Press Release
(New York, NY | August 27, 2024) — The A&L Berg Foundation, dedicated to creating, evolving and sustaining diverse perspectives in the visual arts in the United States, today identified the six outstanding curators who are participating in its inaugural Early Stage Arts Professionals (ESAP) program. This annual core initiative of the Foundation, announced in September 2023, is designed to accelerate systemic change in the visual arts by opening equitable career paths and supporting exceptional early-career professionals. For the inaugural cohort of ESAP Fellows, the Foundation has selected six Latinx/e curators.
Chosen exclusively on the basis of nominations from an expert national panel, the six inaugural ESAP Fellows are:
Allison Berg, co-founder with her husband Larry Berg, and President of the A&L Berg Foundation, said, “Our ESAP program is part of a wave of long overdue investment in curators, educators and administrators from communities that are underrepresented in the visual arts system. As a private foundation, we have the capacity to move quickly and decisively to strengthen and accelerate this movement. We are immensely proud to announce our support for these six extraordinary young talents, who are already making an impact on the field by reshaping the way histories are written and shared.”
Carolyn Ramo, Executive Director of the A&L Berg Foundation, added, “Our premise is that by supporting and empowering individuals—arts professionals in a broad range of roles, and artists who are directly engaged in social action—we can help these leaders leverage change throughout their institutions and their communities, transforming the structure of the visual arts as a whole.”
The nominators for the inaugural ESAP Fellows were:
César García-Alvarez, the inaugural cohort’s Guest Curatorial Director, said, “Invaluable institutions including the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Center for Curatorial Leadership, and the Ford, Getty and Mellon Foundations are doing great work to diversify the visual arts field in the United States and bring about widespread change. One of the special contributions of the A&L Berg Foundation ESAP Fellowship is that this is a 360-degree program designed to encourage and support the Fellows in every way, from network-building to addressing the art world’s sometimes uncomfortable issues of class and cultural capital.”
During the ten-month program, ESAP provides four “empowerment prongs” for its Fellows: a mentorship with a senior curator, a series of workshops with professionals focusing on relational skills, an unrestricted financial grant to help meet the cost of living and a robust international research trip, providing deep engagement with visual art leaders and peers from every part of the world’s art ecosystem. The inaugural cohort traveled in April to the Vernissage of the 60th Venice Biennale, curated by Adriano Pedroso.
The Foundation has now entered into a collaboration with VERGE, the recruiting and human resources agency, to provide a fifth empowerment prong: ongoing support for professional growth. Over the course of the next twelve months, VERGE will provide the inaugural ESAP cohort with access to additional mentorship opportunities, training and career support.
Lise Ragbir, Co-Founder & President of VERGE, said, “With shared goals in mind, the A&L Berg Foundation and VERGE are naturally aligned. We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to support these stellar art professionals at this stage in their careers.” Julia V. Hendrickson, VERGE Co-Founder & Managing Partner, added, “Our goal is to provide this inaugural cohort with the resources they need so that they can continue to thrive long-term—because a supportive community is at the core of sustainable change in this industry."
Each year, the ESAP program will empower a different group of early-stage arts professionals, responding to the art community’s most urgent needs at the time of formation. Informed by data from Museums Moving Forward, including evidence that more than 75 percent of art museum professionals ages 30 to 45 are considering leaving the field altogether, ESAP has the long-term goal of diversifying and strengthening all parts of the visual arts ecosystem and ultimately shifting the sector.
Through a second core initiative, the Artist Social Impact Grant, the Berg Foundation also supports and empowers visual artists at the outset of social- and community-driven projects. This annual grant provides direct financial support and access to resources that can lead toward the development of sustainable, scalable and transformative platforms separate from, but related to, their artmaking practice.
The Foundation draws on the counsel of an Advisory Committee of visual arts leaders of diverse backgrounds who are focused on encouraging challenging discourse and amplifying underrepresented voices. The group includes:
The A&L Berg Foundation, founded by Allison and Larry Berg, provides access, tools and resources to create, evolve and sustain diverse perspectives and narratives in United States visual arts platforms. It supports and empowers individuals committed to making systemic and scalable impact with their practices and in their communities.
The Foundation seeks to strengthen internal and external art ecosystems by creating equitable career pathways and infrastructure to continue building and expanding diverse communities within our institutions and throughout the visual arts landscape. The fabric of the Foundation’s work has been informed by years of meaningful conversations and research guided by some of the most esteemed institutional leaders of our time and alumni of nonprofits and entities aligned with similar concerns.
With a focus on individuals from the global majority, VERGE matches exceptional talent with exceptional arts organizations—supporting both sides of the equation. The agency maintains career-long relationships with talent to ensure professional success, while providing art galleries, museums and artist foundations with the full-service recruitment and human resources support needed for change. This comprehensive approach moves all parties toward shared goals on a mutually beneficial path toward retention and growth that will transform the art industry.
VERGE Co-Founders Lise K. Ragbir, Julia V. Hendrickson and Ola Mobolade hold decades of experience in the art and culture sector across for-profit and non-profit sectors and in the corporate industry, with specialized expertise in engaging with and advocating for historically underrepresented populations.
Tommy Napier
Polskin Arts
212.715.1694
tommy.napier@finnpartners.com
Natalie Miller
Polskin Arts
917.856.9382
natalie.miller@finnpartners.com
