Staci Bu Shea Interview
As an Art History student myself, I am curious as to what goals you have set for yourself professionally – for me, I find it difficult to choose between museum studies or a specific field of study (like 19th century art). Was there an avenue you had chosen prior to your curatorial studies but changed? If so, what was it and why did you change?
While studying at UNF, I was always drawn to 20th century art history. I found that artists and the work they created after industrial capitalism to be the most informing of our contemporary moment. This is because I’ve always wanted to understand what constituted our “now” and I felt I could grasp it much easier focusing on a more recent art history. Of course, I also studied studio art as my minor, and this informed my interest to situate myself as a cultural producer.
Was there a specific person or place or moment in your life that you felt most inspired you for your future goals in Art History? There are numerous people, places and moments that have inspired me. Past and current experiences, as well as potential future ones, continue to shape how I perceive what the future will hold. But to make this more tangible, here is a list:
1 Jim Draper, Gallery Coordinator of UNF Galleries and land artist → the most inspiring mentor and bff I could ever have hoped for! He has made me feel less alone in the world. I hope that I have done the same for him. Some of my favorite projects and actions have happened in his studio with him. All of it was so radical and experimental for me. Deeply fulfilling.
2 Rebecca Horn’s solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo “Rebellion in Silence: Dialogue between Raven and Whale” → this is when I decided I wanted to be part of the exhibition in some way.
3 Girls Rock Jacksonville → a powerful example of self-organizing within a radical group of women, and caring for the empowerment of girls and young women.
4 “Macho Man, Tell It To My Heart,” curated by Julie Ault at Artists Space in NYC → this exhibition made me cry. I strive to participate in exhibitions/projects that have that power.
5 Failure → there will never be one singular narrative.
After graduating from UNF, what was one lesson you learned that was most beneficial to your life and for your continued studies?
While working for Jim Draper, he was incredibly supportive of my desire to create my then first exhibition in Spring 2012 titled On Mediation. He said, to paraphrase, “if you want to curate an exhibition, just do it. If you want to be a curator, be one. To hell with the obstacles.” This set the tone for the last three years of my practice, and it still resonates with me today.
What is the one thing you would like to have known as an undergrad at UNF (knowing what you know now)? Is there any specific advice you would give yourself? Would there be anything you would change about your path chosen?
This is a tough question. I will attempt to unpack my thoughts about this: undergraduate degrees prepare you with general knowledge of a topic, and there is so much to learn on the practical side of whatever discourse you involve yourself within that you cannot receive within school. The institution is a tool for you to use. Institutional critique is about the desire to change current constituents in order for it to improve in the ways you find problematic or oppressive. It’s important for me to be in constant dialogue with this.
I wish that I was encouraged to believe that there are more possibilities for creating a place in the world and making purposeful contributions. I think I felt plagued towards the end, that if I didn’t have a higher education I couldn’t do anything with my degree. That I couldn’t properly conduct research, work in a museum or gallery, or be a curator. All of the labor that I thought imaginable for my degree and focus felt like a distant horizon. So, as I said above, it’s important to know that we all have a sense of agency and we do not have to wait for someone else to grant us allowance to make moves. There is nothing I would have changed about my path. I do not believe in destiny, but I find that events and experiences play out in such a way that you have to see them as opportunities to grow, shift perspective, reorient, and improve to the level that you see fit. We must be accountable for these things.
What was the most difficult path (pertaining to your student goals) that you encountered upon graduating UNF and how did you get through it?
All of the paths were not easy. If any project or task presented itself as easy, I usually did not want anything to do with it. I don’t want to be in autopilot mode.
Congratulations on your acceptance to Bard College – what drew you to Bard’s Curatorial Studies program? Were there any other universities you were considering and didn’t choose – why not? Are you content with your decision?
Thanks! I was attracted to CCS for numerous reasons: the Director of the program, Paul O’Neill; the CCS Library for their incredible collection of books pertaining to contemporary art, exhibition histories, curatorial studies, artists’ books, their archives and special collections; the faculty, specifically Jeannine Tang and Suhail Malik; how interdisciplinary and theory-driven the program is; their network within a larger contemporary art context; individual thesis exhibitions and projects, rather than co-curating one large exhibition with the class (most programs opt for co-curated theses); the Hessel Museum, which is on permanent loan to CCS; and the style and content of alumni. I applied to three other programs and was admitted to all, but I was pretty set on Bard.
What has been the biggest challenge in beginning your graduate program?
The biggest challenge has been adjusting to the amount of required reading. It’s over 150 pages a week, and the text is not easy! Another challenge would be thinking and responding on the spot during class discussions. I find it easier after a week of orientation, a week of a research intensive and three weeks of theory, proseminar, practicum and my elective on “Big Data: Small Subjectivities” to speak in front of groups about my ideas and perspectives. I’ve always felt a bit timid about doing that, but this shift is really good.
Where do you see yourself professionally in 5 years? Is there a specific goal you are trying to achieve? I see myself expanding upon my curatorial practice in a more discursive, durational and collaborative way. I see myself working with artists that have similar motivations and interests in social justice, queer labor, critically engaging with the world, and particularly how we’ve changed in relation to the web, not how the web has changed us. As for institutions or organizations I see myself working in, I am thinking along the lines of Casco in The Netherlands, Tensta Konsthall in Sweden, or the Walker Art Center in Minnesota. These are just some examples of the types of institutions I’d like to work in. I would like to do the AIT Curatorial Residency in Tokyo sometime after graduating.
Do you feel UNF has prepared you well for graduate school? Was there something (a class, an internship) you wish you would have done?
I feel that UNF has prepared me well for graduate school, but I would say just as much as my practice after UNF has prepared me. I wish there were more opportunities for internships. It’s a bit limited. But that’s really me saying I wish there was more interest and support for alternative art spaces in Northeast Florida.
You took a break between undergrad and graduate, was there a specific reasoning for this? Looking back, would you rather have gone straight into you graduate studies after graduating UNF?
I wouldn’t have gotten into graduate school if it weren’t for my years spent in practice! I didn’t know what type of work I wanted to tend to and situate myself within when I graduated. For me, if I would have gone straight into school again, I think I would be doing so in a robotic way. Like, step 1, check. Step 2, check. It took those three years of working within this field to understand what I wanted to do with it, and this led to a desire for more resources and refinement, which led to applying to graduate school. It started to feel like I was reinventing the wheel each time I did a project.
Which artists give you the most inspiration?
I am inspired by Deanna Havas, AL Steiner, Andrea Fraser, Oliver Laric, AK Burns, Mika Rottenberg, Janine Antoni, Liam Gillick, and many more! I hope the short list illustrates an image for you.
One of my favorite works right now is a collaboration between Kerry Downey, Joanna Seitz, and Jen Rosenblit titled To-Do List. The video was recently collected into the Hessel Collection, but you can also view the piece at Downey’s website, if you are interested.
Just to note, there are many curators that give me inspiration too. Like Maria Lind and Vivian Ziherl.
Do you already have ideas for future projects?
Somewhat. Right now I am writing brief thesis ideas on sheets of graph paper and pinning them to my wall. These ideas are mostly curatorial strategies, and some do not include an exhibitionary component just yet. I enjoy working with artists and others in a more collaborative way. Future project = future relations
What advice would you give to art students who are about to graduate?
Hm. I have more questions for the graduating art student than I do any particular advice. I hope it doesn’t seem dressed up in psychoanalysis.
What do you care about most? Do you find yourself to be hardworking? Do you ever ask yourself “why work?” Not in the sense of being lazy, but do you consider yourself within a sociopolitical and economic perspective? What are the rewards for what you do? If it is not for the money, how will you interact with that?
Do you believe the materials, modes and strategies that you employ for your intended concept are effective? Who is the contemporary viewer and where are they situated?
So, maybe some advice: be wary of neoliberalism and its affects. Be critical. Read Marx and Benjamin, take it for what it is, put it to bed, then do something that is meaningful to not just you but society as a whole. Be thoughtful. Lastly, there are many ways to be a cultural producer, don’t limit yourself and don’t wait for external validation!
What period of Art History interests you most?
1967 to 12:01 in the morning, every night. Right now.
Is there one thing you would change if you could change something about your time at UNF?
I wish I read all of the assigned readings. I wish I didn’t miss any class. But for the most part, see the answer above.
Can you describe your favorite curatorial project? Why was it your favorite? What was your most challenging? I’m not sure which was my favorite! But, I would have to say goal search with artist and writer Alexander Bertin because it is most reflective of the discursive practice that I would like to continue. Alexander Bertin, of Oslo, Norway, and I exchanged 62 e-mails detailing the event of goal search. The idea was to see its’ event as an exercise, and presented in exhibition form as a half-mile marker snapshot. goal search is one work of art made up of images, texts and sculpture that highlight this “workout” routine. I instructed Alex to document individuals during their physical exercise. Alex paired images with poems. Alex instructed me on how to present the images and poems together. We collaborated on how to make jpegs physical and create sculptures out of images and products. The collaboration was consensual, empowering and felt like a marathon. I also really enjoyed the The Apt Exh with artists Lily Kuonen, Sterling Cox, Thony Aiuppy and Edison William. We explored concepts of temporary housing, realty and ideas of home within a garage apartment. I advertised the opening of this event through Craigslist and collaborated with a mixologist to create a featured cocktail titled “Security Deposit,” to embody the conceptual properties of giving money for security and getting that money back.
The most challenging, hm. Possibly Future Retro, an exhibition from the MFA in Boston that focused on automobile design in postwar America, held at The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens. This project was incredible and I learned so much about working in the institution, especially with their curatorial team of Holly and Kristen, but I think I have a hard time working from a fixed collection. I enjoy the opportunity to activate objects and dialogue, but I feel much more confident and fulfilled working with artists directly.
Why did you choose these projects to be exhibited within the exhibition?
I have chosen three books that I have produced with three different artists within the last year: PLAYNTINGSSGNITNYALP with Lily Kuonen, Google Translate with Sterling Cox, and goal search with Alexander Bertin. Also featured is a Wild Apples (a moniker for Jim and I) publication and exhibition. Here, we commissioned over a dozen artists and writers to respond to the conceptual possibilities of “knees.”
These books are reflective of my curatorial practice, and my interest in the exhibition-as-book.
I also created a poster for this circumstance. I am interested in prosthetics of exhibitions, outside of works of art, that further contextual a thematic or narrative-driven exhibition concept. The poster will be textual. I am aware that I am someone that concerns myself with curatorial practice and my labor will be presented in a gallery setting. I think this is interesting and I want to point back to that. Viewers will be able to take a poster home with them. Curators also give gifts.
How do you personally approach Curatorial work? What attracts you most to it?
As a network of tasks, responsibilities, attentions and insights.
Like a curator, an artist, an administrator, a scientist, an organizer, a designer, a collaborator.
I’m attracted to it because I want to reveal, investigate and open out. I want voices to be heard. I want dialogue. This is how I can feel useful.