The role of a curator has long been defined as a custodian, one who preserves and protects a museum’s legacy, and more latterly as someone who sets the tone of the art world avant-garde, bringing together artists in a manner that serves their vision. Historically, the view has been Eurocentric, and the position both coveted and somewhat inaccessible. However, a new wave of curators is approaching the role from fresh perspectives, bringing previously under-represented artists to the fore.
“That’s definitely why I got into curating,” says Larry Ossei-Mensah, a Ghanaian-American writer and curator who is a co-founder of the ARTNOIR collective, which promotes equity across the cultural sector. He recently curated the exhibition Amoako Boafo: Soul of Black Folks at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. “When I started curating in 2008, it was a very different climate, very homogeneous. I didn’t feel like there were enough forums and avenues to have these kinds of conversations, to push the envelope.”
