Carrie Dedon, Assistant Curator of the Seattle Art Museum participated in a Living Art short term residency in our department on March 11-13, 2019.  A specialist in contemporary art, Dedon gave talks in several studio art and art history courses, held individual meetings with art history majors to talk about career prospects, and conducted critiques with studio art seniors in preparation for their upcoming senior show.  Her public lecture, held on March 12 in Kittredge Gallery, addressed contemporary curatorial practices of the Seattle Art Museum by focusing on two exhibitions, Figuring History: Robert Colescott, Kerry James Marshall, Mickalene Thomas, and Jeffrey Gibson: Like a Hammer, on view till May 12, 2019.  Dedon’s talk explored how the museum creates its own exhibitions, like Figuring History, and how it approaches the display of exhibitions organized by other institutions, such as Like a Hammer.  She emphasized the importance of displaying the work of artists of color in order to highlight questions regarding who has the power and authority to write history, and who is represented in history.  These are particularly pertinent issues given the Euro-centric canon of art history and the colonial legacy of art museums.

Figuring History exhibition, Seattle Art Museum

Carrie Dedon, Assistant Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seattle Art Museum