On August 27, the Teiger Foundation announced it had granted $3.93 million to fifty curators across thirty-three U.S. art institutions. Each curator will receive between $50,000 and $150,000 to support three years of programming. The funds aim to assist contemporary art curators at institutions with budgets of $3.5 million and below, as well as those at larger organizations, in conducting research, organizing exhibitions, and hosting touring shows. This year’s grantees include those mounting artists’ first institutional shows and projects highlighting underrecognized, diasporic, and BIPOC artists and initiatives exploring decolonization, indigeneity, and climate change.
Notable grantees include Camille Brown from the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC, who will curate the first exhibition on Black, gay poet and activist Essex Hemphill; Daniela Lieja Quintanar and Talia Heiman from REDCAT in Los Angeles, who will research an exhibition inspired by the Mesoamerican mythological figure of the nahual; and Jennie Goldstein from the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, Pavel Pys from the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, and independent curator Tom Finkelpearl, who will co-develop and present “Christine Sun Kim: All Day All Night,” the first survey of the performance and sound artist.
The foundation’s Action for Curators program, following a successful pilot in 2023, provides additional support with expert consultation and $500,000 in extra funding. Participants will work with a sustainability coach to create a climate plan tailored to their program or organization, receiving $25,000 to implement it.
Established in 2008, the Teiger Foundation expanded its grantmaking activities after the posthumous sale of the collection of its benefactor, American management consultant and art collector David Teiger (1929–2014). It is now one of the largest organizations of its kind, focusing on supporting curators’ work.
“Curators define the meaning and relevance of their visual art institutions in ways that are not always acknowledged, and their work is more complex and demanding than ever,” said Larissa Harris, Teiger Foundation executive director. “We are proud to support established and emerging curators who are taking up the challenge with creative, humane, and nuanced projects and programs. Our Climate Action for Curators builds on the centrality of curators to their institutions. As a former curator, I know how their work touches artists, coworkers, facilities, and the community. We want to help their funded projects and organizations become part of a sustainable future and empower them in their work overall.”
Sayart / Amia Nguyen, amyngwyen13@gmail.com
