Oklahoma Art Writing & Curatorial Fellowship: Blog

Fellows on OK-KC Artists in Focus Exchange

2012-11-02T10:06:00.002-05:00

Oklahoma Art Writing and Curatorial Fellows Kirsten Olds and Blair Schulman published profiles about the nine artists appearing in the Concept/OK: Focus exhibition in the Art Focus Oklahoma magazine.

Artists from Kansas City, MO and Oklahoma will exhibit jointly in Tulsa then develop an exhibition at Charlotte Street Foundation's La Esquina Gallery this spring.

Month of Temporary Articles: Fellow Cory Imig

2012-09-21T10:10:00.000-05:00

Along with her Plug Projects collaborators, Oklahoma Art Writing & Curatorial Fellow Cory Imig partnered with Temporary Art Review for a month of articles about Kansas City and Lawrence exhibitions and artists.

Carrie Scanga's "BREATH: The Emergent Colony" at Plug Projects, Kansas City, MO

Also, check out the newest exhibition in their space, “BREATHE : The Emergent Colony” by Carrie Scanga in collaboration with Jane Gotch, Simon Fink, Hadara Bar-Nadav, and Craig Howard.

Fellow Blair Schulman Published on Juxtapoz & Starts Radio Program

2012-09-20T10:06:00.000-05:00

Oklahoma Art Writing & Curatorial Fellow Blair Schulman published this profile of Justin Beachler's "Smut Compositions" on Juxtapoz magazine.

He begins a new radio program interviewing artists about new exhibitions this evening on KKFI 90.1 in Kansas City. The show should be streaming live beginning at 7:30 pm.

Window Unit: Catalog for Apartment Installation

2012-09-19T10:02:00.001-05:00

Oklahoma Art Writing & Curatorial Fellow Theresa Bemnister recently launched Window Unit, a project site in an apartment building in downtown Kansas City, MO. This catalog features the a thoughtful installation by Calder Kamen.

Lead Mentor Shannon Fitzgerald Featured on Art 21 Blog

2012-09-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

Shannon Fitzgerald (r), Lead Mentor for the OK Art Writing & Curatorial Fellowship
introduces the February panel of Hamza Walker, Dana Turkovic & Elizabeth Dunbar.
(Photo by Rex Barrett)

Program lead mentor Shannon Fitzgerald addresses the Oklahoma Art Writing & Curatorial Fellowship and her curatorial work in this Art 21 blog article. Her interview marks her appointment as executive director of the Rochester Art Center in Rochester, MN, last month.

Fitzgerald will return to Oklahoma City to moderate the Saturday, September 15 public panel, "Visibility & Vitality: Contemporary Art Criticism Now." The program will feature David Pagel , Sylvie Fortin and Gregory Volk and mark the last public program for this Fellowship year.

Mentor Profile: Sylvie Fortin

2012-09-12T08:30:00.000-05:00

OK Art Writing & Curatorial Fellowship Mentor Sylvie Fortin

Sylvie Fortin writes as an independent curator, art historian, critic and editor. She has worked internationally since 1991. Previously she served as Editor-in-Chief at Art Papers in Atlanta, GA.

She was Curator of Contemporary Art at the Ottawa Art Gallery (Ottawa, Ontario, 1996—2001), Program Coordinator at la chambre blanche (Quebec City, Quebec, 1991-1994), and a long-term collaborator with OBORO (Montreal, Quebec, 1994-2001).

Her critical essays have been published in Canadian, American and European catalogues, and her reviews have appeared in many periodicals including Art Press, C Magazine, Espace, Fuse (of which she is a contributing editor), NKA: Journal of Contemporary African Art and Parachute.

Fortin studied Art History at the University of Toronto, Université Laval, and Duke University. She has received numerous significant grants and awards as a critic and curator, as well as for her academic research. Fortin was named Lexus Leader of the Arts in December 2007

Fortin presents about her work at a public panel September 15, 1-3 pm at the OKC Museum of Art. "Visibility & Vitality: Contemporary Art Criticism Now," will feature Fortin with David Pagel and Gregory Volk and be moderated by Shannon Fitzgerald.

Mentor Profile: David Pagel

2012-09-11T08:30:00.000-05:00

OK Art Writing & Curatorial Fellowship Mentor David Pagel
Courtesy of Claremont University website

David Pagel is an associate professor, curator, and art critic. He writes regularly for the Los Angeles Times.

His recent curatorial projects include projects such as the seven-artist "critics as curator" exhibition called Pieceable Kingdom at Beacon Arts in Inglewood, CA and softcore HARD EDGE co-curated with Marianne Elder at the Art Gallery of Calgary, Alberta. He curated Underground Pop at Parrish Art Museum in Southampton, NY, 2010 where he is an adjunct curator.

His recent publications include “Fast Times: Slow Looks” in Wendell Gladstone, D.O.A., S.O.S., ETC.; “The Handmade Imagination of John Frame” in Three Fragments of a Lost Tale, for The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens; “Unassuming and Nutty” in Dion Johnson, New Paintings, Rebecca Ibel Gallery, Columbus, Ohio; and “Cool Compassion: Steven Criqui’s Pop Pathos” in Steven Criqui: A Retrospective/Memorial, for the University of California, Irvine.

He has an MA in Art History from Harvard University and a BA in Modern Thought and Literature from Stanford University. He is currently Associate Professor of Art Theory and History in the School of Arts & Humanities at Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA.

Pagel presents about his work at a public panel September 15, 1-3 pm at the OKC Museum of Art. "Visibility & Vitality: Contemporary Art Criticism Now," will feature Pagel with Sylvie Fortin and Gregory Volk and be moderated by Shannon Fitzgerald.

Mentor Profile: Gregory Volk

2012-09-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

OK Art Writing & Curatorial Fellowship Mentor Gregory Volk

Gregory Volk is a New York-based art critic and freelance curator.

He writes regularly for Art in America, where he is a contributing editor. His articles and reviews have also appeared in many other publications, including Parkett and Sculpture.

Among his many contributions to exhibition catalogs are essays on Ayse Erkmen (Hamburger Bahnhof, 2008), Joan Jonas (Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona, 2007), and Bruce Nauman (Milwaukee Art Museum, 2006). His essay on Vito Acconci is featured in Vito Acconci: Diary of a Body, 1969-1973, published by Charta in 2007, and his essay on Andy Warhol’s late work appears in Andy Warhol: The Last Decade, published in 2009 by the Milwaukee Art Museum and Prestel.

Volk has curated numerous exhibitions in the U.S. and abroad, including Carnival Within at UferHallen in Berlin (2009), which he co-curated with Sabine Russ; Three Parts Whole at i8 Gallery in Reykjavik, Iceland (2011); and Outdoor Excursions at Burlington City Arts in Burlington, Vermont (2011).

Volk received a BA from Colgate University and a MA from Columbia University. In addition to his activities as a writer and curator, he is Associate Professor in the School of the Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Volk presents about his work at a public panel September 15, 1-3 pm at the OKC Museum of Art. "Visibility & Vitality: Contemporary Art Criticism Now," will feature Vogel with Sylvie Fortin and David Pagel and be moderated by Shannon Fitzgerald.

Forum on Art Writing Fellowship in KC

2012-07-05T15:45:00.002-05:00

What motivates one to write regularly about art? How much self-reflection is productive for an arts community? In what stage or way would funding best encourage art writing?

Oklahoma Art Writing & Curatorial Fellowship forum
at Plug Projects, Kansas City, MO

These questions and others were addressed in an open forum in Kansas City, MO a few weeks ago. We worked with Plug Projects to lead the forum about the ideas behind and impact of the Oklahoma Art Writing and Curatorial Fellowship.

Impact:

First, we presented some of the benefits we've seen from the Oklahoma Art Writing and Curatorial Fellowship since its inception in 2010. Most broadly, the program has raised understanding in Oklahoma's art community about the field and roles of curators and art writers. More specifically, we have built relationships with incredible Mentors with widely varying professional practices. Additionally, we have connected with eager Fellows locally and regionally who are publishing interesting writing.

Oklahoma Art Writing & Curatorial Fellowship forum
at Plug Projects, Kansas City, MO

Kansas City's Scene:

At the forum, about 15 attendees discussed Kansas City's current critical scene and cited the need for more writing, from exhibition previews to in-depth critical texts. I was stricken by their thoughtful discussion of past publications, current writers in the area and limited connections to national writers. We were pleased that many locals read our Art Focus Oklahoma magazine regularly and inquired about its support.

Plug Projects convenes regular events to probe and address these issues such as critique nights, discussions about art writing and out-of-community exchanges. Their collaborators and participants have been spurred to start a publication launching this fall.

One of the most interesting efforts to address the need for more in-depth writing was Charlotte Street Foundation’s commissioning of Art Practical to address innovative socially engaged art practices in Kansas City. The resulting issue compared, contrasted and profiled Kansas City’s scene in relationship to Art Practical’s home of the Bay Area.

Our forum discussion reinforced the importance of art writing for accountability in the public sphere, gaining new perspective and clarifying one’s own artistic or curatorial practice. I am interested in this idea of accountability—for the galleries, artists and curators to have their work examined not only for general visibility to potential audiences, but also to encourage all to strive for their best work.

Motivation:

Motivation was a consistent theme in our discussion. Obviously many see the need for more writing, but how do part-time, un or underpaid writers stay motivated to write regularly?

Payment for writing seems to be an encouraging, but not singular, stimulus. We discussed what type of new funding could be most useful, such as ongoing support for writing under way, awards and travel grants.

Other writers emphasized the peer pressure of being expected to produce writing, thus the motivation of having venues or groups awaiting writing. We also discussed creating regular writing groups focused on basic sharing of texts and skill building.

Past Oklahoma Art Writing Fellow LeePiechocki made an excellent point about motivation, emphasizing that writers have to have something that they want to say. Of course those mental muscles need to be exercised as well.

Overall, I was uplifted by the attendees’ eager engagement with the systemic needs for the art scene to thrive and interest in regional relationships.

Thanks to Plug Projects for hosting and for all the great work they are doing to build the arts ecosystem and to Charlotte Street Foundation for promoting and participating in the forum.

See more about our visit to Kansas City in these two posts about the trip a quick reflection by Julia Kirt and trip overview by Kelsey Karper.

Fellow Published

2012-06-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

OK Art Writing & Curatorial Fellow Emily Newman published an extended version of her first program text on MP, An Online Feminist Journal.
Read it here: http://academinist.org/archives/929.

Exhibition Talk by Fellow

2012-06-12T15:52:00.004-05:00

Hear Oklahoma Art Writing & Curatorial Fellow Kirsten Olds present at the Philbrook Museum of Art on Wednesday, June 13 at noon. See more information on the Museum's blog.

Forum- Arts Writers & Curators: Building Regional Networks

2012-06-11T13:23:00.001-05:00

How do you build curatorial activity and art writing in the region? What are the paths for the work of emerging and aspiring writers & curators? These questions, along with the dearth of contemporary curators and art writers practicing in our area, led the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition to initiate the Oklahoma Art Writing and Curatorial Fellowship.

Join us in an informal discussion about the program, methodologies of emerging and established writers, and other ideas for supporting this important arts ecology. Hear from Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition leaders Julia Kirt & Kelsey Karper along with current Fellows Blair Schulman & Cory Imig and 2010 Fellow Lee Piechocki.

1-2 pm, Saturday, June 16

Hosted by Plug Projects

1613 Genessee St. Kansas City, MO 64102

www.plugprojects.com

Fellow Profile: Kirsten Olds

2012-06-07T17:38:00.000-05:00

The Oklahoma Art Writing & Curatorial Fellows include 12 curators, educators, artists and writers chosen to develop new writing and curatorial projects with guidance from national Mentors throughout 2012.

Kirsten Olds is Assistant Professor of European and American Modern and Contemporary art history at the University of Tulsa. She received her Ph. D. in Art History from the University of Michigan.

Her specialties include modern and contemporary European and American art; artistic collaboration; visual culture theory; race, gender, and sexuality theory; mail art, performance, and video practices.

Recently she presented her paper, “Quivery and Costumed: Glitter Rock and the Performance of Identity in Los Angeles circa 1973,” at the College Art Association. She has written for exhibition catalogues and brochures for the Hollis Taggart Galleries in New York, NY. She has assisted curators with the Hollis Taggart Galleries and the University of Michigan Museum of Art.

Olds is a Fellow in the Oklahoma Art Writing Curatorial Fellowship. Then next public panel presentation will be September 15, 1-3 pm.

Fellow Profile: Sherwin Rivera Tibayan

2012-06-05T08:30:00.000-05:00

OK Art Writing & Curatorial Fellow Sherwin Rivera Tibayan

Sherwin Rivera Tibayan is a photographer from Norman, OK. His work has been featured in F-Stop Magazine, Art Focus Oklahoma, and New Landscape Photography.

He has had curatorial experience with the Lightwell Gallery at the University of Oklahoma and the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art.

He received his MFA in Media from the University of Oklahoma in May.

Tibayan is a Fellow in the Oklahoma Art Writing Curatorial Fellowship. Then next public panel presentation will be September 15, 1-3 pm.

Fellow Profile: Cory Imig

2012-05-29T16:34:00.002-05:00

OK Art Writing & Curatorial Fellow Cory Imig

Based in Kansas City, MO Cory Imig is an interdisciplinary artist.

Also, she co-direct and serves as co-curator of PLUG Projects, a new artist-run space. The collaborative seeks to activate the public and energize dialogue between local and national artist and curators. PLUG Projects showcases less visible artist from the area and exposes Kansas City to nationally recognized artists outside of the area.

She also works with the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art’s ArtReach Program, a program that provides workshops and creative classes for children, with or without developmental disabilities.

She received her BFA in fibers and sculpture from Savannah College of Art and Design in 2008.

Imig is a Fellow in the Oklahoma Art Writing Curatorial Fellowship. Then next public panel presentation will be September 15, 1-3 pm.

Fellow Profile: Amber Sharples

2012-05-17T16:22:00.002-05:00

OK Art Writing & Curatorial Fellow Amber Sharlples

Amber Sharples is the newly-named Deputy Director at the Oklahoma Arts Council. Since 2009, she managed both the State Art Collection and Capitol Art Collection as Visual Arts Director/Collections Manager.

She also co-owns the Maya Trading Company, a gallery and retail space for the promotion of indigenous artists and craftspeople from Mexico and Central America.

She previously worked for the US-Mexico Foundation for Culture in Mexico City. She received her MA in Art History from the University of Oklahoma in 2005.

Sharples is a Fellow in the Oklahoma Art Writing Curatorial Fellowship. Then next public panel presentation will be September 15, 1-3 pm.

Comments on April Program

2012-04-20T13:53:00.002-05:00

Author: Blair Schulman

Mentor Sylvester Okwunodu Ogbechie with Fellows

The ongoing discussions with our mentors, both visiting and in-house, in addition to our reading and writing assignments, have taken root. These interactions have put us on a course towards more intelligent thinking as curators and writers in the local and global arts community.

Mentor Sherri Irvin with Fellows

Our discussion for this session concerned academic curatorial practice in contemporary culture at the Fred Jones Jr. Art Museum in Norman, Oklahoma, Saturday, April 14. Our guest mentors for this session were Drs. Sherri Irvin (Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK), Nancy Marie Mithlo (Associate Professor, Department of Art History and American Indian Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI), and Sylvester Okwunodu Ogbechie (Associate Professor of Art History at the University of California Santa Barbara.).

Mentor Nancy Marie Mithlo with Fellows

The discussion moved seamlessly between each guest mentor. Applied experiences in curatorial practices easily segued to curatorial arrangements between artists and conservators. These considerations, whether controlled or excluded, dictate the human experience. Art equity and cultural patrimony followed. These philosophical ideas impart a structural basis for the way curators observe objects and how writers might discuss them.

For myself, there is a marked change in the way I am now approaching exhibitions that is reflected in my writing. I've begun to ask new questions how artists are realizing their work and curators are utilizing the spaces in which they appear.

Fellow Profile: Emily Newman

2012-04-10T12:27:00.001-05:00

OK Art Writing & Curatorial Fellow Emily Newman

Emily Newman is an Assistant Professor of Art History at Texas A&M University-Commerce in McKinney, TX. Her research focuses on female body image and contemporary art, with additional interests in the way popular culture intersects art history.

She received her PhD from The Graduate Center at the City University of New York, MA from The Pennsylvania State University. She has presented at conferences such as the National Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association and the Bodies of Art Conference organized by The Center for Body, Mind and Culture at Florida Atlantic University.

Newman is a Fellow in the Oklahoma Art Writing Curatorial Fellowship. Then next public panel presentation will be this Saturday, April 14, 1-3 pm.

Mentor Profile: Sherri Irvin

2012-04-05T08:19:00.000-05:00

OK Art Writing & Curatorial Fellowship Mentor
Sherri Irvin (photo by Keisha Register)

Sherri Irvin is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Oklahoma and Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art Editor of the journal Philosophy Compass.

She has published articles in the British Journal of Aesthetics, the Canadian Journal of Philosophy, the Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, and Museum Management and Curatorship, among other journals, as well as in a variety of anthologies and reference works.

Her articles have won the American Society for Aesthetics John Fisher Memorial Prize and the Museum Management and Curatorship Best Paper Award for 2006 in the Curatorship category. She is currently working on a book, Challenging Objects: Negotiations in Contemporary Art.

Irvin received her PhD from Princeton University. Read more about her work in this interview.

Irvin will speak about her scholarship along Nancy Marie Mithlo & Sylvester Okwunodu Ogbechie at the public panel “Professors Unfolding Contemporary Art in Academia: Research & Writing" moderated by Shannon Fitzgerald on Saturday, April 14, 1-3 pm at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art in Norman.

Mentor Profile: Sylvester Okwunodu Ogbechie

2012-04-04T10:13:00.000-05:00

OK Art Writing & Curatorial Fellowship Mentor Sylvester Okwunodu Ogbechie
(Courtesy of University of California Santa Barbara Institutional Advancement)

Sylvester Okwunodu Ogbechie is Associate Professor of Global African Art History and Visual Culture at the University of California Santa Barbara.

He the author of Ben Enwonwu: The Making of an African Modernist (University of Rochester Press, 2008),which won the 2009 Herskovits Prize of the African Studies Association.

Ogbechie is director of Aachron Knowledge Systems and founder and editor of Critical Interventions: Journal of African Art History and Visual Culture. His recent publications include MakingHistory: The Femi Akinsanya African Art Collection (Milan: 5 Continents Editions, 2011).

He was the 2010 Getty Consortium Professor and served as guest editor for a History of Photography special issue on Africa. His research is widely published in leading art history journals and he has presented lectures at top universities and museums in the USA, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Ogbechie received his PhD from Northwestern University.

Ogbechie will speak about his scholarship along with Sherri Irvin & Nancy Marie Mithlo at the public panel “Professors Unfolding Contemporary Art in Academia: Research & Writing" moderated by Shannon Fitzgerald on Saturday, April 14, 1-3 pm at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art in Norman.

Mentor Profile: Nancy Marie Mithlo

2012-04-03T17:06:00.001-05:00

Nancy Marie Mithlo (Chiricahua Apache) is Associate Professor, Department of Art History and American Indian Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin - Madison.

She is the author of Our Indian Princess:Subverting the Stereotype, published by the School of Advanced Research (SAR ) Press in 2009. She received the 2011–2012 SAR Anne Ray Fellowship and Georgia O'Keeffe Research Center Fellowship in support of her publication and exhibit on the legacy of photographer Horace Poolaw.

Mithlo's curatorial work has resulted in six exhibits at the Venice Biennale, including the 2011 Epicentro: Re Tracing the Plains featuring the work of John Hitchcock and the Dirty Printmakers of America.

She received her PhD from Stanford University.

Mithlo will speak about her scholarship along with Sherri Irvin & Sylvester Okwunodu Ogbechie at the public panel “Professors Unfolding Contemporary Art in Academia: Research & Writing" moderated by Shannon Fitzgerald on Saturday, April 14, 1-3 pm at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art in Norman.

Fellow Profile: Erinn Gavaghan

2012-03-29T11:49:00.001-05:00

OK Art Writing & Curatorial Fellow Erinn Gavaghan

Erinn Gavaghan is the Executive Director of the Norman Arts Council where she’s responsible for a variety of administration and leadership. Recently, the Norman Arts Council began managing the MAINSITE Contemporary Art gallery space. Gavaghan coordinates the exhibitions committee and works with featured artists. The Norman Arts Council also takes the lead in community arts advocacy and distributing hotel and motel tax funded-grants.

In 2010 she graduated from Webster University, St. Louis with a MA in Art History where her thesis focused on Hans Holbein. Not new to contemporary art, Gavaghan worked in donor relations the Contemporary Art Museum in St. Louis, MO from 2005 until 2009. She served as Emerging Curator for Momentum OKC in 2011 and is a Board Member for the Cutlural Development Corporation of Central Oklahoma.

Fellow Profile: Blair Schulman

2012-03-28T10:18:00.000-05:00

OK Art Writing & Curatorial Fellow Blair Schulman

Blair Schulman writes about the visual arts in Kansas City as Editor of Cupcakes in Regalia (www.cupcakesinregalia.com) and Associate Editor of Art Tattler (www.arttattler.com). His writing has been published in The Kansas City Star, Juxtapoz (online), Ceramics: Arts & Perception and Review, where he was a longtime contributor.

His recent contribution to Art Practical focused on Bread KC!, a locally-based micro-funding project and member of Chicago’s Sunday Soup network. The program supports artists with immediate granting opportunities.

He said, "My reviews and commentary are a first-hand account of the community as it thrives and contributes an important dialogue to a larger arts vernacular."

Reflections on the first workshop

2012-03-22T10:51:00.002-05:00

By Shawn Yuan

Mentors Hamza Walker, Dana Turkovic,
Elizabeth Dunbar, & Shannon Fitzgerald [Photo by Rex Barrett]

The workshop on February 18 was full of highlights. It started with a tour of the current exhibitions at the Oklahoma City of Museum with the Director. The museum did an amazing job in presenting a wide range of in the galleries artwork from the 17^th century European imperial works of art, to stunningly beautiful glass work by Dale Chihuly. In particular for the latter, in dimmed galleries, Chihuly’s works shimmer with their vibrant colors under spot lights, and create an almost mesmerizing effect.

Prior to the workshop, articles by the visiting Mentors were assigned to fellows for reading. On Saturday, each Mentor offered a stimulating presentation, which provided a great support for their writing. In her presentation, Elisabeth Dunbar commented that her exhibitions were mostly “object based” and “helped artist achieve their vision.” I have found that the strong audience and community engagement programs are especially interesting and helpful. For example, in The 24 Hour Roman Reconstruction Project, school kids worked closely with the artist to reconstruct Roman buildings with cardboard to symbolize the rise of Roman Empire. By the end of the one-day project, participants trampled their work, just like the invading Visigoths, who brought down the Empire. To complement the program, a university wrestling team was invited to demonstrate Roman wrestling.

Diverseworks Executive Director Elizabeth Dunbar [Photo by Rex Barrett]

Another exhibition with highly innovative programming by Dunbar is Matt Stokes: These are the Days. The British Matt Stokes created a new film project involving close work with local communities. Since the work on view featuring Stokes’ research into anti-establishment musical genres, the programming took advantage of the musicians from vibrant local music community. The exhibition included a film and audio installation showcasing the artist’s response to the punk rock subculture. The programs of musical performance, as Dunbar expected, brought in many new audiences who may otherwise never visit a visual art institution.

Yuan is a Fellow in the Oklahoma Art Writing Curatorial Fellowship. Then next public panel presentation will be April 14, 1-3 pm.

Fellow Profile: Shiyuan Yuan

2012-03-20T08:24:00.000-05:00

OK Art Writing & Curatorial Fellow Shiyuan Yuan (courtesy of OSUMA)

Shiyuan Yuan

Stillwater, OK

Shawn Yuan is Director of Gardiner Art Gallery at Oklahoma State University. His responsibilities vary from working directly with artists to writing gallery publications and labels. He is also involved with the strategic planning process for the new Oklahoma State University Art Museum.

Previously he was Curator and Collection Manager at the Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art in Dallas, TX. Her received a Masters of Arts Management from Carnegie Mellon University’s H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management in Pittsburgh, PA. He pursued his BA in Architecture at Southeast University in Nanjing, China, and then studied art history at Brown University.