SHAWNYA L. HARRIS NAMED Center for Curatorial Leadership fellow
HARRIS WAS ONE OF 12 FELLOWS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY TO BE CHOSEN, based on her curatorial achievements and demonstrated innovation in the field. “Quite simply, Shawnya Harris and the endowed curatorship she holds have changed the culture of the museum in many ways,” said William Underwood Eiland, director of the Georgia Museum of Art. “Her tenure as a fellowship-holder with the Center for Curatorial Leadership will result in continued advancement not only of her departmental goals but also of those of the museum at large.” The program, which ran from January to April, remained entirely online and involved intense sessions with a combined focus on theoretical presentations and practical application. Completing the fellowship involved a lot of self-awareness train- ing and peer assessment. For Harris this meant self-evaluating, studying strengths and weaknesses and looking at things more objectively. She described this aspect of the program as a refo- cusing experience in which participants were prompted to con- sider their individuality and how they fit inside of the institution rather than the other way around. Additionally, there was the opportunity to analyze the phenomenon of the museum itself. Stepping back and taking a holistic approach provided space for combined problem solving with peers. By determining individual strengths, participants were able to consider how they fit into their role within the museum and, by extension, the community. A unique element of the program was that each fellow was paired with a mentor from another institution. Harris was paired with Alex Nyerges, director of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, who offered insight on the importance of an organized administration within a museum, informed by his more than 36 years of experi- ence as an art museum director. By pairing fellows with directors, curators like Harris could learn directly about administrative roles and decision-making within institutions. Together, the two were able to discuss the universal challenges museums are facing today and methods they each use to improve the museums they are a part of. While the country remained under lockdown this last spring, Shawnya L. Harris, Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Curator of African American and African Diasporic Art at the Georgia Museum of Art, was named a 2021 fellow by the Center for Curatorial Leadership.
Shawnya L. Harris. Photo by Dorothy Kozlowski. University of Georgia, Marketing & Communications.
Another component of the program that offered fellows the chance to gain practical exposure for museum leadership was a series of workshops provided by faculty members at Colum- bia Business School. While the classes focused on business and finance, the professors from Columbia tailored assignments spe - cifically toward museum leadership. Each assignment was guided by the professors and focused on operational improvements for the future. Throughout the fellowship, Harris designed, planned and imple- mented a series of diversity mentoring projects. These projects worked toward finding ways to expand information to popula - tions that have historically not had access to guidance about mu- seum careers and opportunities. The workshops aimed to broaden accessibility by discussing education requirements, specialization training and career advice for different positions within the mu - seum with young adults and emerging professionals. Outside of the program, fellows had the chance to meet with one another after hours and exchange ideas, discuss issues and net- work. This upcoming fall the cohort plans to reunite in New York City and establish face-to-face contact for the first time.
Francesca Felicella Publications intern
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