Curator Chat

We Ask Leading Museum Curators About What’s Going On In Their World

Apsara DiQuinzio
Senior Curator of Contemporary Art
Nevada Museum of Art
160 W. Liberty Street, Reno, NV 89501 • www.nevadaart.org

What event (gallery show, museum exhibit, etc.) in the next few months are you looking forward to, and why?

Since 2018, I have been working on an exhibition titled Adaline Kent: The Click of Authenticity, which is now on display at the Nevada Museum of Art. It explores the underrecognized contributions of the Bay Area artist Adaline Kent (1900-1957) who took great inspiration from the natural environment in her sculptures, works on paper and various other works. This will be the first retrospective of her work in about 60 years—viewers will have the opportunity to see approximately 90 objects in the show which have rarely been seen before. In conjunction with the exhibition, we also produced the first scholarly publication of her work with essays by renowned art historian Alexander Nemerov, the SFAI archivist and librarian Jeff Gunderson, curator, art historian Elaine Y. Yau, and myself. The exhibition will be on display until September 10, 2023.

What are you reading?

I am currently reading The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity by David Graeber and David Wengrow. It is nothing less than a re-examination of humankind focusing on the contributions of Indigenous people, which have been under-considered and acknowledged over course of human history, leading to startling revelations and redefinitions of how democracy, agriculture and civilizations developed. It is fascinating and illuminating in all respects.

Interesting exhibit, gallery opening or work of art you’ve seen recently.

I just returned from a trip to Sydney, Australia, where I saw the new wing of the Art Gallery of New South Wales. The galleries devoted to contemporary art were wonderful—I especially enjoyed how they gave prominence to Aboriginal work, including it as an integral aspect of contemporary art, which it of course is. I especially enjoyed work by Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Doreen Reid Nakamarra, Gloria Petyarre and Yukultji Napangati, among others.

What are you researching at the moment?

I am currently researching environmentalism within the context of cultural institutions, as well as the work of many Indigenous artists including Cannupa Hanska Luger and Aboriginal work from the Balgo and Fitzroy Crossing communities.

What is your dream exhibit to curate? Or see someone else curate?

Fortunately, I was just able to curate my dream exhibition New Time: Art and Feminism in the 21st Century, which was a sprawling survey of feminist-inspired work from 2000 to the present. That exhibition took place at the UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, where I used to work. I am in the process of formulating a new dream exhibition for the Nevada Museum of Art about environmentalism, climate change and sustainability, which will take place in 2025. Stay tuned!