My curatorial practice centers on storytelling, identity, and accessibility. I approach exhibition-making as a collaborative act — one that honors diverse voices and reimagines how art is presented, especially in educational and non-institutional settings.
Field Study
Role: Co- Curator
December 2025 | Steuben Gallery, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY
Description:
Field Study explores themes of belonging, tradition, flora, fauna, landscape, digital culture, architectural mapping, and the systems that shape our reality. The concepts depicted become spaces for reimagining and inserting overlooked narratives into a wider discourse. The title suggests an empirical instinct, a way of observing devised through tools of data collection. Through their unique perspectives, these artists serve as researchers, puzzling together complex narratives of the natural world, acting as a site for regeneration and a keeper of memory.
Photo Credit: Emmett Orgass
Earthbound
Role: Curator
February 2025 \ Steuben Gallery, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY
Description:
Earthbound was a senior student exhibition featuring the culminating work of Art and Design Education majors at Pratt Institute. Curated around the theme of connection to land, heritage, and community, the show explored how personal and cultural identities shape the way we understand and engage with the world around us. As lead curator, I coordinated the selection and installation of works, facilitated collaborative decision-making among exhibiting artists, and designed the layout to highlight individual voices within a unified curatorial vision. The exhibition served as both a celebration of student growth and a reflection on the responsibilities of educators and artists to remain grounded, reflective, and community-focused.
Photo Credit: Michael A. Rodriguez
Blick Art Materials – Associate Exhibitions
Role: Lead Curator / Exhibition Organizer
Ongoing since 2023, Brooklyn, NY
Description:
As part of my ongoing initiative as Associate Manager at Blick Art Materials, I curate rotating exhibitions that spotlight the associates at the Downtown Brooklyn location to highlight their practice as local artists. These shows are installed on the wall behind the registers, offering accessible platforms for emerging artists and creative dialogue within the community. Customers are welcome to vote for their favorite pieces throughout the show timeline. I lead the curatorial vision, theme selection, communication, installation, and promotional coordination for each exhibition. These shows embody my commitment to non-institutional curating and inclusive representation.
Dates:
October 2025 – November 2025 – Fall/Halloween Theme Open Call Exhibition
July 2025 – September 2025- Summer 2025 Open Call Exhibition
April 2024 – June 2024 – Summer 2024 Open Call Exhibition
January 2024 – February 2024 – Winter Wonderland Exhibition
October 2023 – November 2023 – Halloween Themed Exhibition
August 2023 – September 2023 – Something Floral Exhibition
April 2023 – June 2023 – New York City Themed Exhibition
February 2023 – March 2023 – Self-Portrait Exhibition
Photo Credit: Michael A. Rodriguez
Michael Austin Rodriguez 