The vibrant world of art history can take your career in many directions, and in Abby Hermosilla鈥檚 case, to a dream job at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).
A 青年涩导航 alum, Abby Hermosilla earned her B.A. in Art History in 2018 and continued on to complete her M.A. in Art History in 2021. Today, as a Curatorial Assistant specializing in Media and Performance art at MoMA, she plays a pivotal role in curating groundbreaking exhibitions. To learn more about her journey from 青年涩导航 to MoMA, we sat down with Abby to discuss her experiences and current work.
Can you talk a little bit about your career path after 青年涩导航?
Since I was wrapping up my thesis research during COVID, I had the opportunity to intern virtually for the in Bentonville, Arkansas. That internship soon became a job position as a Curatorial Assistant for their lending collection under the direction of Curator Ashley Holland. I spent two years in Arkansas in this role, which was my first full-time opportunity in the art museum field. Art Bridges is special since the Foundation works with art museums across the United States, so I quickly grew a vast network of curators, registrars, conservators, directors and art handlers. In 2023, I transitioned to my current position at MoMA, which was definitely a shift in mindset from foundation work to on-the-ground curatorial logistics work. I鈥檓 grateful for the variety of experiences both positions have given me so far, since no museum is built exactly the same.
You currently work at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) as a Curatorial Assistant for Curatorial Affairs and Media and Performance. Any favorite experiences while working at MoMA?
My job is really unique since this is the first time MoMA has had a single Curatorial Assistant assigned to an entire collection floor. I am assigned to the 2nd floor, which hosts the 1980s-present galleries. There are about sixteen gallery spaces, and each room gets its own theme or artist. Even though I live in the Media and Performance department (which is admittedly my bread and butter), I get to work with curators from all six departments: Painting & Sculpture; Photography; Drawings & Prints; Architecture & Design; Film; and Media & Performance. So in some instances, I鈥檓 working on the logistics of a gallery - data entry, framing needs, lighting, etc. In others, I get to become a thought-partner with the curator, helping in the selection of artworks, collaborating directly with artists and shaping the scope of the entire 2nd floor (under the direction of Chief Curator Stuart Comer).
Being in Media & Performance has afforded me some incredible opportunities with their collection, from acquisition proposals to film screenings. In November of 2024, I had the opportunity to curate a screening for the , which dedicates an evening to a living artist and their recent video or experimental film work. I got to reach out to Chilean video and installation artist Patricia Dom铆nguez, an artist I absolutely adored from afar, and pitch her videos to the department for a screening. I also had the pleasure of hosting the of her newest video "Tres lunas m谩s abajo (Three Moons Below)," 2024.
Any notable artists you have gotten to work with?
In addition to Patricia, I鈥檝e gotten to work with a fabulous roster of artists so far. Most recently, I assisted on Christian Marclay鈥檚 "," 2010, which is an absolute cornerstone of recent video art. Although Christian has been showing "The Clock" for over a decade now, he鈥檚 still incredibly hands-on with each presentation. I had the pleasure of spending a week with him and his team of technical coordinators and audio engineers in the gallery, going through nearly all 24 hours of the video as a group. I鈥檝e also worked with filmmaker Rosa Barba on her 35mm film installation "Aggregate States of Matter," 2019. I have a few projects percolating in the near future, including artists I鈥檝e helped usher into the collection, as well as other exciting new media installations, so stay tuned!
In 2022, you were a recipient of the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) Leadership Fellowship. What opportunities did this fellowship lead to?
The most important outcome of participating in the NALAC Fellowship was the community. Just last week, I was on a Zoom with a lot of my cohort members, just updating each other about life and work. The support system is invaluable, especially when I moved to NYC. I was able to call upon or just run into fellow NALAC participants (we鈥檙e EVERYWHERE, just like Latines in general)! It also gave me the space to thrive in the ambiguity or greyness of one鈥檚 鈥渋dentifiers.鈥 We鈥檙e not a monolithic group, we鈥檙e not tied by race, ethnicity, or even language. But there is a sense of kinship that is so important, especially when working in PWIs (Predominantly White Institutions). NALAC has known that Latine/x art is important for decades, and other organizations and museums are working to catch up! And we鈥檙e here for all of that.
Do you have any courses or professors from 青年涩导航 that have been impactful in your career journey?
I always credit my three M.A. thesis advisors with getting me to where I am now. Dr. Klein鈥檚 Contemporary Native Art seminar was one of my first M.A. classes ever and it probably changed my entire trajectory in this field. I was able to bring my interest in video, digital, and new media to a topic that continues to be sorely overlooked by large institutions by focusing my research on Skawennati (Mohawk) and the anti-colonial actions of artists on the early Internet.
Dr. Underwood took me under his wing in undergrad for a couple of his curatorial projects, including "The View from Here: Contemporary Perspectives from Senegal" and "TEXTURES: The history and art of Black hair." His seminar on contemporary curation also contributed to my understanding of the profession, since a lot of these skills are definitely learned in-practice!
Finally, Dr. Warner鈥檚 Dirt and Water seminar boggled my brain and stretched my capacity to tolerate (and even enjoy) art theory to new dimensions. I still have my copy of "The History of Shit" in my bookcase and contemplate the rhizome as a curatorial method in my practice today!
But of course, Professor Reischuck was my first gateway into Art History during undergrad via his Art History surveys. Then only a few years later, I was helping him teach a few sections of those survey classes, during which I only admired Professor Reischuck more for remembering all canonical art history all the time. I still refer to old notes about the Renaissance or Impressionism from his classes.