“We aren’t constantly swimming in trauma. We’re a joyful people. I want to make sure that the way we present the work is reflective of an expansive and nuanced understanding that we can hold pain but we can also hold a lot of love, joy and happiness.” — Kalyn Fay Barnoski, Philbrook Museum of Art 

When you’re a gatekeeper to a world that’s still unfolding for mainstream audiences, the pressure must be…intense. Kalyn Fay Barnoski, an interdisciplinary artist, musician, curator, and educator from Oklahoma, who is a Cherokee Nation enrollee and of Muscogee Creek descent, confirmed that the responsibility is a big one that they don’t take lightly. 

What does that feel like? How does one begin to curate from such a vast and varied universe? What happens when the job also means retelling history? And what’s the importance of the land a museum sits on when thinking about curation?

Listen as Kalyn shares details about how they approach such a sacred role, what they’re excited about — and what work still needs to be done — when they ponder how Indigenous culture is presented in museums in 2023.

Other highlights, inspiration and key learnings from the conversation:

• How their life as an artist impacts their approach as a curator
• What people don’t get right about native art and culture
• Honoring all parts of yourself as a curator
• Indigenous creatives more people should know
• Making space for creativity

The companion Storyboard also has the episode, plus everything Kalyn recommended in the show.

You can find “The Art of Curation” podcast on Flipboard as well as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and anywhere else you might listen to podcasts. Please subscribe so you never miss an episode, and don’t forget to rate, review and share, especially if you like what you hear. We anticipate being back in 2024 with 10 new episodes.

— Mia Quagliarello, head of creator community and newsletters, is curating the curators for The Art of Curation