Tina Ruggieri
Tina Ruggieri has been an Assistant Curator at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts since 2019. She received her Bachelor of Arts with a concertation in Art History from UAB and is working towards her Masters in Art History with a concertation in Contemporary Art. She has curated shows such as Shona McAndrew: Wednesday Night, Jiha Moon: Chasing Spirits, and Sonya Yong James: The Eye of a Needle. She has co-curated Quentin Morris and A la carte: A Visual Exploration of Our Relationship with Food and Lily Reeves: Between Futures. She has published essays in publications such as Shona McAndrew: Wednesday Night and the forthcoming Jiha Moon: Cashing Spirits. She co-authored an introduction for A la carte: A Visual Exploration of Our Relationship with Food and Alabama Triennial at AEIVA. She has conducted interviews in the publication Eraser 3 and Eraser 4 and online discussions with artists such as Deborah Brown, Donté K Hayes, Christina Nicodema, John Knuth, Ryan Schneider, Jennifer Coates, Jon Key, Jarrett Key, Austyn Weiner, Thaddeus Mosley, Katelyn Ledford, Rebecca Morris, among others.
Hi Tina, can you tell us what is your background and how you become an art curator?
In 2013 I took my first trip to Art Basel: Miami, the international art fair held in Miami, Florida, every December. I attended an exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami by the YBA artist Tracy Emin, titled Angel Without You. Until then, I was primarily familiar with artists such as Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, and Vincent van Gogh. At that moment, standing in front of Emin’s neon text works, a new world opened up for me, a world in which contemporary art would become a large part of my life. Over the next two years, I began building my collection of works by emerging artists. This led me to want to understand how these young artists fit into the overall context of our history. I returned to school for my art history degree at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). While as a student, I applied for an internship at Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts (AEIVA). After graduating, I was hired full-time as an assistant curator of contemporary art.
How do you discover artists? What is the most important feature of choosing them?
I do a lot of looking and try to travel as much as possible to other museums and galleries, locally and nationally. Since I am located in Birmingham, AL, I often have to use the internet and social media outlets like Instagram. I look through all the major art news outlets, Artnet News, Artsy, Blouin Artinfo, Hyperallergic, The Brooklyn Rail, etc. Art magazines such as Art in America, Juxtapoz, etc., and curated magazines such as Artsin Square, New American Painters, ArtMaze Magazine, etc. During the pandemic, Instagram became a significant way for me to stay connected to the art world and to find new artists that would be great to bring to the south. Word of mouth and networking with collogues in the state of Alabama is another way I discover artists in our region. You never know who you will find through exhibitions.
The artwork needs to be both strong visually and conceptually. I try to bring artists that can connect with both students that are attending UAB as well as the surrounding Birmingham community. While also trying to build a new audience of art enthusiasts.
Christina Nicodema, Elephant Raft, 2019, Oil and archival ink on canvas, 57 by 75 inches. Collection of Ana Appedole. Courtesy of the artist. © Christina Nicodema
Please explain the process of curating a solo and/or group exhibition.
This can be a bit of a long process. Once I identify an artist I want to show at AEIVA, I begin a dialogue with the artist and discuss ideas for the exhibition. Sometimes the exhibition can include works from the overall artist’s practice, and other exhibits might feature new works created just for our show. We often have to organize pieces coming to the exhibition from artists’ primary dealers and collectors who have previously acquired their artworks. I also create scale models of our gallery space to arrange the show before the artworks arrive. Once the artworks arrive at AEIVA, I organize how I want the works to be presented.
From your point of view, what are the components of a good exhibition?
A successful exhibition resonates with our patrons and appeals to a broader audience. I hope that someone like me will walk into our galleries and that they have a similar reaction that I had when I saw Emin’s show for the first time.
What challenges have you faced in this job? How did you manage them?
Being located in Birmingham, Alabama, can be geographically challenging. As I briefly discussed before, I try and take the opportunity to travel as much as possible. I’m not always able to travel to cities like New York, LA, or Chicago to see the exhibitions I would like. I must find other ways to be resourceful and accomplish the research I need. Although being located in the south, in a city like Birmingham, has its challenges, it was important for me to build my career here while helping to cultivate the arts.
What are the qualities that a curator needs to be successful? What kind of strategies and mindset is required for this role?
To be successful as a curator, you must stay up to date with what is happening in the contemporary art world and the world in general. It is important to look at what artists are creating, listen to and understand what they are communicating. Always be open and excepting of their ideas so that you can present their work in the best way possible. Lastly, the art world is global, so your knowledge of contemporary art should be just as vast.
Installation view Shona McAndrew: Wednesday Night, Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, January 18 - April 3, 2021, ©️ 2020 AEIVA, UAB Photo: Sheleka Laseter.
Please share with us your most significant achievement.
It is important to me to provide a space for artists to showcase their work. I often work with emerging artists, and I want to be the one who gives them their first museum exhibition and broader exposure. I also work with more established artists who might have had less exposure. Bringing these artists to the AEIVA galleries and sharing this experience and journey with them is one of the most fulfilling parts of my job.
Describe your daily routine as an art curator.
Every day presents new challenges and exciting opportunities. I research and connect with artists daily. I arrange and schedule the shipping of loans for upcoming shows. I spend time in the galleries laying out and organizing work with my director and installers. I write for text panels and catalogs. And of course, there are many meetings- from planning, scheduling, student education, community involvement, cataloging, etc. I consider myself extremely fortunate to work in such a rewarding field.
Any advice to your juniors in this field?
Never stop looking and studying. Both your eye and your level of knowledge will evolve and grow. Be passionate about what you do. This world is not 9 to 5. It never stops and very rarely slows down.
