Susan Caraballo
IKT Board Application
What specific skills, expertise, or perspectives do you believe you would bring to the IKT Board?
As a seasoned arts manager for over 25 years in addition to being a curator and producer, I have extensive experience in non-profit arts management in the US. Although it is another arts ecosystem with different funding schemes, the fundamentals are the same. I have served on numerous boards including Tigertail Productions (2007-2008), 801 Projects (2005-2007), Subtropics Experimental Music Festival (2000-2006) and the Children’s Cultural Coalition (2000-2001) in addition to being a founding board member of non-profit arts organizations, Artemis (1999-2007) and just this year, The Things Lab. Most recently, I have served on the Committee for Arts in Public Places in Miami Beach (2013-2016) and since 2019, I have been the treasurer for the Harpo Foundation, one of the few foundations in the US that directly supports visual artists. I also served on the IKT Miami board and organizing committee (2018-2019) focused on organizing the symposium and the post-Congress in Havana, Cuba . I believe one of the ways that I can be an asset as an IKT board member is by providing guidance in board governance and financial management of the organization guided by my arts entrepreneurial spirit.
I also bring my unique background of having established start-up non-profit arts organizations and initiatives in addition to having worked for a range of mid-to-large organizations. Therefore, I am well versed in scaling projects up and down. Over the years, my practice has evolved from exclusively a non-profit arts manager and producer to curator and now creator. So now, I bring forth a unique perspective as my practice now merges my role as curator and producer in creating immersive experiences entrenched in collaboration with artists.
What motivated you to apply for a position on the IKT Board, and what do you hope to achieve or contribute if selected?
As an IKT member since 2016, I have seen the organization transform in different ways through shifts in leadership and membership. I have attended the IKT congress annually since then and unfortunately missed this year’s conference since they were only a few months apart and both in Europe as I am based in the US in Miami, Florida. I was motivated to apply for a board seat as I would like to expand our membership beyond Europe and the United States. I am also excited to work with colleagues based in other countries in connecting curators globally.
If selected, I hope to promote IKT membership in the Americas and the Caribbean. As part of the IKT Miami organizing committee, we created an initiative to support participation of curators from Latin America and the Caribbean. I also worked with a team in Havana, Cuba to organize the post- Congress. As an IKT board member, I can also provide some support as the Congresses are organized by the hosts given my experience co-hosting the 2019 one in Miami and Havana.