• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

HBCU Lifestyle – Black College Living

  • HBCUs
    • What is an HBCU?
    • History
    • List of HBCUs
    • Notable Graduates
  • Parents
    • HBCU Rankings
    • Black College Tours
    • Admissions
    • Financing
    • Scholarships
    • College Planning
  • Current Students
    • College Life
      • Greek Life
      • Sports
      • Dorm Living
      • College Survival
    • Careers
      • Jobs
      • Internships
      • Career Profiles
      • Entrepreneur
    • Research Paper Resources
      • Research Paper Topics: 50 Ideas to Get Started
      • How To Write An Annotated Bibliography
      • Journalism Research Paper Resources
  • Alumni
    • HBCU Shirts
    • Podcast
    • Alumni Spotlight
    • HBCU Merch
    • Jobs
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

You are here: Home / HBCUs / Spelman College Introduces New Curatorial Studies Program

HBCU Degree Programs, HBCUs

Spelman College Introduces New Curatorial Studies Program

Curatorial Studies: Spelman College Museum of Fine Art
Showcase & Tell: Treasures from the Spelman College Permanent Collection
A new curatorial studies program at Spelman College has been created to address a diversity gap in the museum industry, and to offer new opportunities for students to work in an expanding field. The program, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, began in January 2016 with an introductory curatorial studies course. Ten students have been accepted into the program, including nine Spelman students and one Morehouse student — a group representing art history, English, music, political science and other majors.
​
The program is collaboration between the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art and the Department of Art and Art History.

Over the course of the next two years, students in the program will have an opportunity to survey global museum and exhibition history, as well as examine the increasingly significant role of contemporary art museums today. The students will also participate in paid summer internships at prominent museums in major cities, including New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and Atlanta.

Spelman students selected for the curatorial studies program:

  • Nalani Dowling, C’2019
  • Stacie Durden, C’2018
  • Taylor Hall-Debnam, C’2018
  • Kela Jackson, C’2019
  • Tramaine Lockhart, C’2017
  • Achaia Moore, C’2018
  • Tyra A. Seals, C’2018
  • Cornelia Stokes, C’2019
  • Kassandra Ware, C’2019
  • Jason Overby, C’2017 (Morehouse student)

Ware, a Pauline E. Drake Scholar, has been an archives assistant at Spelman for the past 10 years. Her work involves conducting research in areas such as individuals and artifacts that are connected to the College. By completing the curatorial program, Ware aims to sharpen her research skills in support of artists and exhibitions at Spelman’s museum and others.

“I also would like to learn how museums are efficiently managed and how exhibitions are received and installed,” said Ware. “I am a hands-on person and look forward to assisting in the physical building or arrangement of exhibitions.”

The Mellon Foundation has a lengthy history and strong relationship with Spelman. While visiting campus in 2014, officials from the foundation met with Spelman’s Museum director, Andrea Barnwell Brownlee, Ph.D., C’93, who shared her vision to introduce students to curatorial fields earlier in their academic careers. After a series of conversations, they invited her to apply for a grant to help create a solution. Shortly thereafter, the foundation awarded the grant.

As part of their commitment to diversifying the museum field, the foundation conducted the first comprehensive study of diversity in American art museums. The study revealed that just four percent of museum professionals are African American, with no pipeline toward leadership for persons of color. Spelman’s new program has the potential to make a significant impact, and over time, help reverse this trend.

“There’s been an overwhelming interest in understanding what a curator does. Students need to know what to do in order to explore that career path,” explained Dr. Brownlee. “If just five of our 10 students go on to graduate school and work in this profession, we’ve already made an extraordinary contribution to the field. We’re really excited about the potential to make a difference.”

Dowling, an art major, is considering a career as a curator. When she arrived at Spelman last summer as a first-year student, she admittedly had little knowledge about the field beyond her personal interest in creating and viewing art.

“I often would view art placed in museums and galleries without taking the time to think about who decided to place it there, and why,” shared Dowling. “Consequently, I knew I could not miss out on an opportunity with the curatorial studies program to expand my horizons and delve into art in a way that I had never previously experienced.”

The program, with its specific focus on curatorial studies, is the first of its kind at a historically Black college or university.

“The students are extremely excited, and this is an ideal time for us to invest in this next generation of highly-skilled and innovation-driven museum professionals,” said Mora Beauchamp-Byrd, Ph.D., visiting assistant professor of art history and curatorial studies, and an art historian, curator and arts administrator who will oversee the new initiative.

Source: Spelman College

April 15, 2016 by HBCU Staff Reports



Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Christina Vortia says

    April 15, 2016 at 1:23 pm

    Excellent!!!!!!! This is awesome! Now, how about library and information management! We need more information curators as well!

Primary Sidebar

Search

Quick Links

  • Contact Us
  • List of HBCUs by State
  • HBCU Rankings 2021
  • HBCU College Tours
  • HBCU Shirts
  • Podcast

HBCU History

  • The First HBCU in South
  • Oldest HBCUs In the Nation
  • The First Black Owned and Operated HBCU
  • The First and Only Black Catholic HBCU
  • 10 Powerful Black History Movies HBCU Students Should Watch
Know Thy Self T-shirt

Popular Posts

  • Happy female college student working on research paper topics. Research Paper Topics: 50 Ideas to Get Started
  • The historic Holmes Hall, Morgan State University 10 Reasons Why Attending an HBCU was a Good Idea
  • How to Become a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Instructor How to Become a Certified Nursing Assistant Instructor
  • HBCU Sororities and Fraternities to Consider The Divine 9: Sororities and Fraternities on HBCU Campuses
  • Top 10 Most Affordable HBCUs in the Country: Campus of Langston University in Oklahoma Top 10 Most Affordable HBCUs in the Country

Join Our HBCU Community

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn

Before Footer

Join Our Mailing List

Sign up to receive our newsletter and get weekly HBCU news, tips, and advice in your inbox.

Subscribe Now

Footer

About HBCU Lifestyle

The spirit and camaraderie of black college living is a lifestyle - the HBCU lifestyle! We're committed to keeping you connected to the black college living experience, bringing you the latest on everything, from scholarships and dorm living to Greek life and alumni giving.


Contact Us

Latest from the Blog

  • HBCU Homecoming 2020: The Virtual Homecoming Edition
  • HBCU Rankings 2021: The Top 25 Black Colleges from U.S. News
  • 5 Ways the HBCU Community Can Survive and Thrive in a Pandemic
  • HBCU Classics Football Schedule 2019
  • Contact Us
  • HBCU Rankings
  • HBCU Scholarships
  • List of HBCUs
  • HBCU College Tours
  • HBCU Shirts
Copyright © 2010-2020 HBCU Lifestyle, LLC. All rights reserved.
Contact Us | Sitemap | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy