PRESS RELEASES
Staci Boris named Director of
Art Chicago
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Chicago, June 28, 2011– Staci Boris, the esteemed curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago and the Spertus Museum, has been named Director of Art Chicago. Under her stewardship, Ms. Boris will continue Art Chicago’s long tradition of showcasing the very best in modern and contemporary art from the United States and abroad. As Director, Ms. Boris will oversee the selection of galleries for the 2012 edition of the fair, curate the special exhibition series, develop the critically acclaimed public talk series CONVERGE Chicago: Contemporary Curators Forum, and will work toward redeveloping Art Chicago’s 30 year history in the city of Chicago through strategic partnerships with the city’s cultural institutions and galleries.
"I am looking forward to joining the very talented and professional team that produces the Art Chicago and NEXT art fairs. At a crucial point in its history, Art Chicago is poised for change, and my goal as Director is to shape the fair into a version that is smart, fresh, and exciting for the city of Chicago. Art Chicago is committed to bringing in a range of compelling and significant artworks as well as providing outstanding educational programs and materials that supply context and information about the art on view, the participating galleries, trends in the art world, and the valuable experience of collecting art. My aim is to provide quality artworks for those who wish to enrich their lives by living with them" says Ms. Boris.
Ms. Boris was an Associate Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago for over a decade, in which the museum and its collection moved to its current location. There, she curated such projects as Sarah Sze (1999); Pierre Huyghe: Blanche NeigeLucie (2000); Yoshitomo Nara: Little Pilgrims (2000); William Kentridge (2001); Franz Ackerman: The Waterfall (2002) and John Currin (2003). Ms. Boris was coordinating curator for select traveling exhibitions such as Harry Callahan (1997); ChuckClose (1998); Mies in America (2002) and Between Past and Future: New Photographyand Video from China (2004).
Most recently, Ms. Boris was Senior Curator of the Spertus Museum, at the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies in Chicago. There she re?envisioned, programmed, and opened the new museum with such innovative projects as The Language Barrier: MelBochner, Kendell Geers and Kay Rosen (2006?2007); The New Authentics: Artists of thePost?Jewish Generation (2007?2008); A Force for Change: African American Art and theJulius Rosenwald Fund (2009) and Ground Level Projects: Deb Sokolow, ShereeHovsepian and Jason Lazarus (2009).
In 2008, Ms. Boris was named one of “Suite 16” Chicago art and design professionals in i4Design magazine and one of the “20 people to watch” by Time Out Chicago magazine in 2007. Ms. Boris received her Masters in Art History & Museum Studies from Boston University (1991) and her Bachelors degree in Art History from the University of Wisconsin?Madison (1988).
Paul Morris, Vice President, MMPI Art Shows & Events welcomed the news and said that “all of us at MMPI are honored that Staci has joined the Art Shows Group as Director of Art Chicago. With her curatorial expertise, her deep roots in the Chicago art world and her substantial knowledge in modern and contemporary art, Staci will lead the fair with her genuine brand of enthusiasm and a great understanding of the importance of Art Chicago to the city.”
The 2012 editions of Art Chicago and NEXT: the exhibition of emerging art, will again be jointly produced on the 12th floor of Chicago’s iconic Merchandise Mart, in the heart of a city with an unmatched commitment to arts and culture. Ken Tyburski, Curatorial Director of NEXT, said of Ms. Boris’ hire that “I am thrilled to be able to work alongside Staci Boris. Her history as a curator and writer as well as her commitment to the city of Chicago make her exceptionally qualified to lead Art Chicago into the future. Her knowledge of art history and the current issues in contemporary art will uniquely shape Art Chicago and distinguish it. I'm excited to collaborate with someone of Staci's stature as we contextualize NEXT alongside Art Chicago. She has already approached the challenge of the job with great enthusiasm and very creative proposals that the exhibitors will find very positive. Hiring somebody of Staci's history also cements MMPI's commitment to finding the best possible candidates and ability to roll with the times.”
Ms. Boris will start work on the 2012 edition in early July. Inquiries can be addressed to artchicago@artchicago.com. Please contact Lauren Pearson for all press and media inquiries at lpearson@mmart.com.
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Art Chicago 2012 will take place April 27?30, 2012. Applications will be online in July 2011. Please check www.artchicago.com or www.nextartfair.com for further notifications.
ABOUT THE MMPI ART GROUP
MMPI is committed to the continued development and enhancement of its participation in the art world by bringing together some of the top minds in art fairs under one partnership. The MMPI family of art fairs includes Art Chicago, Art Toronto, VOLTA, VOLTA NY, NEXT, The Armory Show and Art Platform–Los Angeles, launching this October.