COOL CULTURE INC

Our new multi-year initiative, We Are All Curators, aims to leverage art and culture to counter dominant narratives and beliefs surrounding African, Latinx, Asian, Arab and Native American (ALAANA) families and families from low-income households. We Are All Curators will facilitate families’, educators’, and communities’ use of art and culture to build community, share their stories, challenge dominant narratives, and ultimately achieve social change.

The Initiative uses curation as a theme in both the traditional and broadest sense, from curation of objects in a museum or home, to families’ organization of experiences for their children and other loved ones, to choices about what we wear and eat to demystify curatorial practice and expand perceptions of who creates and exhibits art.

These programs bring art to communities including Harlem, Chinatown, Corona, Queens and Bedford Stuyvesant/Crown Heights in Brooklyn, building relationships between families, educators, and museum professionals who work together to develop tailored programming for children and families. Key to the success of the Intensive program is the Family Leaders component, which leverages adult caregivers’ leadership capacity. Family Leaders, as graduates of an 8-part training series, provide peer-to-peer outreach and support throughout the duration of the program.

Creates and implements a series of seminars that guide the next generation of museum professionals in developing participatory programming. Participants also build skills in soliciting feedback from historically marginalized families about their exhibitions and programming, and in advocating for change in their institutions. Click here to learn more about the Laboratory for New Audiences.