Curatorial counsel from twenty years inside the museum
Exhibition planning, placement, acquisition guidance, and interpretive writing — for clients who want a collection with a shape and an argument rather than an accumulation of good purchases.
Twenty years of deciding what goes on the wall, and why.
Before Arterial I spent my career as a museum curator: building exhibitions, writing about objects, managing twenty plus shows a year, and living with the practical consequences of every decision I made. That work is on offer here.
Sometimes it is a single wall in a house. Sometimes it is a full exhibition with a checklist, a layout, and text on the walls. The thinking is the same in both cases.
How an advisory engagement usually runs
We start with a walk-through and a conversation about what the collection is for — what it means to you, who sees it, and what you want it to become. From there I write a plan: what to place where, what to acquire, what to conserve, and in what order.
Because Arterial also transports, crates, installs, and catalogs, a curatorial plan does not stop at the document. The same team carries it out.
Questions we get asked
What does an art curator do for a private collector?
A curator brings a point of view and a plan: which works belong together, where each should hang, what the collection is missing, what to acquire next, and how to write and talk about it. For private collectors that usually means placement and hang design, acquisition counsel, and a long-range strategy rather than one-off purchases.
Do you curate exhibitions for galleries and museums?
Yes — concept, checklist, layout, interpretive text, and project management through opening. I managed twelve to twenty exhibitions a year in a museum setting for two decades.
Can you help me decide what to buy?
Yes. Acquisition counsel, sourcing, artist introductions, and a frank opinion on whether a work earns its place in your collection.
Do you also help decide what to hang, and where?
Yes — placement and hang design for homes, offices, and lobbies, alongside exhibition planning, acquisition counsel, and long-range strategy for a collection.
Want a second set of eyes on your collection?
A walk-through and an honest conversation is where every engagement starts. Tell us what you are working on.
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