Dev Harlan (Finalist in Digital/Electronic Arts '20); "And Other Things You Can Buy On The Internet II;" 2019; Apple computer, artificial plant, resin, plaster, 3D printed PLA, custom software

The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) and Association of Art Museum Curators Foundation will collaborate to offer “Making the Best of Your Work Life,” a four-part e-course in February and March to support art professionals nationally and internationally. This four-part e-course will begin with a moderated conversation and it will follow, a week later by three learning and listening sessions.  

The moderated conversation (90-minutes) will center on navigating the pitfalls of the workplace environment. Our goal is to seek pathways forward towards self-advocacy and self-care, including in relation to workplace schedules, pressures, barriers, bias, and demands.

The following week will feature three individual sessions (75-minutes each) offering opportunities to delve deeper into leadership, self-preservation and restoration, and conflict resolution. 

Individual tickets to the panel discussion and sessions are available, however, we strongly advise you to attend the webinar before joining an individual program. 

Questions: Learning@nyfa.org

Moderated Conversation: Making the Best of Your Work Life

Guest Speakers: Caryl McFarlane, Independent Higher Education Diversity Programs and Strategy Consultant, The Alliance of HBCU Museums and Galleries; Senior Fellow, The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Russel Davis, Chief of Human Resources, Equity & Engagement (CHREE), UCLA Hammer Museum

Moderator: Seema Rao, Deputy Director and Chief Experience Officer, Akron Art Museum

When: Thursday, February 24, 2022, 10 AM - 11:30 AM EST

Where: Zoom Webinar 

Registrants will receive the zoom link 1 hour before the session starts.

Program Fee: $5

Package Discount for Panel Discussion and Individual Sessions ($5 discount): $15 

Individual Sessions:

All individual sessions will be held on zoom conferencing and the capacity for each session is limited to 30 participants.

Registrants will receive the zoom link 1 hour before each session.

Leading/Working Independently: Thursday, March 3, 2022, 10 AM - 11:15 AM EST

Description: Shifting the 'independent' curator to more of an 'interdependent' role allows us to reflect on how to aspire, manage, manifest, balance and guide your position as a self-starter working and leading among peers within the field of contemporary art curating.

Regine will reflect on her own trajectory since 1998 and highlight valuable experiences and project case studies that allowed her to grow and learn as an independent curator.  Successes and failures are equally important. This topic could support any arts administrator working independently.

Aspects she will focus on include:

• Building relationships
• Getting to know your boundaries and sticking to them
• Create a system but also go with the flow 

Participation and story-telling within the group will be encouraged.

Presenter: Regine Basha, Independent Curator, Writer, and Consultant

Program Fee: $5

Conflict Resolution: Thursday, March 3, 2022, 12:30 PM - 1:45 PM EST

Description: During our session, we are going to discuss using intuitive listening to approach conflict resolution. The sub-context is listening for what is not being said and understanding the values being challenged when we are in conflict. Being aware of what values are being challenged provides the opportunity to identify what triggers are being activated in real-time and choose to respond to conflict rather than react.

Presenter: Lisa Cambridge-Mitchell, Personal Development Coach & Leadership Consultant

Program Fee: $5

Regenerate Yourself and Your Community: Thursday, March 3, 2022, 3 PM - 4:15 PM EST

Description: Are you tired of being tired? Wishing for more balance between your work and personal life, yet also super aware that community needs are profound and stopping to take care of yourself just feels - well, self-indulgent? 

In this session, you’ll have a chance to rethink the paradigm around burn-out by assessing your inner resources, energy, and well-being with an eye toward whether or not you’re working in a way that is extractive or regenerative. This approach is inspired by Movement Generation’s Just Transition framework, which considers the ways that our economy is built on and perpetuates extraction, versus how we can build an economy that is regenerative and supports the well-being of all life. 

After reviewing the Extractive vs. Regenerative Economies framework, you’ll work in small groups to reflect on the cultures of your organization, field, and community, illuminate harmful dynamics, amplify life-affirming dynamics, and share regenerative practices that support your wholeness.

Come prepared to enjoy lively conversation, do a little journaling, and leave with ideas for ways you can support your sense of liveliness, energy and well-being.

Presenters: Dewey Schott, Coach, Dewey Schott Coaching & Sande Smith, Coach and Communicator, ReLuminate Coaching and Consulting

Program Fee: $5

Guest Speakers Bios:

Russell Davis, Chief of Human Resources, Equity & Engagement (CHREE), UCLA Hammer Museum

Russell Davis is an HR executive, consultant, and author, with a focus on leadership development and racial dialogue. He is an advocate for organizational and individual accountability and currently serves as the Chief of Human Resources, Equity & Engagement for the Hammer Museum.

Caryl McFarlane, Independent Higher Education Diversity Programs and Strategy Consultant, The Alliance of HBCU Museums and Galleries; Senior Fellow, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Dr. Caryl McFarlane is a Higher Education Diversity Programs Consultant, strategic planner, and organization and program developer. She is currently a Senior Fellow at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and serves as the Executive Consultant for The Alliance of HBCU Museums and Galleries, helping to develop strategic partnerships and programs between PWIs and HBCUs.

Seema Rao, Deputy Director and Chief Experience Officer, Akron Art Museum

Seema Rao has nearly 20 years of museum experience, Ms. Rao has extensive experience in interpretation and programming from leading content development for all audiences. Seema is the author of Objective Lessons: Self Care for Museum Professions, a book designed to prompt museum workers to focus on self-care.

Presenters' Bios for Individual Meeting Sessions:

Regine Basha, Independent Curator, Writer, and Consultant

Regine Basha of Bashaprojects has over 25 years of experience in all levels of exhibition production and public art commissions as well as residency & studio management and art writing/publishing nationally and internationally. As an Educator she has worked as Adjunct Professor in MFA departments at Columbia University and RISD and she has contributed her expertise to countless juries and selection panels for Residency programs, Prizes and Grants.

Bashaprojects has worked mainly with non-profits, foundations, and private art patrons to advise on artists and diversity programs, launching new initiatives, developing partnerships, board development and cultivating new stakeholders.

Lisa Cambridge-Mitchell, Personal Development Coach & Leadership Consultant

Focused on the unique challenges of creative-minded professionals, she helps guide them toward maximizing their performance, personal and professional fulfillment, and a higher sense of purpose. Since 1991 she has guided the careers, influenced the development, and promoted the leadership success of superstar artists and executives. In 2016 Lisa launched her personal development company Persist in Joy. With 25+ years of professional success under her belt, Lisa is also a graduate of the University of Virginia, and a certified iPEC Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner. Lisa lives in Ridgefield, CT with her husband, young son, and slightly loopy rescue dog, Steph Curry.

Dewey Schott, Coach, Dewey Schott Coaching

Dewey coaches queer community-builders who are dancing at the intersection of fabulousness and burnout. He supports clients to nurture liberated spaces full of belonging, align around values, love boundaries, orient toward pleasure, and tend to their healing. He lives in Santa Rosa, CA and loves making kombucha and throwing dance parties.

Sande Smith, Coach and Communicator, ReLuminate Coaching and Consulting

Sande is a communications professional and certified coach.

About AAMC Foundation

Founded in 2001, the Association of Art Museum Curators Foundation advances the curatorial field through forward-looking leadership in development and educational opportunities for learning and connecting at every stage of a curator’s career on an international scale. Serving as a resource for the profession’s best practices, codes of conduct and ethical standards, we provide a platform for the exchange of a broad range of information on critical issues driving the field, including diversity and inclusion, digital innovation, artistic voices and histories, and marketing and audience engagement. Through our work we serve members, professional colleagues, and the public, and our outreach reflects diverse perspectives within the field, often examining strategic directions of curatorial practice and art organization management. With a network spanning the globe, we are an ambassador and advocate for all art curators and the leading champion of their significant contributions.

This program is part of NYFA Learning, which includes professional development for artists and arts administrators. Sign up for NYFA’s free bi-weekly newsletter to receive updates on future programs. Please consider donating to NYFA to keep our events free and/or low-cost, and to help us continue our work of supporting artists everywhere.