Irene Shum, CURATOR / ART & ARCHITECTURE
EDUCATION
YALE UNIVERSITY, SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, M.Arch.
ÉCOLES D’ART AMÉRICAINES, ÉCOLE DES BEAUX-ARTS,
Fontainebleau, France, Cert. (Architecture)
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, BARNARD COLLEGE, A.B. (Architecture–Art History)
professional experience
NEW TERRITORIES ART,
Founder & Director, 2021—Present
ART IN GENERAL,
Executive Director, 2020
THE MENIL COLLECTION,
Associate Curator of Contemporary Art, 2018—2020
NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION,
PHILIP JOHNSON GLASS HOUSE,
Curator and Collections Manager, 2007—18
MUSEUM OF MODERN ART,
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN,
Curatorial Assistant, 2003—05
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE,
SCHOOL OF DESIGN AND ENVIRONMENT,
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE,
Lecturer and Tutor II (Urban Design), 2003
YALE UNIVERSITY, SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE,
EXHIBITIONS COMMITTEE, Class Representative, 1997—2000
WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART,
DIRECTOR'S OFFICE, Administrative Assistant, 1996
NEW MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART,
REGISTRAR, Multicultural Intern, 1994—95
DEPARTMENT OF CITY PLANNING OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK,
WATERFRONT DIVISION, Urban Corps Intern, 1990—91
EXHIBITIONS
Organizing Curator (with Kele McComsey)
Land of the Free,
Mana Contemporary, May 12—Sept. 17, 2020
Organizing Curator
Hugo Crosthwaite: Borderlands,
Mana Contemporary, May 12—Sept. 17, 2022
Organizing Curator
Vincent Valdez: En route. Memoria/In Memory,
Mana Contemporary, June 11—Sept. 17, 2022
Organizing Curator
Project 270: Signs of Change,
Art in General, in collaboration with This Is Our Moment, I Vote Because, Mana Urban Arts Project, Gary Lichtenstein Editions, Jonathan Mannion Photography, and Murals for Humanity, Sept. 30—Nov. 3, 2020
Organizing Curator
Contemporary Focus: Mineko Grimmer,
Menil Collection, May 31—Sept. 1, 2019
Organizing Curator
Collection Close-Up: John Cage,
Menil Collection, Feb. 1—May 12, 2019
Organizing Curator
Contemporary Focus: Trenton Doyle Hancock,
Menil Collection, Jan. 26–-May 19, 2019
Organizing Curator
Julian Schnabel: "Paintings that I hope Philip and David would like,"
Philip Johnson Glass House, May 1—Aug.14, 2017
Organizing Curator
#tbt Andy Warhol David McCabe,
Philip Johnson Glass House, May—Oct. 2017
Organizing Curator
Yayoi Kusama: Dots Obsession - Alive, Seeking for Eternal Hope,
Philip Johnson Glass House, Sept 1—26, 2016
Organizing Curator
Yayoi Kusama: Narcissus Garden, Philip Johnson Glass House,
Philip Johnson Glass House, May—Nov. 2016
Organizing Curator
#tbt Philip Johnson Ezra Stoller,
Philip Johnson Glass House, Jan.—Dec. 2016
Organizing Curator
Collection Highlights, Philip Johnson Glass House,
Philip Johnson Glass House, May—Nov. 2015
Organizing Co-Curator (with Henry Urbach)
Fujiko Nakaya: Veil, Philip Johnson Glass House,
Philip Johnson Glass House, May—Nov. 2014
Organizing Co-Curator (with Henry Urbach)
E.V. Day: SNAP!, Philip Johnson Glass House,
Philip Johnson Glass House, May—Nov. 2013
Organizing Curator
Frank Stella: Scarlatti Kirkpatrick, Philip Johnson Glass House,
Philip Johnson Glass House, Sept.—Nov. 2012
Supervisory Curator (Phillip March Jones, March Gallery)
Joe Minter: We Lost Our Spears,
Mana Contemporary, May 12—Aug.27, 2022
Supervisory Curator (A.D. Canter, Curatorial Associate)
Dropped By and Found You: #DroppedByAiG,
Art in General, Sept. 10—Dec.31, 2020
Managing Curator (David White, Guest Curator)
Robert Rauschenberg: Spreads and Related Works,
Philip Johnson Glass House, May—Sept. 2016
Managing Curator (Jordan Stein, Guest Curator)
Night: Sculpture in Residence, 1945-2015, Philip Johnson Glass House
Night #7: Isa Genzken, Sept.—Nov. 2015
Night #6: Kevin Beasley, May—Aug. 2015
Night #5: Lutz Bacher, Aug.—Nov. 2014
Night #4: Vincent Fecteau, May—Aug. 2014
Night #3: Jason Dodge, Sept.—Nov. 2013
Night #2: Tauba Auerbach, May—Aug. 2013
Night #1: Ken Price, Sept.—Nov. 2012
Curatorial Assistant (Peter Reed, Curator)
Groundswell: Constructing the Contemporary Landscape,
Museum of Modern Art, New York, Feb. 25—May 16, 2005;
Zeche Zollverein, Essen, Germany, Aug. 26—Dec. 3, 2006
Multicultural Intern (Brian Goldfarb, Laura Trippi & Mimi Young, Curators)
Temporarily Possessed: The Semi-Permanent Collection,
New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York, Sept. 15—Dec. 17, 1
Live events
Organizing Curator, with Kele McComsey (public program)
Derrick Belcham & Alaina Soggier: Samuel Beckett’s “Krapp’s Last Tape,”
JCAST & Mana Contemporary, Sept. 29, 2022
Organizing Curator, with Jessica Holmes (public program)
Common Ground, #633: Land of the Free,
Brooklyn Rail, Aug. 25, 2022
Organizing Curator, with Charlotte Kent and Nick Bennett (public program)
The New Social Environment, #154: Celebrating Art in General,
Brooklyn Rail, Oct. 19, 2020
Organizing Curator (music performance)
Live at the Menil: Mineko Grimmer x John Cage, Loop38,
Menil Collection, June 13—15, 2019
Organizing Curator (public program)
Artist Talk: Mineko Grimmer,
Menil Collection, June 5, 2019
Organizing Curator (public program)
A Meditation on John Cage,
Menil Collection, Mar. 20, 2019
Organizing Curator (music performance)
Site Specific Performance by Ryuichi Sakamoto & Alva Noto (Carsten Nicolai),
Philip Johnson Glass House, Sept. 1, 2016
Organizing Curator (public program)
Yayoi Kusama - Infinity Film Workshop with Executive Producer Alice Koh and Producer David Koh,
Philip Johnson Glass House, Sept. 1, 2016
Organizing Curator (public program)
Curator Talk: David White,
Philip Johnson Glass House, May 19, 2016
Organizing Curator (dance performance)
Keen (Part 1), Ivy Baldwin Dance,
Philip Johnson Glass House, May 22, 2016
Organizing Curator (music performance)
Chris Brubeck and Friends,
Philip Johnson Glass House, Nov. 13, 2015
Organizing Curator (dance performance)
Remove (Part 1), Ivy Baldwin Dance,
Philip Johnson Glass House, Oct. 4, 2015
Managing Curator (music performance)
Night Sounds, Philip Johnson Glass House
Night Sounds #7: Paul Flaherty, Sept. 13, 2015
Night Sounds #6: Bill Orcutt, June 28, 2015
Night Sounds #5: Zhang Baoli and Friends, Oct. 5, 2014
Night Sounds #4: Lucky Dragons, May 4, 2014
Night Sounds #3: Liz Harris + Jefre Cantu-Ledesma, Oct. 4, 2013
Night Sounds #2: ARP, May 10, 2013
Night Sounds #1: Julianna Barwick, Dec. 12, 2012
Film / Video ProjectS & INTERACTIVE DESIGN
Organizing Curator (oral history)
The Glass House, A Walking History with Julian Schnabel, Film by Matthew Placek (2017)
Organizing Curator (music video / dance film)
Impermanence at the Glass House, Film by Derrick Belcham; Music by Peter Silberman; Dance by Rebecca Margolick & Stephanie Crousillat (2016-17)
Organizing Curator (time lapse documentary)
Dots Obsession – Alive, Seeking for Eternal Hope by Yayoi Kusama at The Glass House, Film by Matthew Placek (2016)
Organizing Curator (music video)
Nebula, Film by Derrick Belcham; Music by Julianna Barwick (2016)
Organizing Curator (music video / dance film)
Otis Walks into the Woods, Film by Derrick Belcham, Dance by Emily Terndrup & Maxwell Perkins; Music by Mary Lattimore (2015-16)
Managing Curator (oral history)
Architecture & Influence, Film by Drew Harty & Dorothy Dunn (2009)
Managing Curator (oral history)
Frank Stella: Return to the Glass House, Film by Chuck Smith & Dorothy Dunn (2009)
Curatorial Assistant (website direction)
Groundswell: Constructing the Contemporary Landscape (2005)
ART CONSERVATION & BUILDING PRESERVATION
Organizing Curator
Cleaning, Conservation, and Repair of Donald Judd’s First Outdoor Concrete Sculpture Untitled (1971), Philip Johnson Glass House, 2011
Organizing Curator
Stabilization, Cleaning, and Conservation of Elie Nadelman’s Two Circus Women (1930), Philip Johnson Glass House. 2010
Organizing Curator
Cleaning of Andy Warhol’s nine panel portrait Philip Johnson (1972), Philip Johnson Glass House, 2009
Organizing Curator
Conservation of Bruce Nauman’s Neon Templates of the Left Half of My Body at Ten Inch Intervals (1966), Philip Johnson Glass House, 2009
Organizing Curator
Stabilization, Cleaning, and Conservation of the Burial of Phocion (1648), attributed to Nicolas Poussin, Philip Johnson Glass House, 2007—08
Organizing Curator
Repair of Robert Rauschenberg’s Recital (1980), Philip Johnson Glass House, 2007
Organizing Curator
Cleaning and Conservation of Eight Paintings by Frank Stella (1960-73), Philip Johnson Glass House, 2007
Preservation Team
Sculpture Gallery (Philip Johnson, 1970) Restoration, Philip Johnson Glass House, 2015
Preservation Team
Pavilion (Philip Johnson, 1962) Preservation, Phase I: Pond Restoration, Philip Johnson Glass House, 2014
Preservation Team
Painting Gallery (Philip Johnson, 1965) Roof Replacement, Philip Johnson Glass House, 2013
Preservation Team
Cleaning and Repainting of Lincoln Kirstein Tower (Philip Johnson, 1985), Philip Johnson Glass House, 2012
publications
Essay
“Asian American Artists Confront Racisim,” Arts Link, Americans for the Arts, Summer 2021
Essay
”In the Wake of the Pandemic: Asian American Artists Confront Racism,” Arts Blog, Americans for the Arts, May 11, 2021
Essay
”When Racism and Exclusion Intersect,” New York Daily News, April 11, 2021
Essay
“A Cut Above: A Conversation with Daniel Gordon,” Spot Magazine, Houston Center for Photography, Fall 2019
Essay
Contemporary Focus: Mineko Grimmer, Menil Collection, 2019
Essay
Collection Close-Up: John Cage, Menil Collection, 2019
Essay
Contemporary Focus: Trenton Doyle Hancock, Menil Collection, 2019
Essay
“Alyson Shotz,” On Site: 50 Years of Public Art of the University of Houston System, Scala Art & Heritage Publishers, 2019
Essay
“Organizing Exhibitions at the Glass House," Preservation Leadership Forum, November 2016
Essay
“Zaha Hadid: Teacher, Mentor, Muse, Architect," Constructs, Yale University, Fall 2016
Essay
Fujiko Nakaya: Veil, Philip Johnson Glass House/National Trust for Historic Preservation, 2016
Essay
“David Whitney: A Curated Life and An Extraordinary Eye,” Philip Johnson Glass House, 2011
Book Production
Modern Views, Assouline, 2010
Book Production
The Glass House, Dorothy Dunn,Assouline, 2008
Book Production
Pairings, Donald Albrecht, Philip Johnson Glass House/National Trust for Historic Preservation, 2007
Book Review
“Perspecta 37: Famous” for Constructs, Yale University, Spring 2006
Essay
“Private Initiative, Public Good?” 306090: Regarding Public Space, vol.9, Princeton Architectural Press, New York, Aug. 2005
Catalog Entries
Greater New York 2005, Klaus Biesenbach, MoMA PS1, New York, 2005
Book Production and Catalog Entries
Groundswell: Constructing the Contemporary Landscape, Peter Reed, Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2005
Art Project and Catalog Entry
“Nothing Stays the Same” in Art of Tortures and Executions – Art Against Tortures and Executions, Evgeny Umansky, Irina Tchesnokova, & Elena Tsvetaeva; Open Social Network Art Project, National Centre for Contemporary Arts, Kaliningrad, Russia, 2002
Architecture Project
“Containers” in Contemporary Art Center, Zaha Hadid Studio Yale, Douglas Grieco, Wendy Ing, Monacelli Press, New York, 2001
LECTURES / PANELS / SYMPOSIUMS
City of Houston Mayor’s Office Art Scholarship Award Ceremony, April 30, 2019
Contemporary Art in Historic Contexts, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Miami, February 26—27, 2018
Art & Artifact: Yayoi Kusama at the Glass House: Presenting Contemporary Art at Historic Sites, Association of Art Museum Curators Annual Conference,
Metropolitan Museum of Art, May 8, 2017
Veiled Sites, Chicago Architecture Biennial,
Chicago Cultural Center, Dec. 16, 2015
Works of Art, Renaissance Institute/Renaissance Weekend,
Charleston Place, South Carolina, Dec. 29, 2014
By Design, Renaissance Institute/Renaissance Weekend,
Tarrytown House, New York, Oct. 20, 2014
Staff Exchange, National Trust for Historic Preservation,
Washington, DC, Oct. 9, 2014
Artfully, Penciled In; Renaissance Institute/Renaissance Weekend,
Aspen Meadows, Colorado, Aug. 29, 2014
Philip Johnson: Aesthetics and Museum Architecture,
Sheldon Museum of Art, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Sept. 17, 2013
Women in Art Administration, Barnard College, Columbia University, New York, April 23, 2013
Architecture Lecture Series, University of Hartford, Connecticut, March 26, 2012
Private Domains Public Displays: The Modern House Interpreted,
Fallingwater/Western Pennsylvania Conservancy; Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh; Architectural Studies Program, University of Pittsburgh, April 5, 2011
Brown Bag Lunch Lectures, Museum of Modern Art,
New York, April 18, 21, 2005
Tradition and Modernity: Garden and Landscape Architecture in the Twentieth Century, Bard Graduate Center, New York, Nov. 4, 2004
TEACHING
Co-Lecturer
Contemporary Theories, National University of Singapore, Fall 2003
Tutor
Year Three Architecture Design Studio, National University of Singapore, Fall 2003
Tutor
History of Western Architecture, National University of Singapore, Spring 2003
Tutor
Year Two Architecture Design Studio, National University of Singapore, Spring 2003
Teaching Fellow
Paris: Architecture and Urbanism, Yale University, Spring 2000
Teaching Assistant
Landscape, Art, and Architecture, Yale University, Fall 1999
LANGUAGES
French (Intensive Beginning and Intermediate, 1 year: good reading, fair writing, listening, speaking)
Mandarin Chinese (Intermediate, 2 years; fair listening & speaking)
ProfessionaL Organizations & Interest groups
ArtTable, Programming Committee (New York Chapter) & Career Development Committee (New York Chapter)
Association of Art Museum Curators
New Yorkers for Culture & Arts
NationSwell Council (New York Chapter)
Rice Design Alliance, Board of Directors
SERVICE
Artadia, Specialist, 2020—21
ArtTable, Programming Committee (New York Chapter) & Career Development Committee (New York Chapter), 2020—21
Houston Arts Alliance, Grants Panelist, 2020—21
Galveston Artists Residency, Artist Selection Panelist, 2019—20
Artadia, Houston Award, Juror, 2019
Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs & Houston Arts Partners, Mayor’s Art Scholarship, Juror, 2018—19
Association of Art Museum Curators, Award Panelist, 2018
Association of Art Museum Curators, Award Panelist, 2017
GLAAD, OUTAuction (New York), Art Advisory Committee, 2005—11
National Endowment for the Humanities, Grants Panelist, 2008