Meet Kate Stern | Independent Art Curator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kate Stern and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kate, why did you pursue a creative career?

I think I was born with a creative mind and it just expressed itself in different ways throughout my life, so it was a natural for me to enter a creative field. It’s also in my genes. My father was a successful television writer and my mother is a wonderful sculptor as well as an actress. My grandfather owned the largest costume company in America which designed costumes for all the early broadway shows, the Ziegfeld Follies and the circus and my grandmother designed modern clothes for the stage. My mother’s sister was an actress who married a well-known novelist and screenwriter. So creativity in it’s many forms flourished throughout my childhood and into my adulthood.

For me personally, my own creative outlets changed form over time. I started as an actress and trained at California Institute of the Arts and later in life moved into the art world. I can see how theatrics play a part in much of what I curate but this form of artistic expression is more fulfilling overall.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

Thanks for asking. I have been an art curator for close to 20 years and I feel honored to have had the opportunities I’ve had. I have curated several  museum exhibitions, numerous gallery exhibitions, two year-long public art exhibitions for  (West Hollywood and Beverly Hills) and a wonderful art collection  that I am very proud of. It is called The Frostig Collection, which was an on-going collection of small sculptures which raised money for children with learning disabilities and high functioning autism.  It may be a bit unique as a working curator, because I did not have any background or training in art history or curatorial studies prior to my curating my first exhibition for a children’s museum here in Los Angeles. That show catapulted me into this field and I am very grateful to the museums executive director, Esther Netter, for allowing me that opportunity. And although I am not formally trained, I do not want to convey that this is a plus as that would be false. There are many times where I feel challenged and even inept by what I do not know.  I struggle with some learning challenges but I am vivacious, creative, expressive and passionate and I think I owe those traits plus my artistic vision to getting where I have so far.

I am thrilled to have another museum exhibition opening in March of 2023 at the Oceanside Museum of Art. This one is a solo show for the highly imaginative and wildly talented artist Melissa Meier, who you profiled here a year ago.  It is less typical for me to be working on a solo show as I have more often than not, curated group exhibitions. I find great excitement in discovering artists whose work I love and I find equal joy in celebrating their talents. In my group shows  there is often a theme and I am looking for artists whose work fits into it.  My upcoming show of Melissa’s work is entitled BECOMING NATURE and showcasesMelissa’s 3 dimensional wearable constructions which are all made from organic materials found in nature. We will also be showing her exquisite photographs of this body of work. If you are reading this now, I urge you to check out Melissa’s work on either instagram @melissameierart or just google her because to see the work is much more fulfilling then me trying to describe it. Because this is a solo show, as a curator, I am looking to tell the story of a body of work. It is a different set of challenges in how I approach and execute my vision. I feel it’s my job to have the overall look of the show be as magical and imaginative as the works in it. So that’s where my creativity gets to play and explore. And of course I am thrilled to get to collaborate with Melissa on what I know will be a very exciting exhibition.

You asked what I want the world to know about my brand or story so…

I think there is a theme that runs through my shows and even my taste in art or works that I really respond to. And that is the element of “Play”. The next big group museum show I hope to curate is called  Child’s Play. It is not a show designed for children but rather a show for the child in all of us . It’s from the adult perspective but it taps into our past and the times in life before we begin to carry the heavy load of life. I see it on a very large scale and hope to bring that to fruition one day soon.

Lastly I would like to mention that a great pleasure of mine is to lead Art Tours. I started Take Me To The ART in 2019 and along with a tour partner, took two groups to Cuba on exclusive Arts and Culture tours. Ive also led art tours for the city of Beverly Hills and I’m planning an Art tour in Amsterdam and surrounding areas in the spring of 2024. I want to be there when all the tulip festivals are happening so we can see that too. I can’t wait to get back out and share my love of art in other areas of the world!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

I would definitely take them on some beautiful walks and hikes. I would take them to Franklin and / or Kenter Canyon and we could hike at Los Liones, which starts where Sunset Blvd meets the PCH. I would show them my favorite streets in Santa Monica and in Pasadena which are two twos I love to take walks in. We would definitely spend a day at the Huntington Gardens in Pasadena as it’s one of my all time favorite places to go! I would probably  take them own a drive along PCH stopping in Malibu and perhaps heading up to Oxnard where one of my favorite beaches is.

If they love art like me, I would take to several museums depending on who is showing what at that time. I would visit the galleries at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica and arrange some special studio visits with artists. I love doing that because you are turning people on to artists work in a really intimates setting and it makes everyone feel special.

As for where we would eat – my own pallet is rather basic so I know I would take them to some of my hangouts which are Factor’s Deli on Pico and John O’ Groats, also on Pico. I love the owner’s of both restaurants and they always makes everyone feel special. I would definitely have to take them for the best frozen Yoghurt EVER which is at Go Greek in Beverly Hills. And last but definitely not least,  I would take them to meet my wonderful friends because I love introducing friends to each other and sharing people I love with people I love. That is just the best!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

Ooooh, I love this part!

I want to give a big shout out to Celia Piazza who has played a major role in my career. Together we ran The Frostig Collection, which was an on-going collection of limited edition small sculptures created by well-known artists that raised money for social skills programs for children with learning disabilities and high functioning autism. We had the collection for 12 years and it was a great pleasure to get to work with such renowned artists and help so many children in need at the same time. I am very proud of that project!  I would also like to give a shout out to Jeannie Denholm who has been my mentor in all things art related. Jeannie runs SCAPE (Southern California Art Projects and Exhibitions) and is very well versed in the art world and like Celia, became a great friend. And I would be remiss to not include Nancy Larrew –  artist, curator, artist rep and a “Jill of all trades” who has always been there to help me professionally and personally, on so many levels. Last but certainly not least, I would like to honor my father, Leonard Stern and my godmother, Myra Silverman. They both celebrated my unique character growing up and championed me, no matter what the challenges. They allowed me to be me. And having that in my life has and will always be, one of the greatest gifts I could ever receive.

Website: www.katesternprojects.com

Instagram: @katesterncurator / https://www.instagram.com/katesterncurator/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-stern-a192121b/

Facebook: ARTILOVE- and https://www.facebook.com/katestern27