Some kids dream of becoming artists. Thelma Golden dreamed of becoming a curator. And her dream came true. In 1993 Thelma brought many non-white, non-male artists into the Whitney biennial, which she co-curated that year. In 1994 she curated another show at the Whitney titled “Black Male: Representations of Masculinity in Contemporary American Art.” It was controversial, and it put her on the map as a fearless curator with the gift for disturbing the racial status quo in art. She is currently the director and chief curator for the Studio Museum in Harlem, where she continues to provoke and inspire.
Debbie talks to Thelma about the power of curation. “The cultural landscape is not fixed. It can be shifted and changed. And we can claim places in it.”
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