CCL/Mellon Foundation Seminar in Curatorial Practice
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The 2024 CCL/Mellon Foundation Seminar students (from left to right): Claire Dillon, Holli Turner, Leticia Cobra Lima, Sylvia Xin Yue Wang, Roko Rumora, Jessica Johnson, Amy Crum, Cambra Sklarz, María Carrillo Marquina, Julia Hamer-Light, Ellen Archie, Margot Yale, Dantaé Elliot, Sarah Molina, Nzinga Simmons.
Photo by Hollis Johnson•
The 2023 CCL/Mellon Foundation Seminar students (from left to right): Kalyani Madhura Ramachandran, Angela Pastorelli-Sosa, Isabella Shey Robbins, Zully Adler, Arianna Ray, Elizabeth D. Smith, Yifan Zou, Sanniah Jabeen, Diana Iturralde, Natalie E. Wright, Lily F. Scott, Vaishnavi Patil, Michelle Al-Ferzly, Rachel Kabukala, Mateusz Mayer.
Photo by Hollis Johnson•
The Whitney’s Carter Foster, Steven and Ann Ames Curator of Drawing, leads 2015 Seminar students through the museum's new building and discusses the collaborative process and curatorial considerations behind the inaugural exhibition, “America is Hard to See.”
Photo by Isaac James•
The 2021 CCL/Mellon Foundation Seminar students (from left to right): Lesdi Carolina Goussen Robleto, Kymberly Newberry, Indrani Saha, Tyler Shine, Ashley Patton, Annissa Malvoisin, Cynthia Kok, Xin Wang, Diana Young, Hoda Nedaeifar, Bianca Hand, Ali Printz, Lauryn Smith, Grant Johnson, Kylie Ching, Sarah Mallory, and Delphine Sims.
Photo by Hollis Johnson•
The 2020 CCL/Mellon Foundation Seminar students (from left to right): Laura Beltran-Rubio, Kate Werwie, Ramey Mize, Jamal Batts, Catherine Popovici, Rebecca Levitan, Emily Friedman, Sayantan Mukhopadhyay, Nora Lambert, Hyunjin Cho, Anthony Meyer, Barbora Bartunkova, and Emily Mazzola (not pictured: Kendra Greendeer).
Photo by Hollis Johnson•
The 2019 CCL/Mellon Foundation Seminar students (from left to right) at The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Kiara Hill, Kendall DeBoer, Marlise G. Brown, Joy Xiao Chen, Sharrissa Iqbal, Hannah Yohalem, Alicia Caticha, Jennifer Baez, Caitlin C. Clerkin, Tara Contractor, Danny Smith, Tina Barouti, Adam Harris Levine, Melissa M. Ramos Borges, Elizabeth Lee, and Clare Kobasa.
Photo by Hollis Johnson•
Artist Kara Walker discusses her sources of inspiration for "A Subtlety" with the 2014 Seminar participants.
Photo by Jeremy RossAbout the Seminar
The CCL/Mellon Seminar in Curatorial Practice provides art history Ph.D. students in all fields of specialty with an in-depth introduction to working in museums. The two-week intensive combines exhibition and collection tours, conversations with curators and cultural leaders, and group exercises at New York City institutions. With support from a grant from the Mellon Foundation, the Seminar provides a critical training opportunity for emerging curatorial professionals. Twelve to fifteen students annually receive the extraordinary opportunity to observe, analyze, and engage in the critical responsibilities of museums through a range of institutional contexts.
Eligibility
Candidates for the Seminar should be full-time students enrolled in a doctoral program (or its equivalent) in art history, or a related field of study with significant coursework in art history. Eligible candidates will have completed their oral examinations before the program begins and will have, at minimum, determined the topic of their dissertation research. Students who will have successfully defended their dissertations prior to the start of the program are not eligible to apply.
CCL seeks an inclusive group of participants from around the United States and abroad. The ideal candidate has a strong academic record and demonstrates intellectual and professional curiosity, an interest in exploring the curatorial field, and the ability to work well with others. Previous museum experience is common, but not required.
Curriculum
The two weeks of the Seminar expose students to the critical responsibilities of a curator. Sessions are held in museum galleries and behind the scenes of art institutions across New York City. Students engage with directors, curators, conservators, registrars, educators, and trustees, among others, and are introduced to the wide variety of roles that contribute to the operations of museums today. Lessons and conversations familiarize participants with a range of curatorial career paths and institutional models, exploring the ideas behind acquisition, care, interpretation, and display as they relate to permanent collections and temporary exhibitions. Discussions are complemented by coursework led by professors from Columbia Business School, which covers fundamental business principles in order to better understand organizational models and managerial leadership.
Students are also assigned a team practicum exercise that asks them to critically assess the mission and program of a New York City institution and to apply skills and perspectives gained from the Seminar.
In addition, each student is matched with a mentor curator for individualized one-on-one meetings.
Program Schedule
The 2025 CCL/Mellon Seminar in Curatorial Practice will take place in New York City from July 6-18, 2025.
Cost
There are no tuition fees or direct costs associated with the Seminar. CCL is committed to ensuring that financial resources do not preclude any student’s application or participation. Round-trip travel to New York City and housing for the full two weeks of the program will be provided for students residing outside of New York City. In addition, CCL will provide all students with a stipend to cover the costs of transportation and meals not organized by CCL.
SUPPORT
CCL is grateful to its generous funders who make the CCL/Mellon Foundation Seminar in Curatorial Practice possible, including the Board of Trustees and CCL Alumni. Lead support for the CCL/Mellon Seminar is provided by the Mellon Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Ford Foundation, Agnes Gund, Barbara and Amos Hostetter, Susan and Charles Sawyers, and Thomas and Alice Tisch. Major support is provided by Charina Endowment Fund, Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, The Hearst Foundations, Leon Levy Foundation, Marnie Pillsbury, Emily Pulitzer, Teiger Foundation, Terra Foundation for American Art, and Alice L. Walton Foundation.
The CCL/Mellon Foundation Seminar is supported in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.