ADVENTURES IN CURATING.

Byline: DOUGLAS FAIRFIELD

What do you get when you assign 11 curators to the same project?

A) chaos B) dead silence C) the exhibit from hell D) a significant eventThe answer, of course, is D, with a bit of A and B thrown in. That holds true for just about any exhibition that has multiple voices striving toward consensus -- from the concept phase to budgeting to public relations, through the jurying process to installation, and finally the reception, where punch and cookies are a crucial part of the package. But in the end, it's a learning experience more than anything else; and that's what SITE Santa Fe's Young Curators program is all about.

Change is the program's most recent exhibition. It's a juried show of work by area students that opens Friday, Jan. 23, at the Mu[+ or -]oz Waxman Gallery at the Center for Contemporary Arts. The show will be on view through Feb. 13.

Young Curators is an after-school and summer program for high school students who are interested in a hands-on experience in the curatorial profession. Sponsored by SITE Santa Fe and the Santa Fe Rotary Foundation for the Arts, the program was conceived to "provide a context for an exploration of the structure and production of exhibitions," according to SITE. Teenagers learn about art, gain critical thinking skills, experience all phases of exhibit production, and come into contact with a variety of people within the arts community. Meetings are held weekly and last about an hour.

The program began with eight students in 1999, when the program's founder, Chris Nail -- then education coordinator for SITE -- saw the need to get young people interested in contemporary art and the museum realm and to showcase work by artists 13 to 21 years of age. The program is open to any high schooler, whether or not he or she is an art student. Since 2000, shows have been mounted at Santa Fe Community College, the New Mexico Museum of Art, the rotunda gallery in the Capitol, and the Santa Fe Art Institute -- as well as at the Harwood Art Center and [AC]2 Gallery in Albuquerque. Young Curators is currently coordinated by Joanne Lefrak, education and catalog manager for SITE.

Change is described in the SITE's promotional materials as "inspired by the changes that occur every day: the development in our community, revolutions in government and politics, and transformations in the environment." The theme of this year's show was determined with little debate. "After [the group] expressed their ideas about the exhibition, they decided that it might be possible to present an exhibition that would potentially encourage responses from artists that appealed to all of their ideas; therefore, the concept of change as an infinitely faceted theme emerged," Lefrak said. In response to a call for entries sent to high schools throughout New Mexico and fliers placed around Santa Fe, approximately 60 pieces were submitted.

Alerting young people to the existence of the Young Curators program is a task in itself. Lefrak wanted to give formal presentations at all area secondary schools -- public and private -- but only got the opportunity to do so at Santa Fe Prep and Desert Academy. She has since made contact with art teachers at other schools, where she has been invited to address individual art classes. "Little by little, I am outreaching as much as possible to make students aware that this program exists," said Lefrak. "I do find that the enthusiasm of the teacher plays a large role in attendance from a particular school. [ETH] Also, some schools give credit to their students for participating in extracurricular activities like the Young Curators program. Desert Academy is one of those schools.

"Monte del Sol has a mentorship program for their students, so [ninth-grader] Charlie Brady actually found out about the Young Curators because he volunteered for SITE and enjoyed the experience. He decided that he wanted to be more involved. But it works best when I can visit the schools to talk about the program to the students," she added.

Emily Souder, a senior at Desert Academy, said, "The Young Curators program has been extremely rewarding, because it is a way for me to become involved in Santa Fe's art community. It's an amazing opportunity to be able to create an exhibition that is everything I have wanted to see in a show. Not only do we have the chance to choose the venue, art, and theme of the show, but we learn skills from talented people that put together these exhibitions for a living. The only frustrating part of the program is we do not always agree on the art that is to be put in the show. We all have very different tastes in art and have a pretty definite idea of what we like."

Nyssa White, a senior at Desert Academy, remarked, "The most challenging aspect is judging other people's work. It's difficult to look at a piece objectively and decide whether or not it's good or if we should put it in the show." Meridian DellaPenna, also from Desert Academy, added, "Picking a venue wasn't the easiest, because each Young Curator had a different vision of how the show was going to look. Eventually, we were able to compromise, even though the deadline left us only a month to complete everything."

Despite the support of SITE and the Rotary Foundation, Young Curators exhibitions require extra money. Consequently, members of the group are responsible for fundraising within the community. "Since fundraising is a part of what it takes to present an exhibition, it is part of the learning process. This year, the students and I walked around the Railyard area to request funding and in-kind donations," said Lefrak. Assistance this year was provided by James Kelly Contemporary, the Railyard Restaurant & Saloon, the Wok, and individuals Frieda Arth and Bebe Krimmer.

Maiana Radack-Krassner, a junior at Santa Fe Prep who is participating in the program for the fourth year in a row, reflected on her tenure. "The curatorial profession is a very important yet fun career. The curator has a lot of say in the turnout of the show and thus makes the work very personal and opinionated. The part I anticipate most or find the most exciting is seeing the submissions that have been turned in and giving my opinions.

"I love to see the creativity that people around my own age put into interpreting the theme that we chose, and I really appreciate the fact that I can have so much say in the turnout of the exhibition." She undoubtedly speaks for curators everywhere in stating, "I never fail to be amazed when the final outcome of our careful work and planning is manifested."

details

Change, presented by SITE Santa Fe's Young Curators

Reception 5-7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23; exhibit through Feb. 13

Mu[+ or -]oz Waxman Gallery, Center for Contemporary Arts,

1050 Old Pecos Trail, 982-1338

No charge; for exhibit informati