Sunday, May 4, 2008

Artforum

New Director for Carnegie Mellon's Gallery; New Roving Gallery for Bahrain: MUSEUM NEWS

02.18.08

Astria Suparak, a curator known for her efforts to highlight emerging and international artists, has been named the new director of Carnegie Mellon University's Regina Gouger Miller Gallery, effective March 1. Suparak's cutting-edge exhibitions often employ a variety of media, from painting and photography to craft and electronic arts. Suparak, who succeeds interim director Petra Fallaux, comes to Carnegie Mellon from Syracuse University's Warehouse Gallery, a public, nonprofit art gallery. She has also curated exhibitions independently in Montreal and New York. "Astria Suparak will bring a great deal of energy and vision to her new position as director of the Regina Gouger Miller Gallery," said Hilary Robinson, dean of the College of Fine Arts. Suparak curated the Warehouse Gallery's show, "COME ON: Desire Under the Female Gaze," in late 2007. She described the exhibition as "unabashed explorations and unapologetic articulations of female libido" and an attempt to break down the notion of dichotomous gender.


Source:
http://artforum.com/archive/id=19510&search=%22astria%22

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Daily Orange

Former Warehouse director offered position at Carnegie Mellon

Megan Saucke
Issue date: 2/20/08 Section: News

After her controversial dismissal from Syracuse University, former Warehouse Gallery director Astria Suparak is set to take a new position.

Suparak will become director of the Regina Gouger Miller Gallery at Carnegie Mellon University on March 1.

"I wasn't that actively looking for employment because opportunities were coming to me," Suparak said. She received job offers in the Northeast, on the West Coast and in Canada from universities, festivals and arts organizations.

Suparak's unexpected firing sparked an outcry from those in local and international art communities. Jeffrey Hoone, executive director of the Coalition of Museums and Art Centers, took full responsibility for the firing. Both he and Chancellor Nancy Cantor declined to give reason for the decision, citing "confidential personnel issues."

Tom Sherman, a professor of video and media theory, said Suparak's firing came down to different visions.

"I think [the administration] had a different vision of what art would be here, and that didn't include this dynamic relationship with the community," Sherman said.

In November, it seemed Suparak would retain employment by SU as curator-in-residence at the College of Visual Performing Arts. But SU ended negotiations after Suparak talked to The Daily Orange about the possible new position.

Suparak's absence is still felt by many at SU. A new Warehouse Gallery director has yet to be hired.

"This is a very difficult setback for us, not only in terms of our image as a community and as a university that we let somebody that was doing a great job go," Sherman said. "It really lessens our capability to compete with good schools like CMU.

Suparak has a strong vision and knows how to engage a community in contemporary art, he said.

"Our loss is their gain," he said.

Yvonne Buchanan, an assistant professor of illustration in VPA, said Supark bridged different areas in the school and the community.

"She's a very creative, dynamic person, and I feel very badly that SU lost her," Buchanan, a VPA professor, said. "But I'm really happy about the fact that she found a place that really appreciates what she can bring to an academic and creative community."

Since her dismissal, Suparak has been busy working on upcoming exhibitions that include her own artwork. She is also writing for publications and serving on panels for art funding.

Once Suparak starts as director of the gallery at CMU, she will be responsible for leading the gallery, directing exhibitions and working with departments in the university. She plans to collaborate with different departments within the university, across the city and with international organizations.

"They really have the ability to interface what they're teaching with what they're showing in the gallery," Sherman said. "Astria was beginning to put that in place at the Warehouse Gallery, but when she was dismissed we really lost that link between what we were doing in our curriculum and was being shown."

"She was extremely thoughtful, she was very thorough, she had a lot of energy and we liked the ideas that she had for exhibitions," said Hilary Robinson, the dean of CMU's College of Fine Arts. "She seems to have a huge body of support from curators and artists out there, and I'm looking forward to working with her in the coming years."

The city of Pittsburgh also drew Suparak to CMU. She said it is "diverse on multiple levels" and has a "thriving underground art scene."

Pittsburgh was recently named "Best Arts Destination in the Country" among midsized cities by American Style Magazine. It is the home of the Warhol Museum, the Mattress Factory and the Carnegie Museum of Art, all contemporary visual arts venues.

"It's a wonderful place for artists to live," Robinson said.

And Suparak is thrilled about her new position. "There is such a strong history and reputation at CMU for encouraging experimentation and fostering innovation," she said. "I think the gallery is really well-positioned to assume a leadership role amongst universities."

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Carnegie Mellon University Press Release

Astria Suparak Named New Director of Regina Gouger Miller Gallery at Carnegie Mellon

PITTSBURGH — Astria Suparak, a curator known for her efforts to highlight emerging and international artists, has been named the new director of Carnegie Mellon University's Regina Gouger Miller Gallery, effective March 1. Suparak's cutting-edge exhibitions often employ a variety of media, from painting and photography, to craft and electronic arts.

suparak

Suparak, who succeeds interim director Petra Fallaux, comes to Carnegie Mellon from Syracuse University's Warehouse Gallery, a public, non-profit art gallery. She has also curated exhibits independently in Montreal and New York.

"Astria Suparak will bring a great deal of energy and vision to her new position as director of the Regina Gouger Miller Gallery," said Hilary Robinson, dean of the College of Fine Arts. "While wanting to reach out nationally and internationally, she also has a keen sense of what the role of the gallery can be here in Pittsburgh. I look forward to working with her in the years to come."

Suparak curated the Warehouse Gallery's incisive "COME ON: Desire Under the Female Gaze" in late 2007. She described the exhibition as "unabashed explorations and unapologetic articulations of female libido" and an attempt to break down the notion of dichotomous gender. Thousands of people visited this exhibition, which received international press attention.

"I look forward to leading the Miller Gallery into its next phase, as a vital component of Pittsburgh's flourishing cultural life," Suparak said. "Future programming will highlight critical and inspirational contemporary artists through provocative and illuminating exhibitions, projects, events and publications. I envision dynamic collaborations with other local, national and international organizations, bridging diverse communities across the campus, the city and the art world at large."

Suparak has curated national exhibitions, screenings and events at the Yale University School of Architecture, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, The Kitchen, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the FotoFest Biennial, Eyebeam, the Anthology Film Archives and P.S.1. She has also worked in England, Mexico, the Netherlands, Germany, Canada, Italy, Ireland, Belgium and France. From 1997 to 2000, she was director of the media series at Pratt Institute, and she is currently serving on the advisory panel for the Aurora Picture Show in Houston and the Public Art Commission for the city of Syracuse.

As an artist, Suparak's work has been published in the feminist journal "LTTR," the British art magazine "Black Diamond" and the book "Graffiti Women: Street Art from Five Continents." She has written for NY Arts, Heeb, The Independent Film and Video Monthly and has an essay in the forthcoming volume of "Live Cinema: A Contemporary Reader."

Suparak received a bachelor's degree in studio art and art history from Pratt Institute in 2000, and later pursued museum studies at Syracuse University.

Named for avid art collector, principal donor and Carnegie Mellon alumna Regina Gouger Miller, the Miller Gallery has sought to support the creation, growth and understanding of contemporary art since January 2000. Located in the Purnell Center for the Arts on Carnegie Mellon's campus, the three-story, 9,000 square-foot space functions not just as a showcase for art, but also for experimentation, examination, discovery and discussion. The gallery is free and open to the public. For more information visit http://millergallery.cfa.cmu.edu.

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Curating.Info

Censorship & Dismissal

Friday, January 4, 2008


Astria Suparak, a US-based curator, noted in a recent public letter that her role as a "citizen and as a curator is to enrich the communities in which I live and work, through engaging, exciting, and relevant creative work." I agree with this sentiment wholeheartedly, and I'd also add that taking these actions involves an intimate knowledge of the context that one occupies and a willingness to take calculated risks. It should also be further noted that very often, curators do not work independently, and therefore institutions that employ curators are bound to support these creative risks if they truly desire to engage in a dynamic discourse around contemporary art.

Suparak was the Director of the Warehouse Gallery at Syracuse University, until she was dismissed from her post on September 30, 2007. Her supervisor, Jeffrey Hoone, Executive Director of the Coalition of Museum and Art Centers (CMAC), said the reason for her dismissal was that the gallery was being "restructured".

According to the New York Times:
Carole Brzozowski, the dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Syracuse University, said the content of gallery shows organized by Ms. Suparak had nothing to do with her dismissal. But people in the arts at Syracuse, including university art teachers, asserted that the ouster was related to risk-taking or innovative exhibitions she organized since becoming the director last year.

Ms. Suparak said of Mr. Hoone: “My aesthetic is very different from his. I’m interested in street art, riot grrl and D.I.Y. aesthetics.” A sign at the entrance to the gallery’s current show, “Come On: Desire Under the Female Gaze,” reads, “This exhibition contains work generally intended for mature audiences.” Ms. Suparak said it was posted at Mr. Hoone’s behest.


The case of Ms. Suparak's dismissal posits very serious questions vis à vis some basic aspirations and assumptions about creative curatorial practice. As an example, in a recent interview with curator Sarah Cook, the interviewer asks (and I'm paraphrasing quite a bit) about what conditions would be considered nurturing for a curator. (The interviewer, Régine Debatty, asks specifically: "What are the conditions required to achieve "upstart media bliss"?") Ms. Cook responds: "Challenging the system – be it the art system, the museum, or the format of the exhibition – and not being afraid to take a risk (generally being an upstart). At the same time, remembering to take care of the artist and the work, take care of other people and your ethics. Creating situations for contemplation and reflection (bliss doesn't have to be monumental, it might only last a minute, but a minute worth remembering)."

I think that this quotation from Ms. Cook says it best - what better way to achieve bliss than to challenge the system, take risks, and yet simultaneously remain steadfast to your standards. In an institution where the curator has to answer to management, it is imperative that management support the sort of calculated, intelligent risks a professional curator would make. If Ms. Suparak's case is as it seems based on the available evidence, it appears that there was a failure in this relationship - this commitment to producing catalytic moments and entry points for dialogue in contemporary art, by making moves that are not always "safe". These failures are worrying, as they don't bode well for the continued enrichment of cultural experience - which means everyone, not just the curators involved, loses out.

Posted by: Michelle Kasprzak



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BACKGROUND

Syracuse has lost one its greatest assets. Astria Suparak, Inaugural Director of The Warehouse Gallery of Syracuse University, was removed from her position as of Sept. 30th, 2007, despite widespread support from community members, students, faculty, and the international art community. This decision was made unilaterally by Jeffrey Hoone, Executive Director of the Coalition of Museum and Art Centers (CMAC).

At the time of Suparak's dismissal, Hoone also canceled her forthcoming exhibitions, including "Keep It Slick: Infiltrating Capitalism with The Yes Men," due to open in November 2007.