Announcing the 2025 Cohort of the CCL/Mellon Foundation Seminar in Curatorial Practice
The Center for Curatorial Leadership (CCL) is pleased to announce the 2025 cohort of the CCL/Mellon Foundation Seminar in Curatorial Practice. Now in its eleventh year, the Seminar will provide twelve outstanding students from around the world with the opportunity to engage in the critical responsibilities of museums today.
The 2025 cohort will meet in-person in New York City for an intensive two-week program this July. The curriculum includes one-on-one mentorship, Columbia Business School coursework, conversations with leaders in the field, including curators, CCL alumni, and museum directors, and site visits to museum exhibitions and collections, storage, conservation, artist studios, and more.
With the support of the Mellon Foundation, CCL is proud to provide advanced graduate students and emerging cultural professionals with the knowledge and networks to pursue careers in museums. This year’s cohort represents eight different universities and diverse fields of study, which include Contemporary Caribbean art, Byzantine art, 18th century French decorative art, Egyptian art, Contemporary African art, and more. The cohort brings a wide range of scholarship and expertise that promises to expand and advance the impact of our field.
CCL is delighted to welcome the 2025 Seminar cohort into our network and looks forward to their future accomplishments.
Class of 2025
Paulina Ascencio Fuentes, New York University, Sociocultural Anthropology
Charmaine Branch, Princeton University, Modern and Contemporary Art of the Black Diaspora
Shiro Burnette, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, Egyptian Art and Archaeology
Alexandra Dennett, Harvard University, Modern Art & History of Photography
Rachel Hunter Himes, Columbia University, Visual and material culture; 18th-19th century France and Britain
Elif Karakaya, University of Rochester, Modern and Contemporary Art
Sheyda Aisha Khaymaz, University of Texas at Austin, Modern and Contemporary Art of North Africa
Maysa Martins, University of Texas at Austin, Modern and Contemporary art of the Black Atlantic
Earnestine Qiu, Princeton University, Byzantine Art
Ashley K. Raghubir, University of Toronto, Contemporary Caribbean Art
Ana María Sánchez Lesmes, Boston University, Latin American Art and History of Art Curatorship
Chahrazad Zahi, Boston University, Modern and Contemporary African Art
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Image Caption: The 2025 CCL/Mellon Foundation Seminar Participants are (from left to right, top to bottom) Paulina Ascencio Fuentes, Charmaine Branch, Shiro Burnette, Alexandra Dennett, Rachel Hunter Himes, Elif Karakaya, Sheyda Aisha Khaymaz, Maysa Martins, Eartnestine Qiu, Ashley K. Raghubir, Ana María Sánchez Lesmes, and Chahrazad Zahi. Courtesy of 2025 CCL/Mellon Foundation Seminar Participants.