Insider Gaze: Collection Visit to the Frost Art Museum

Module Description

Part of the WOPHA Institute online course Collecting Photography Beyond the Canon, this session takes participants on an exclusive behind-the-scenes visit to the Frost Art Museum's collection. Led by Lourdes Ranero, Chief Museum Registrar, this session will explore how a museum collection is researched, acquired, documented, interpreted, preserved, and presented. Participants will gain firsthand insight into collection management, conservation practices, and exhibition strategies, followed by a guided visit to the museum's current exhibitions.

Topics to be covered

• Approaches to building and developing a contemporary art collection beyond established photographic canons
• How artists, artworks and their contexts are researched, documented and interpreted
• Curatorial decision-making, developing narratives and selecting works for exhibitions
• The practical, ethical and long-term considerations involved in caring for and managing a major collection
• How photographic works are organised, displayed and contextualised for different audiences
• Exploring how collecting and curatorial practices shape photographic histories, visibility and cultural value

Learning objectives

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Identify key principles and practices involved in collecting, researching and stewarding contemporary photography
• Understand how curatorial and exhibition strategies shape the interpretation and reception of photographic works
• Analyse the relationship between artists' creative practices and the institutional contexts in which their work is collected and exhibited
• Reflect critically on questions of representation, inclusion and the construction of photographic canons within collections
• Gain practical insight into the processes of collection management, curatorial practice and contemporary photographic production

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Faculty

Lourdes Ranero has been a part of the museum community for 21 years as a Registrar. She received her B.A. in Anthropology with a concentration in Archaeology from the University of Puerto Rico and M.A. in Public Affairs in Arts Administration from the Turabo University in Puerto Rico. She is responsible for the documentation and care of the art museum collections and works closely with faculty and scholars interested in collections study. Previous positions as a Registrar include Museum of the Americas (2001-2006), Museum of Art of Puerto Rico (2006-2009), Museum Dr. Pío López (2009-2011), Museum of Anthropology and Art History of the UPR-RP (2011-2013), Ponce Art Museum (2012), Museum of Art of Caguas (2013 – 2014), San Juan National Historic Site (2013), Museum of Contemporary Art (2014 – 2019), Banco Popular de Puerto Rico (2015 – 2019), United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico (2016 – 2019) and Masterpiece Inc (2016 – 2019) She is the Chief Registrar at the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum since January 2020.