Q&A with Matthew Robinson, Student Curator of This after That
Members of Columbia College’s Hokin Project were able to chat with Matthew Robinson about his experience working on this exhibition and what the future holds for this talented curator.
HP: Tell us about yourself and your role in the Hokin Project.
MR: My first involvement with the Hokin Project was when I took the Gallery Management Practicum during the Spring 2014 semester. The course was led by Meg Duguid, Director of A+D Gallery. It was a good experience because we had members in the group who had taken Columbia’s Exhibition Management class, taught by Robert Blandford, and those who had not taken the course. Everyone took up roles that turned out to be very informative and exciting. My role was less defined the first time than it is now. I have a background as a Preparator, so of course I wanted to be involved in the hands-on tasks. The class did not really break into teams as I thought it should have. As my practice has evolved, I’ve become a better organizer and communicator. That being said, now I am the Guest Curator for the Hokin Project’s next exhibition with artist Josue Pellot.
HP: What was your thought process behind the latest show?
MR: The premise for This After That was based on the organization of the Whitney Biennial in which three curators choose their own premise and artists, reserving their own premise for the show and working with a selection of 4-5 artists directly. Josue Pellot’s solo exhibition will be the Hokin Project’s next venture. As Guest Curator, I’ll be working with Josue in the studio and in the space to transform the Hokin space into a hybrid-culture-jamming-multi-functional facility while preserving its assigned status as a student forum.
HP: What was your goal? What did you hope to achieve?
MR: We will expand the artist’s presence in the space in weekly increments, while trying to involve as much learning experience and hands-on experience for the Hokin Project Managers, members of the Gallery Management Practicum. My hope is to preserve the function of the Hokin space and encourage people to explore and spend time in the space. The goal is not to turn the Hokin into a typical gallery space whose function is solely to interact with the art. Within budget and time constraints, the goal is to bring a contention with form and function into the space and have good conversations about the work and its trajectory within contemporary art and within Pellot’s practice.
HP: What surprised you the most about working on This After That?
MR: This After That turned out to be a lot more work than I had bargained for; mostly because I was not satisfied as a curator with bringing in ‘easy’ work. I thought a lot of identity-based work and ended up selecting sculptures, video/sculpture installations, found objects, neon, photographs, and a whole array of artists working with diverse materials. The other curators produced very strong shows, and their install process was much simpler. There were challenges that came up as we tried to execute design elements for the show and schedule events in line with art happenings in Chicago.
HP: We understand you are a student at Columbia, how did you balance school and this project?
MR: Luckily, This After That had most of the physical work done and all the text was written. That made things run fairly smooth when the class got into session. I meet with the artist when times are convenient for us both and maintain a small number of direct contacts so we can communicate quickly. Working at the Museum of Contemporary Photography helps because I can meet with people during lunch breaks. Also, I am on campus most days of the week. Time management is key! Being involved with exhibitions on an almost daily basis helps me understand the steps that need to be accomplished. I love this kind of work!
HP: What do the coming months look like for you?
MR: I’m working with Josue weekly to progress his install. A recent interview with NYC-based (formerly Chicago based) artist Sofia Leiby will be circulating in the EXPO/ArtSlant/Bad@Sports newspaper publication. I also plan on attending photographer Mickalene Thomas’ exhibition at Kavi Gupta Gallery during Gallery Week. Not to mention, I’m a full time student. I’m workshopping an outside project in each of my classes so that I can make progress academically and professionally at the same time. I was selected to be a Consortium Fellow as part of The Chicago Consortium for Art in Society which brings together a select body of 35 graduate students (and exceptional undergraduates) from the city’s seven major universities and colleges to give them an experience no single school can offer. It is convened by the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and funded in its inaugural year through a SAIC IdeaLab grant. During October I’ll be working with artists such as Rirkrit Tiravanija, Ken Dunn, and other Relational Art artists in Chicago (For more information visit: http://blogs.saic.edu/alivedpractice/). Also, I’ll be researching for my Spring 2015 semester show at Columbia College’s Arcade Gallery, TBA! Drinking lots of yerba mate and coffee. Bundling up for The Real Chicago.
We thank Matthew and all those involved with the Hokin Project for the time and effort you put into these projects. With your involvement in ventures like the Hokin Project, we are able to bring students and the surrounding community together allowing collaboration and talent to take center stage.
