Spotlight with Lindsey Cummins
Independent Curator (Kudzu jelly) | Great Meadows Foundation, Louisville, KY USA
Could you tell us a little more about your background and how you got into curating?
I started out as a painter, which I loved but quickly became aware was a personal practice. So I started working with art collections and found that I enjoyed the intimacy and personalization that art within people’s homes allows for. From there, I took my first big dive into curating with an exhibition titled “Papertrail.” In 2020, I co-founded a zine project and publication, “Printed.” “Papertrail” took Printed’s zine library and put out a call for community members to include their zines. We hung the library in a site-specific installation and included print work. I then began working with my partner, El Bruner, on a curatorial studio called “Kudzu jelly”, nomadically developing exhibitions around our region.
Who/what has influenced your curatorial practice?
My curatorial practice is fundamentally and pretty much always collaborative. Both in how I work on the curatorial side and the work that I’m drawn to. My practice is also deeply informed by place. Being located outside of a major art city, I often find myself thinking about place and its impact on artists, their work, and their sense of community. Kentucky as part of the larger Ohio River Valley region and Appalachia often either becomes sidelined or stereotyped and I am interested in adding complexity to the way we talk about life and creative work here.
The role of the curator is continuously changing. Could you describe what it means to be a curator today?
For me, being a curator is about connection. People are at the center of everything I do. It’s the little things like connecting an artist I know to another artist I know, recommending an artist to someone who I think may find their work interesting, or creating situations where people are physically together, interacting, and sharing, that’s what it is for me.
Tell us about the latest exhibition / project that you curated.
My latest exhibition, “Slump” was on view from January - February of 2024 and exhibited the work of artists Nick Netherton, Nina Kersey, and Scott T. Anderson.
My upcoming shows include my curatorial residency exhibition at Wave Pool Gallery in Cincinnati, OH titled “Kith & Kin: Things Well Known” which will show the work of Rachael Banks and Kacey Slone from May 11 - June 22nd, 2024.
I am putting together a show called “Signs of the Times” that will take place on May 18th in my house gallery, The Kj House. It will show protest posters by tattoo artist Jesse Gordon created during the Louisville 2020 protests surrounding Breonna Taylor’s murder. The posters were collected into a zine by Lake Tracy (Gasoline Press) and the show proceeds will be donated to Change Today Change Tomorrow and Play Cousins Collective here in Kentucky.
What are you reading, watching, or listening to now, that is helping you to stay relaxed and positive?
I’m not sure I have ever successfully been positive or relaxed but I just finished reading Olga Ravn’s “The Employees”, and Maggie Nelson’s “Bluet’s.” I also just got my hands on the newest volume of Derby City Midnight’s 8th issue which I am making my way through. They publish an amazing periodical about Kentucky history and folklore.
How long have you been part of IKT and how do you feel that it has benefited your curatorial practice?
I’ve been a part of IKT since the 2022 Kentucky Congress and I can’t say enough about how it has changed me and my work. The opportunity to meet other like-minded folks from across the world and share ideas, resources, knowledge, and time together in different cities where you get to experience and learn about art is sort of a dream come true. I am incredibly thankful to Julien Robson and Great Meadows Foundation for making this possible for me and a bunch of other talented Kentucky curators!
Thank you Lindsey!
Spotlight
Spotlight is a new series of short interviews, aiming to showcase the diverse expertise and innovative approaches of our IKT members. Whether you're seeking inspiration or searching for potential partners, join us on this captivating journey as we uncover the stories, ideas, and creative visions of our members.
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