Holding space for native art and community 🪶 Kalyn Fay Barnoski, Philbrook Museum of Art

The Art of Curation

“We aren't constantly swimming in trauma. We're a joyful people. I want to make sure that the way we present the work is reflective of an expansive and nuanced understanding that we can hold pain but we can also hold a lot of love, joy and happiness.” — Kalyn Fay Barnoski, Philbrook Museum of Art

When you’re a gatekeeper to a world that’s still unfolding for mainstream audiences, the pressure must be…intense. Kalyn Fay Barnoski, an interdisciplinary artist, musician, curator, and educator from Oklahoma, who is a Cherokee Nation enrollee and of Muscogee Creek descent, confirmed that the responsibility is a big one that they don’t take lightly.

What does that feel like? How does one begin to curate from such a vast and varied universe? What happens when the job also means retelling history? And what's the importance of the land a museum sits on when thinking about curation?

Listen in as Kalyn shares details about how they approach such a sacred role, what they’re excited about — and what work still needs to be done — when they ponder how Indigenous culture is presented in museums in 2023.

Other highlights, inspiration and key learnings from the conversation:

• How their life as an artist impacts their approach as a curator
• What people don’t get right about native art and culture
• Honoring all parts of yourself as a curator
• Indigenous creatives more people should know
• Making space for creativity

👋 Say "hi" to Kalyn.
🔎 Browse the companion Storyboard to get the episode, plus Kalyn’s favorite culture picks.
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