CHRISTIANE PAUL NAMED DIRECTOR AND CHIEF CURATOR OF SHEILA C. JOHNSON DESIGN CENTER AT THE NEW SCHOOL’S PARSONS SCHOOL OF DESIGNPaul will be responsible for creating a diverse and socially relevant schedule of exhibitions and public programs that provoke intellectual and creative engagement with The New School and New York City communities |
NEW YORK, December 4, 2017 — Christiane Paul, professor in the School of Media Studies at The New School and adjunct curator of digital art at the Whitney Museum of American Art, has been named director and chief curator at Sheila C. Johnson Design Center (SJDC) at Parsons School of Design. She is retaining her positions at The New School and the Whitney Museum. She succeeds Radhika Subramaniam, who led the SJDC as its first director/chief curator from 2009 to 2017 and who will return to her faculty position at Parsons. In her new role, Paul will be responsible for creating a diverse and socially relevant schedule of exhibitions and public programs that provoke intellectual and creative engagement with The New School and New York City communities. In addition to overseeing a high quality curatorial program, her role entails the development of partnerships with museums, galleries, and nonprofit cultural and educational organizations. “The SJDC provides a unique platform in that it is already embedded in a network of research, activities, and dialogue and provides a flexible context,” Paul says. “I’m looking forward to continue activating that network, locally and internationally, with exhibitions and events that creatively and critically explore issues with cultural urgency.” "In Christiane, we have the committed curatorial vision and deep scholarship to catalyze a new future for the galleries,” Subramaniam said. “She is no stranger to our spaces where she curated a timely exhibition on the impact of social technologies on public and private realms. I couldn't be more delighted to leave the SJDC in her innovative hands." "Christiane's focus on socially engaged curatorial practices, particularly in the realm of digital art, reflects Parsons and The New School's broader mission to foster the transformative potential of art, design and research," said Parsons Executive Dean Joel Towers. "We are thrilled that Christiane will continue to build upon Radhika's work in creating a space where innovative art and design respond to the most pressing environmental and social challenges of our time." Paul brings to SJDC a wealth of experience as a writer, curator, and teacher. She is the recipient of the Thoma Foundation's 2016 Arts Writing Award in Digital Art, an award recognizing “the achievements of both an established and an emerging arts writer who have contributed significantly to the field of digital art.” Her recent books are A Companion to Digital Art (2016) and Digital Art (2015). Her curatorial work includes Little Sister (is watching you, too) (Pratt Manhattan Gallery, New York City, 2015); What Lies Beneath (Borusan Contemporary, Istanbul, Turkey, 2015); The Public Private (Kellen Gallery at SJDC, New York City, 2013), Eduardo Kac: Biotopes, Lagoglyphs and Transgenic Works (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2010); Biennale Quadrilaterale (Rijeka, Croatia, 2009-10); Feedforward - The Angel of History (co-curated with Steve Dietz; Laboral Center for Art and Industrial Creation, Gijon, Spain, 2009); and INDAF Digital Art Festival (Incheon, Korea, 2009). At the Whitney Museum, she curated exhibitions including Cory Arcangel: Pro Tools (2011) and Profiling (2007), and is responsible for artport, the museum’s portal to Internet art. |
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Parsons School of Design at The New School is one of the leading institutions for art and design education in the world. Based in New York but active around the world, the school offers undergraduate and graduate programs in the full spectrum of art and design disciplines, as well as online courses, degree and certificate programs. Critical thinking and collaboration are at the heart of a Parsons education. Parsons graduates are leaders in their respective fields, with a shared commitment to creatively and critically addressing the complexities of life in the 21st century. Sheila C. Johnson Design Center is an award-winning campus center for Parsons School of Design that combines learning and public spaces with exhibition galleries to provide an important new downtown destination for art and design programming. The mission of the Center is to generate an active dialogue on the role of innovative art and design in responding to the contemporary world. Its programming encourages an interdisciplinary examination of possibility and process, linking the university to local and global debates. The center is named in honor of its primary benefactor, New School Trustee and Parsons Board of Governors Member Sheila C. Johnson. The design by Rice+Lipka Architects is the recipient of numerous awards, including an Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects. |
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