CCS Bard Appoints Lauren Cornell as Artistic Director

The Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College (CCS Bard) is pleased to announce the appointment of Lauren Cornell as Artistic Director. This newly created role reflects the institution’s continued evolution as a leading incubator for ideas in the curatorial field.

Cornell has served as Director of the Graduate Program and Chief Curator at CCS Bard since 2017. In that time, she has made a significant impact across the institution’s academic and exhibition programs. As Director of the Graduate Program, she expanded the curriculum to better reflect the complexities of the global art field, forged strategic partnerships with organizations such as Forge Project and the Institute for Studies on Latin American Art (ISLAA), and mentored over 100 emerging curators now contributing to the international art landscape.

As Chief Curator, Cornell led an ambitious and critically acclaimed exhibition program at CCS Bard’s Hessel Museum of Art. Her curatorial projects include major solo presentations of Sky Hopinka, Martine Syms, Daniel Steegmann Mangrané, Dara Birnbaum, Nil Yalter (with Museum Ludwig, Cologne), Leidy Churchman, Erika Verzutti, and a collaborative exhibition with CCS Bard Executive Director Tom Eccles on the work of Ho Tzu Nyen. She also supported landmark exhibitions such as Black Melancholia, curated by Nana Adusei-Poku, and Indian Theater: Native Performance, Art, and Self-Determination since 1969, curated by Candice Hopkins.

In her new role as Artistic Director, Cornell will continue to oversee and shape the Hessel Museum of Art’s program, while expanding its reach, refining its acquisitions strategy, and strengthening its financial and institutional support. She will also remain an active member of the CCS Bard faculty, teaching within the graduate program.

“Lauren has been a transformative force at CCS Bard, both in the classroom and in the galleries,” said CCS Bard Executive Director Tom Eccles. “Her vision, commitment, and leadership have helped define the Center’s distinct place in the field, and I look forward to all she will bring to this new role.”

Cornell’s appointment comes at a moment of growth for CCS Bard, as the institution prepares to open the Keith Haring Wing—an expansion of its library and archives that will significantly increase capacity for research and teaching, further strengthening CCS Bard’s position as a vital hub for curatorial discourse and contemporary art.

Photo: Carrie Schneider.