Nicole Bearden is a curator and scholar of Contemporary Art. She is originally from Arkansas, now from Seattle for most of the past twenty years with brief sojourns in Chicago, New York, and Massachusetts. Her primary interest is in contemporary global art trends inspired by modern diasporic movements (such as transnationalism, nomadism, refugee populations, and immigration), as well as the artistic practices of individuals in marginalized populations (such as LGBTQ, low-income, and/or people who live with disabilities) and how these intersect with one another, while resisting traditional art historical geographic taxonomy. Especially key in Nicole’s work are methods of decolonization, community engagement, and the centering of experiential knowledge.
Nicole has worked as a curator, program manager, and event producer at Nolen Art Lounge in Northampton, Massachusetts, as an assistant for the Cunningham Center for Works on Paper at Smith College Museum of Art, and at Bridge Productions in Seattle, Washington. Nicole graduated with a degree in Art History and Museum Studies from Smith College. In addition to her work in the art world, Nicole also freelances in tech and media as a (Digital, Audio, Video) Producer, Project Manager, Editor, Program Manager, and Consultant.
Currently, Nicole is researching the possibilities of ethical museum display in relation to historical and current museological ethnography and multi-geographic identity, inspired by the work of the late Okwui Enwezor as well as the possibilities that current technology such as 3D modeling and virtual reality raise for repatriation of art and cultural objects. Nicole is also the Executive Producer and Program Manager of Critical Bounds, a podcast which seeks critical understanding of global concerns through conversations with emerging contemporary artists and curators and was awarded further funding for the project from the Helen Gurley Brown Magic Grant and Smith College in October 2019.