User:Tusseyd/Barbara Bloemink

Barbara Bloemink, Ph.D.

Barbara Bloemink is an art historian, curator, and art museum director. She has over 16 years senior curatorial experience including organizing over sixty museum exhibitions, acquiring and supervising works for permanent collections. Dr. Bloemink has extensive fund-raising, strategic planning, and donor cultivation experience.  Barbara Bloemin has considerable experience at developing balanced exhibition schedules and educational programming.  She has broad knowledge of art history with specialization in contemporary international art and design in all media. Dr. Bloemink has extensive publications and teaching experience at various national and international universities.

Education:   New York University, George H. Heyman, Jr., Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising Certificate in Not-for-Profit Fundraising   Yale University, New Haven, CT. Ph.D. in International Contemporary Art

  • Received the two year J. Paul Mellon Dissertation Fellowship
  • Minors: Contemporary African-American Art

  M.Phil in 17-20th Century American Art

  • Rose Herrick Jackson Fellowship, Yale Art Gallery
  • Marsha Brady Tucker Fellowship, Yale Art Gallery

  Yale School of Organization & Management

Museum Management Institute, Getty Trust   The Institute of Fine Arts of New York University, New York, NY M.A. in 17-19th Century European Painting & Sculpture   Stanford University, Stanford, CA B.A. in Art History & Communications (with Distinction)


Relevant Professional Experience:

Anderson Ranch Art Center, Aspen, CO Director, 2010 - June 2013 Recognized art center offering 140 annual workshops and 28 artists’ residencies. Originated exploration of joint MFA Program with Denver University. Initiated Visiting Artists Series program which included Bill Viola, Kara Walker, Tip Dunham, Wangechi Mutu, Tom Sachs, Sanford Biggers, Ursula von Rydingsvard, Cindy Sherman, Theaster Gates, and many other celebrated artists. Series was fully funded. Re-wrote Strategic Plan and funded Children’s Outreach Program and Art Camp. Collaborations with Aspen Art Museum, Writer’s Conference, Physics Institute; and served as Speaker at The Aspen Institute annual Ideas Festival, 2013.  

Adjunct Curator and Museum Consultant, New York 2007-2010 Chief Curator, Design Now: Concepts and Trends in Contemporary Design, Holon Design Museum, March, 2010 Guest Curator, Dress Codes, Katonah Museum of Art, July – October, 2009 Catalogue Essayist, Project 1: First International Contemporary Art Biennial, November 2008, New Orleans, LA Guest Curator, The Color of Nature, Shanghai Contemporary Art Museum, February, 2009 Museum Management Consultant for: New Museum of International Contemporary Design opening January, 2010 in Holon, Israel.  Assisted writing strategic & business plans, organizing budgets and exhibition schedules, writing collections management, ethics, and museum practices documents, and developing curatorial team for first exhibition. Museum Management Consultant to Vlaardingen Museum, The Netherlands opened 2010; wrote new vision, strategic and business plans, organized overall budget, assisted in designing installations.

Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution, New York, NY Curatorial Director, 2002-2006 Responsible for developing artistic vision and long-term strategic plan for the museum exhibitions and programming; and developing long-term acquisitions strategy. Supervised curatorial and exhibitions staff.  In addition during tenure:

  • :Significantly upgraded the quality, diversity, breadth, and balance of the museum’s exhibitions and exhibition program
  • :Increased annual museum exhibition attendance over four year tenure from 120,000 to 227,000
  • :Helped raise 100% funding support for every exhibition curated during tenure.
  • :Initiated National and International Travel program for museum-organized Exhibitions, netting over $600,000 in new museum income over four years
  • :Hired staff and initiated museum’s in-house publications department, netting approx. $80,000 new, net revenue per year from catalogue sales

  Guggenheim Las Vegas & Guggenheim Hermitage Museums, Las Vegas, NV Managing Director/Curator, 2000- 2002 Partnership with Hermitage and Kunsthistorisches Museums.  Short-term position (the Museums were closed.) Leadership role for first year of operations for production of exhibitions, registrar, finance, and educational programming; donor cultivation.  Served as media spokesperson and advocate for both museums, primary liaison between museums in Russia, Vienna and New York.   Contemporary Art Center of Virginia, Virginia Beach, VA Chief Curator, 1997-1999 Organized and produced exhibitions in all media. Originated 7 museum, area-wide, series of exhibitions, programs, and art commissions.    Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art & Design, Kansas City, MO Curator, 1993 -1996 Designed multi-year exhibition schedule.  Curated exhibitions on contemporary art, and developed and supervised 3 year cycle exhibition schedule.  Traveled with Contemporary Art Circle to international art fairs.  Purchased significant works by artists including Louise Bourgeois, Frank Stella, William de Kooning, Robert Graham, Keith Sonnier, etc.   Independent Curator, 1989 – 1992 While writing Ph.D. dissertation, organized exhibitions as adjunct curator at:

  • The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY
  • The Carnegie Mellon University Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA
  • The Katonah Museum of Art, Katonah, NY
  • Grand Arts Foundation, Kansas City, MO
  • The Hammond Museum, Hammond, NY
  • The Mint Museum, Charlotte, North Carolina
  • The Wellington Gray Art Gallery, Greensboro, NC
  • The Galleria Rufino Tamayo, Universidad Autoname de Baja, Mexico

The Hudson River Museum, Yonkers, NY Curator and Interim Director, 1984 – 1988 Developed curatorial vision, organized exhibitions of contemporary art in all media; wrote successful grants totaling $1.5 million in support; produced cable TV series on contemporary art.   Teaching Experience:

  • Adjunct Professor, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum/Parsons Graduate School of Design, Graduate Seminar, “Art vs. Design Criticism: Theory and Practice”, spring, 2006.
  • Guest Lecturer & Practicum Critic, Graduate School of Art and Design, Bezalel University, Tel Aviv, Israel; “Design ≠ Art: The Continuing Debate”, Winter, 2006.
  • Adjunct Professor, University of Brighton, UK; Intensive Graduate Seminar & Public Lecture, “Design ≠Art: The Continuing Debate”, winter, 2005.
  • “Museology: Exhibition Generation & Realization,” Graduate Classes/Internships, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum/Parsons Graduate School of Design, winter 2004 – 2006
  • “Design and Writing Design Criticism,” seminar, Rhode Island School of Design, 2005.
  • Adjunct Professor, the History of Art Department, University of Missouri, Kansas City, “The History of Art Collecting in Twentieth Century America,” Graduate Seminar, Winter, 1996
  • Professor, Calhoun College, Yale University, New Haven, CT., “Contemporary Painting & Sculpture”, Undergraduate College Seminar, Winter, 1983
  • Writing Intensive Teaching Fellow, History of Art Department, Yale University, "17th-18th Century American Art & Architecture," 1982
  • Teaching Fellow, “American Architecture, for Jules Prown, Yale University, 1981
  • Teaching Fellow, "19th-20th Century American Art & Architecture," for Jules Prown, Yale University, 1981
  • Teaching Fellow, "Prehistory to the Renaissance," for Vince Scully, Yale University, 1980
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