Kristen Clevenson’s (BA, Art History 2017) skills in Curatorial Studies are leading to a promising museum career. A Masters of Art History candidate and recent Lazarus Curatorial Fellow at Hunter College in New York City, Clevenson currently works as a Curatorial Assistant at the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation.
After graduating from UVA as a Distinguished Major (DMP), and where she served as a Docent and a member of the Student Engagement Council at The Fralin Museum of Art, Clevenson interned at the Guggenheim and the Whitney Museum in New York City. Clevenson has also worked as a research assistant, providing research support for several publications, including Barbara London’s recent book Video/Art: The First Fifty Years, published January 2020. Video/Art has been a popular gift for graduating Distinguished Majors in the UVA Studio Art New Media concentration.
Clevenson’s DMP thesis “Examining Missing Voices: Shifts in Curatorial Practice in the Exhibition of Black Artists in New York City in the 1990s and early 2000s” took on the critical issue of inclusion in permanent collections versus temporarily showcasing the artists’ work. In expressing the ideals of representation, her research has a determinable focus in today’s climate. Her thorough examination of art in a postbaccalaureate setting has continued in publications such as White Hot Magazine and Two Coats of Paint.
When asked about her interest in the New York art scene, Clevenson stated "One of the joys of being in the city is being able to see art in person, rather than in reproduction.”
Earlier this year, Clevenson curated her own show, "Her Right to K(no)w" at the Hunter East Harlemn Gallery: "Her Right to Know presents archival documents and marketing material alongside contemporary artworks that aim to open up a dialogue about women’s bodies and health, and the social injustices that have been placed on women dating back to the 18th century and continue into present day."
installation image of "Her Right to K(no)w"