10 Katy Kim on Place, Practice, and Purpose

ArtClvb
Jul 26
6 min read

Updated: Jul 27

Photographs and Interview by ArtClvb

Meet Katy Kim, writer and Jeanne & Ralph Graham Curatorial Fellow at Cranbrook Art Museum. Since moving to Detroit in September, she’s been busy seeing as much art as possible, experiencing Metro Detroit, and visiting different studios. In this conversation, Katy shares her journey into curatorial work, what she’s been noticing in Detroit’s art ecosystem, and advice for emerging artists.

Can you tell us about your journey into the curatorial field? What drew you to this path?

I grew up in the suburbs of New Jersey, about twenty minutes from the Visual Art Center by me. I started out as a maker (before I knew to call it that)—I was always sketching, painting, and beading. At the same time, reading and writing were my other big passions. Also food! The connective thread was an appreciation for creativity and self-expression in all forms early on.

The first contemporary art museum I visited was probably the Whitney in NYC, and I remember feeling an equal sense of confusion and desire to understand what I was seeing. In undergrad, I stumbled into an Art History class, and the discipline felt like the perfect synthesis of my background in making, appreciation for complex beautiful things, asking questions, creative writing, ekphrasis, conducting research, and my love for the humanities.

I studied art history with a focus in modern and contemporary art, and experienced other professional spaces in the art world. During my summers, I worked at for-profit art spaces like Christie’s and Gagosian, but during the year, I worked at the Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University, which is where I did my undergrad. Through these nascent varied experiences, I was most drawn to experiences that put me in conversation with living artists through supporting public exhibitions, with a strong emphasis on mission. I continued my studies in Art History at the Courtauld Institute of Art, with a focus on temporality, artists of underrepresented backgrounds, critical race, museums, and cross-cultural exchange. My thesis was on Ellen Gallagher and her somatic and temporal transformations of the modernist grid, geologic time, and Drexciyan aquafutures, which is an obvious connection to Detroit. I also love Transcendental painting, liminal bodily organic stuff, it varies. Now, I’m at Cranbrook Art Museum.

What drew you to Cranbrook specifically, and how do you see Cranbrook’s role in cultivating emerging talent for the Midwest and beyond?

Cranbrook Academy of Art and Cranbrook Art Museum has an incredible legacy of art, mid-century modern design, and architecture, in addition to fostering a radical studio pedagogy that emphasized learning through making. The museum is situated on a historic Eliel Saarienen designed campus, which animates the grounds and Cranbrook Academy’s vision of a studio-centric ‘laboratory’ for artists.

Working with emerging artists within an academic context has always been an interest of mine. Because Cranbrook Art Museum has a unique relationship with Cranbrook Academy Art, I was drawn to the opportunity to work with artists at the MFA level through co-curating the Graduate Degree show for example.

I also wanted to immerse myself at a smaller museum and broaden my understanding of other disciplines like ceramics, fiber, and design I’d had less exposure to. Spending time with work by Maija Grotell, Toshiko Takaezu, and Loja Saarinen, in addition to contemporary craft and furniture works at Cranbrook has been particularly formative.

Finally, I’d say the chance to experience a completely different art city and develop an awareness of Detroit artists past and present. Because I didn’t grow up in Michigan or Detroit, developing my understanding of place has been at the top of my mind. I’ve been immersing myself in as many different art spaces as possible to see all the representations of making here from emerging to midcareer artists.

What does the role of a curator mean to you today?

Care for objects, facilitating dialogues between diverse parties, building with artists, project management, engagement with place, contributing to a broader art historical conversation, and social impact

Who are your curatorial influences or mentors, and how have they impacted your practice?

I’ve been lucky to learn from many incredible mentors. One curatorial influence is my former professor and curator Janet Dees, now at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). Her exhibition “A Site of Struggle: American Art Against Anti-Black Violence” (2022) modeled centering care and enacting meaningful community engagement alongside an exhibition, and how curators and museums might also consider their ethical responsibilities.

What keeps you inspired by the city’s art scene in Metro Detroit? What do you think Detroit offers that artists or curators might not find in more traditional art centers like New York or Los Angeles?

A sense of discovery has been keeping me inspired here. Unlike larger art cities like New York, Detroit feels like it has more emerging artists in shared studios and maker spaces that are closer to the ground.

I also see a Midwest/Detroit “ethos” here, which I characterize as a scrappiness, a make-do attitude, and a heavy presence of the maker’s hand formally and materially through occasionally craft-adjacent practices. Essentially, an emphasis on making physical things and material objects. In Detroit, part of this legacy may emerge from the echoes of Cass Corridor movement, Detroit as a post-industrial city with a rich legacy of Black cultural production (including techno!), and what local art schools like Cranbrook Academy of Art and the more technically oriented College for Creative Studies (CCS) have historically emphasized in their curriculum.

Are there any upcoming exhibitions, publications, or collaborations you're particularly excited about?

Right now, at Cranbrook Art Museum, our exhibition Everything Eventually Connects curated by Director Andrew Blauvelt and MillerKnoll Curatorial Fellow Bridget Bartal is a must visit. The large-scale survey exhibition explores one of the most persistent movements of modern design in the United States in the twentieth century and particularly illuminates Cranbrook’s role in its development and the contributions of additional women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and designers of color in the movement.

The What Pipeline group show on Quintessa Matranga, Veit Laurent Kurz, and Israel Aten is another highlight for me. I’m looking forward to revisiting Dabls Mbad African Bead Museum’s outdoor installation in summer weather.

Finally, I’ll be curating the ArtClvb Warehouse Detroit Art & Design Fair at the Boyer Campbell building on September 19th to 21st. This is the second iteration of the fair in Detroit. The space is cavernous with lots of natural light, so I’m looking forward to showing many emerging and mid-career artists from Michigan, Metro Detroit, and nearby states, and artists who I’ve built relationships with since moving here. I’m particularly excited to feature larger dimensional works and give some artists the opportunity to respond to individual rooms. This fair is for everybody to attend and see some new work!

What are some big-picture shifts you’re seeing in the global art world today?

Increased comfort buying art online, increasingly diverse and younger collectors, contemporary ceramics boom, overall more transparency and access.

What advice would you give to art buyers/collectors on starting their collection?

The advice that I’d give to art buyers starting their collection is to cultivate and trust their own taste. Cultivating what speaks to you aesthetically and conceptually means seeing work in person whenever possible, seeing different shows, and doing your research on an artist’s past work, etc. When I do this, I notice formal patterns of what speaks to me and can equally sustain my attention, which is a huge factor when I’m considering work to purchase. I’m always asking myself: can this work hold my attention with nuance, time, and complexity? Joy too.

If my interest is piqued in someone’s practice, but I think they might benefit from more time, I’ll add them to my ‘watch’ list. The last piece of advice is building relationships and seeing art locally. Many artists have open studios and may say yes to a studio visit for an interested and informed collector. Collecting is a combination of being open and trusting your gut. It’s an art, not a science.

The growing influence of alternative art spaces, art fairs, and online platforms makes it easier than ever to see what’s available from emerging to mid-career artists too.

What advice do you have for artists trying to get the attention of curators?

For artists, I know navigating the tension between commercial visibility and creative integrity isn’t always easy. As an artist, it’s vital to advocate for yourself and your work, but also understand that curators are equally working within complex institutions with layered priorities. Artists today need the skills of accountants, marketers, photographers, and managers to make it all work, but at the end of the day, what’s most important is developing your own practice, vocabulary, and thinking overall. The quiet work shows. Sustainability is key.

I discover artists through social media, open studios, personal recommendations, shows, and art schools. If you’re consistently putting in the time and work, all the right attention will come.