Emily Handlin, PhD
Fairfield,CT
Summary
Experienced art-world professional and teacher with over ten years of experience in curation focused on modern and contemporary art, as well as a background in academic research. Skilled at community engagement, project management, and collaborating with artists, curators, designers, and lay people to define the interpretive direction, narrative structure, and design of exhibitions.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
Work History
Associate Curator of Exhibitions and Programs
Katonah Museum of Art
01.2021 - 11.2023
- Oversaw the Museum's exhibition schedule, including curating three major exhibitions, acting as presenting curator for six traveling and guest-curated exhibitions, and developing associated public programming
- Project managed and edited for four exhibition catalogues and contributed scholarly essays to two catalogues
- Lead quarterly meetings of the Exhibitions Committee, and interfaced with key donors and members of the KMA Board of Trustees
- Collaborated with Mark Rothko's estate to developed The Rothko Room, a series of single-painting installations by the artist
- Acted as lead for successful grant applications to support exhibitions and programming, including from the Terra Foundation for American Art, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and Humanities New York, among others
- Developed a full roster of public programs, including workshops, artist talks and panels, and scholarly lectures
- Managed the Museum's curatorial budget
- Managed one full-time employee and project-based curatorial interns.
Assistant Curator of Exhibitions and Programs
Katonah Museum of Art
01.2020 - 01.2021
- Oversaw the Museum's exhibition schedule, including curating three major exhibitions, acting as presenting curator for six traveling and guest-curated exhibitions, and developing associated public programming
- Project managed and edited for four exhibition catalogues and contributed scholarly essays to two catalogues
- Lead quarterly meetings of the Exhibitions Committee, and interfaced with key donors and members of the KMA Board of Trustees
- Managed the Museum's curatorial budget
- Managed one full-time employee and project-based curatorial interns.
Marsted Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow for Contemporary Art
Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art
11.2018 - 01.2020
- Co-curated an exhibition of contemporary photography
- Lead an assessment of a 315-object collection, including provenance and object research, updating catalogue records, and coordinating conservation efforts
- Developed a queer permanent collection tour and collaborated with LGBTQIA+ community members and artists to record an audio guide.
Gallery Director
Eastern Connecticut State University
10.2016 - 10.2018
- Oversaw the day-to-day operations of the Gallery
- Expanded the Gallery's curatorial program by organizing four exhibitions of contemporary art per academic year as well as associated public programming
- Managed the Gallery's art collection, including acquisitions, conservation, and rehousing
- Managed two full-time employees and four part-time student workers.
Curatorial Fellow
Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art
09.2011 - 09.2012
- Researched and wrote text for a major photography exhibition and its associated catalogue
- Collaborated with RISD and Brown faculty members to incorporate the Museum's collections into their curricula.
Research Assistant
Peabody Essex Museum
05.2010 - 05.2012
- Worked with the Curator of Photography to research the Museum's collections
- Catalogued the Museum's collections of ethnographic and anthropological photographs.
Education
PhD - History of Art and Architecture
Brown University
Providence, RI05.2015
MA - Art History
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ05.2009
Graduate Diploma - History of Art
Courtauld Institute of Art
London, UK05.2006
BA - Classical Studies
University of Chicago
Chicago, IL05.2004
Skills
- Expertise in the history of photography and contemporary art
- Public engagement
- Interpretation and storytelling
- Multitasking
- Artistic and community collaborations
- Grant writing
- Written and oral communication
- Archival and community-based research
- Cultural Sensitivity
Select Exhibition History
Katonah Museum of Art, Katonah, NY
- Stories of Syria's Textiles: Art and Heritage across Two Millennia, presenting curator, 2023
- Wu Chi-Tsung: Synchronicity, presenting curator, 2023
- Miniature Worlds: Joseph Cornell, Ray Johnson, Yayoi Kusama, curator, 2023
- John O'Reilly: Studio Visitations, curator, 2023
- Tenacity and Resilience: The Art of Jerry Pinkney, presenting curator, 2022
- Tradition Interrupted, presenting curator, 2022
- Remy Jungerman: Higher Ground, curator, 2022
- Constant Carnival: The Haas Brothers in Context, curator, 2022
- ARRIVALS, presenting curator, 2021
- Still/Live, curator, 2021
- Bisa Butler: Portraits, presenting curator, 2020
- Hands & Earth: Perspectives on Japanese Contemporary Ceramics, presenting curator, 2020
- The Rothko Room, curator, 2020-2023
Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, CT
- Be Seen: Portrait Photography Since Stonewall, co-curator, 2019
Eastern Connecticut State University, Willimantic, CT
- Mom & Dad, curator, 2018
- Guerrero & Wright: Architecture Stories, curator, 2017
RISD Museum of Art, Providence, RI
- America in View: Landscape Photography 1865 to Now, curatorial assistant, 2012
Timeline
Associate Curator of Exhibitions and Programs
Katonah Museum of Art
01.2021 - 11.2023
Assistant Curator of Exhibitions and Programs
Katonah Museum of Art
01.2020 - 01.2021
Marsted Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow for Contemporary Art
Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art
11.2018 - 01.2020
Gallery Director
Eastern Connecticut State University
10.2016 - 10.2018
Curatorial Fellow
Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art
09.2011 - 09.2012
Research Assistant
Peabody Essex Museum
05.2010 - 05.2012
PhD - History of Art and Architecture
Brown University
MA - Art History
University of Arizona
Graduate Diploma - History of Art
Courtauld Institute of Art
BA - Classical Studies
University of Chicago
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