Marcela Guerrero and Rujeko Hockley have been named assistant curators at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.
Hockley, who comes to the Whitney from a post as an assistant curator at the Brooklyn Museum, starts on March 6, and Guerrero, who was a curatorial fellow at the Hammer Museum in LA, will join the Whitney on April 25.
“Marcela and Ru have distinguished themselves as two of the brightest and most passionate curatorial voices of their generation,” said Whitney chief curator and deputy director for programs, Scott Rothkopf.
“Having worked across the country in California, Texas, and New York, they add a wide range of knowledge and new field-specific expertise to the Whitney’s curatorial team. Their scholarly acumen is matched by a frontline commitment to emerging artists, and I have no doubt their contributions to the Whitney’s program and collection will help broaden and reshape our narratives of the art of the United States, both past and present.”
During her four years at the Brooklyn Museum Hockley co-curated shows such as “Crossing Brooklyn: Art from Bushwick, Bed-Stuy, and Beyond” (2014) and the upcoming “We Wanted a Revolution: Black Radical Women, 1965–85” (2017).
“I am thrilled to be transitioning from one incredible world-class institution to another,” says Hockley. “I am looking forward to working with a fantastic team of colleagues and an unparalleled permanent collection, advancing the Whitney’s vital mission at this exciting moment in its history.”
Guerrero, born and raised in Puerto Rico, has published writing in ArtNexus, Caribbean Intransit, The Arts Journal, and Gulf Coast: A Journal of Literature and Fine Arts, and two articles are forthcoming in the Journal of Latin American Cultural Studies and Diálogo.
“It is a great honor to join the curatorial staff of a museum that has historically sought to redefine and celebrate the ever-evolving concept of American art and support its dynamism,” said Guerrero. “I’m especially interested in exploring the contributions and impact of Latinx artists in the United States. The possibilities enabled by such a forward-thinking museum are truly energizing.”