Robert Blackson
Rob Blackson鈥檚 curatorial initiatives include Symphony for a Broken Orchestra, Funeral for a Home, 100 People Listening: A Shared Decade, 2021 - 2031, Philadelphia Doll Museum Forward with Barbara Whiteman, and reForm with Pep贸n Osorio and the Fairhill community. For over ten years, Blackson served as the founding director of Temple Contemporary at Temple University鈥檚 Tyler School of Art and Architecture. Prior to moving to Philadelphia from the UK in 2011, Blackson was the curator of BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Newcastle/Gateshead and curator of public programs at Nottingham Contemporary. An Andy Warhol Curatorial Fellow, and author of numerous publications including If There Ever Was: a book of extinct and impossible smells. Over the past ten years, his curatorial work has contributed to a momentum of artistic programs that share poetic and practical social purpose. His wife Ruth is an artist and book restorer. They are the proud parents of Betsy (8) and Ellery (6).
Education
- MA, Curatorial Studies, Bard College Center for Curatorial Studies, 2003
- BFA, Sculpture, Rhode Island School of Design, 1997
Academic Experience
- Contemporary Art
- Collections
- Curatorial Practice
- Public Art
I love sitting down with students and talking with them about what they are personally passionate about in the arts. Often times, it takes a bit of conversation to unearth the seed of inspiration for which a student genuinely feels devotion. Once the student feels this tug, together we clear a path through assignments, internships and work experience to cultivate this passion into a fulfilling career.
Additional Information
- Curatorial Director, Art Philly, 2023-2024
- Co-Curatorial Director, Co-Artistic Director, Philadelphia Contemporary 2021 - 2023
- Founding Director of Temple Contemporary, Temple University, Tyler School of Art & Architecture 2011 - 2021
- Curator of Public Programs, Nottingham Contemporary, UK, 2009-2010
- Curator Baltic Center for Contemporary Art, UK, 2008-2009
- Curator, Reg Vardy Gallery, University of Sunderland, UK, 2004 - 2008
- Pep贸n Osorio: My Beating Heart / Mi coraz贸n latiente, New Museum, essay
- Funeral for a Home, Editor
- reForm, Editor
- If There Ever Was, a book of extinct and impossible smells Reenactment in Contemporary Art and Culture, Art Journal, essay
Ruth Arts Foundation, Sites & Stewardship Award
Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Curatorial Fellow
Bloomberg Philanthropies, Public Art Challenge, The City of Philadelphia
The Pew Center for Art & Heritage, Exhibitions and Public Interpretation, multiple grant awards)
The Surdna Foundation, Art & Social Change Grant