importantly, to connect communities, facilitate alliances and change public conversations on a given subject.
Canopy
Cultural Lead — New York
Various institutions, 2024.
I served as the New York lead for Canopy, Wellcome’s art and science festival and network, bringing health to the heart of climate action. We launched Canopy at Climate Week NYC 2024 with a series of panel discussions, art installations and workshops that explored our dreams of healthier futures in the face of climate change. I led on relationships and planning public and stakeholder programming with partners in New York including the Climate Group, The City University of New York, The New York Climate Exchange, and the American Museum of Natural History.
Mindscapes
Cultural Lead — New York
Various institutions, 2020–2023.
Mindscapes is an international cultural program organized by the Wellcome Trust that aims to support a transformation in how we understand, address and talk about mental health. As the New York cultural lead, I collaborate with artists-in-residence and local cultural organizations to co-produce a variety of public exhibitions, events and public programs that inspire relevant conversations and seek out a diversity of experience.
Illustration by Ivvy Chen
Urban Indian: Native New York Now
Co-Curator
Museum of the City of New York, 2019–2020.
I co-curated this exhibition with Jason Lujan, a Chiricahua Apache artist and curator. Highlighting a mix of contemporary artworks, performing arts, and community memorabilia, the exhibition examined the shared meaning of being a Native person living in New York City today, as individuals reflect on tribal affiliations, community well-being, personal growth, and intersectional experiences.
Photo by Jesse Cooday
Photo courtesy of Isometric
Germ City: Microbes and the Metropolis
Co-Curator
Museum of the City of New York, 2018–2019.
I served as co-curator of Germ City, the anchor exhibition of Wellcome’s Contagious Cities program in New York. The exhibition explored the complex story of New York’s long relationship with infectious disease—involving government, urban planners, medical professionals, and activists. With a mix of historical documents, scientific artifacts, and contemporary artworks, the show examined how our understanding of disease has changed us physically, socially, and culturally, and the surprising interplay between people and pathogens in an urban context.
City of Workers, City of Struggle: How Labor Movements Changed New York
Contributing Curator
Museum of the City of New York, 2019–2020.
For this exhibition on working people’s movements in New York City, I produced a handful of short films and contributed to the research and presentation of historical content from a contemporary perspective.