Exhibition Design / Curatorial Work
Prior to launching Rare Machine, I started Stafford Contemporary, an independent curatorial practice. Stafford Contemporary represented a select group of artists working in a wide variety of artistic approaches, including, photography, works on paper, sculpture, paintings, video and installations. Previously, I was the Director of Carrie Haddad Photographs, in Hudson NY, a position I held from 2008 to 2011, and I was Assistant Director of the Carrie Haddad Gallery (also in Hudson, NY) for nearly six years.
Throughout my time with Haddad, I played an integral role in the mounting of more than 75 exhibitions. Over the years I have curated numerous additional exhibitions, including shows at The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, CT and Hudson Plugged In, a large-scale outdoor exhibit of new media works along Warren Street in Hudson, NY. This glowingly reviewed exhibit was honored with a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts Electronic Media and Film Program. I have juried exhibitions and conducted portfolio reviews for the Center for Photography at Woodstock, the Cooperstown Art Association, the Columbia County Council on the Arts, Albany Center Galleries and the Silvermine Guild Art Center.
Below is a small selection of exhibits I have curated over the years
Manifest Destiny
The Hotchkiss School’s Tremaine Gallery
The Tremaine Gallery at the Hotchkiss School presented ‘Manifest Destiny: Photographic works by Leigh Merrill’, an exhibition of new photographs and videos. The show featured a selection of works from three different yet connected series (Into the Sunset, Delphinidin, and Mockingbird), this exhibition explored Merrill’s fascination with themes of beauty, control, class and romanticism.
Plugged In
Warren Street, Hudson NY
Hudson Plugged In, was a large-scale outdoor exhibit of new media works I curated in 2008. This exhibit was honored with a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts Electronic Media and Film Program, and showcased the pioneering artists whom reside within the county and beyond with a focus on the interaction of their works with the residents and visitors to Hudson’s main thoroughfare: Warren Street. The exhibit included sound, performance, digital and video art and interactive works.
