The Tastemakers: Three Women Curators Reframing the Art Scene

By David Graver View full issue. An exhibition represents far more than a collection of pieces in dialogue. It’s the embodiment of a curator’s research, and a thesis statement that links the past with the present and future. Identifying emerging trends in art and culture is often as simple as asking a curator what they’re developing—and what they hope to see more of. With this in mind, we spoke to Erin Christovale, a curator at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles; Maritza Lacayo, a curator at Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM); and Lauren Hinkson, the Guggenheim Museum’s associate curator of collections. Each unveiled a milestone exhibition this year, inspired by a desire to share unexplored stories and enhance representation. “I’m excited about the ever-evolving trend of addressing fashion in muse- um settings,” Christovale says. Her exhibition “Refashioning” at the Hammer Museum (through August 4) uncovers cultural history through the creations of the artists’ collective Concept Foreign Garments New York (CFGNY) and the eponymous Tokyo-based fashion brand Wataru Tominaga. This is more than a standard depiction of contemporary fashion as art. “‘Refashioning’ is a great example of how ideas of an Asian diaspora can be explored and teased out,” Christovale explains. Erin Christovale (Hammer Museum, Los Angeles) is intrigued by the trend toward examining fashion in museum settings. (Photo by Paley Fairman) Lauren Hinkson (Guggenheim, New York City) strives to give voice to underrepresented artists through her work. (Photo by David Heald) Maritza Lacayo (Pérez Art Museum Miami) believes that today’s museumgoers crave exhibitions that offer new perspectives. (Photo by Lazaro Llanes) Telling Untold Stories For nearly three years Lacayo has been assembling an exploration of over- looked Miami neighborhoods through the lifelike paintings of artist Calida Rawles. Titled “Away with the Tides,” “the exhibition [through January 12, 2025] bridges the past and present, depicting elements of Miami’s history through the eyes of its residents and delving into the experience of Black people in America,” Lacayo says. “Ranging from a 10-month-old baby to se- nior citizens, the portraits provide representation for those who call the Over- town neighborhood home while capturing the generational shift the community has undergone.” Hinkson, too, strives to tell untold stories through her work. “Many public institutions are engaged in the long, deep work of giving exhibitions and programming platforms to artists who have been historically underrepresent- ed—or not at all—in their collections and exhibitions,” she says. “I am excited for what new revelations these presentations will bring to the public and scholarly communities.” Hinkson has been working alongside colleagues at the Guggenheim, and across the U.S., “to develop acquisition, exhibition, and public programming models that are committed to the practices of native women and that prioritize indigenous-led exhibition projects,” she adds. With Hinkson’s commitment to exhibitions centering on indigenous voices, interest will likely spread from the Guggenheim to other cultural institutions. “Refashioning: CFGNY and Wataru Tominaga” at the Hammer Museum. “Jenny Holzer: Light Line” at the Guggenheim. Exploring Pressing Issues This May, Hinkson and the Guggenheim’s curatorial team brought the “Jenny Holzer: Light Line” retrospective to life. On view through September 29, it includes a reimagining of the beloved LED iconography showcased in the museum’s rotunda in 1989. “That LED installation became a part of the Guggenheim’s collection, and over the years, our conservation and curatorial teams conducted extensive research to preserve the work,” Hinkson says. “It has been remade with the newest technology and programmed with a broader selection of texts by Holzer. Jenny’s work has an incredible way of employing the mundane and the poetic to cut through to the most pressing issues of our time. The work is urgent, and I hope the exhibition inspires challenging dia- logue about the moment we are living in.” All three women curators are pleased to see museums and galleries tack- ling today’s complex societal issues. “Museums are places of dialogue and genuine human interaction. Visitors are seeking experiences that open their minds and allow for different perspectives to be presented,” Lacayo says. “There is no better way to create conversation than using art as a catalyst.”