Thelma Golden, Deputy Director for Exhibitions and Programs at the Studio Museum in Harlem, will accept an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Moore College of Art and Design at its 155th Commencement on Monday, May 19, 10:00am -12:00pm, at the Academy of Music on Broad & Locust Streets in Philadelphia.
"Moore is honoring Thelma Golden for her commitment to contemporary African American Art; for being a role model in a male-dominated profession; and for her professional energy, passion and innovation," says Moore President Happy Fernandez.
Golden is one of very few African Americans in a prestigious position at any American museum. Still in her mid-thirties, she has built a reputation for helping put gender- and race-based identity art on the map. In her current role at the Studio Museum, Golden has worked side-by-side with Museum Director Lowery Sims to revitalize the 30+ year old institution. The result has reinvigorated the museum's programs with a focus on new and daring African American art. In 2001, she and Sims were recognized with New York Awards in Art for making the Studio Museum an influential and visible jewel of the new Harlem renaissance.
The native New Yorker joined the Whitney Museum of American Art after graduating from Smith College with a B.A. in art history and African American studies. She organized many exhibitions and site-specific projects at the Whitney in various capacities. She began her career at the Whitney as a Curatorial Assistant in 1988; from 1991-1993 she was Director and Exhibition Coordinator at the Whitney Museum at Philip Morris branch; from 1993-1996, she was Associate Director of Branch Museums; and from 1996-1998, she was Curator.
"Curating is an active verb........the most important thing for a curator is clear vision. I can't operate outside of it. I can never compromise it," says Golden. That vision has resulted in many cutting edge and important exhibitions. At the Whitney, they include the 1993 Biennial Exhibition; Black Male: Representations of Masculinity in Contemporary Art; Bob Thompson: A Retrospective; and Heart, Mind, Body, Soul: New Work from the Collection. At the Whitney at Phillip Morris, she conceived and organized a site-specific commissioning program and organized 18 artists, including Alison Saar, Glenn Ligon, Gary Simmons and Romare Bearden.
Golden briefly worked for private contemporary art collectors in Los Angeles, CA before her appointment at the Studio Museum in January 2000. Golden's arrival coincided with the Museum's plans for significant renovations and development of their permanent collection. She has organized several exhibitions there to date, including Isaac Julien: Vagabondia; Martin Puryear; The Can Project; Material and Matter; Freestyle; and Black and Green.
In addition to curatorial work, Golden teaches, lectures and writes about contemporary art, cultural issues and the curatorial practice national and internationally.
Also at the Commencement Ceremony, the Speaker Selected by the Senior Class is Jane Golden, Executive Director of the Mural Arts Program of the City of Philadelphia; Valedictorian Margaret Willis, a 2D Fine Arts Major from Oregon; and President Happy Fernandez who will confer Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees on the Class of 2003 graduating seniors.
As the only women's college for the visual arts in the nation, Moore College of Art & Design offers nine Bachelor of Fine Arts programs that set the standard of excellence in educating women for careers in a wide range of art and design fields. Moore students enjoy participating in the cultural richness of Center City Philadelphia. They experience a singular educational experience within a small, supportive community and learn from a dedicated faculty of exceptional artists, designers and scholars. Connecting to and drawing from the strengths of Moore's undergraduate programs are the Galleries at Moore, professional programs for adult women and men, and the Young Artists Workshop for girls and boys in grades 1-12. For more current news and information about Moore, check the website at www.moore.edu.
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