Marcela Guerrero (shown at left) has been appointed the Jennifer Rubio Associate Curator of the Whitney Museum of American Art. Here are excerpts from “The Whitney Announces Two Curatorial Promotions” (ArtFix Daily). [Many thanks to Peter Jordens for bringing this item to our attention.] ArtFix Daily reports:

The Whitney Museum of American Art announced today that assistant curators Marcela Guerrero and Rujeko Hockley have been promoted to newly endowed positions. Guerrero has been appointed the Jennifer Rubio Associate Curator and Rujeko Hockley will assume the role of Arnhold Associate Curator, both effective July 1.

“Since joining the Whitney in 2017, both Marcela and Ru have continued to distinguish themselves as leaders in the field, particularly through their passionate and scholarly advocacy on behalf of living artists,” said Scott Rothkopf, Senior Deputy Director and Nancy and Steve Crown Chief Curator. “Marcela has entirely reshaped the Whitney’s engagement with Latinx art and artists, in both our program and collection, while Ru has curated some of our most groundbreaking and memorable recent exhibitions. The Whitney is proud to continue our support of their curatorial visions and the artists they champion in these distinguished new positions.”

Rothkopf continued, “We’re also immensely grateful to two of our newest Trustees Paul Arnhold and Jennifer Rubio for their generous support of the Whitney’s staff and their belief in the next generation of the Museum’s curatorial talent. It’s an honor to have their names associated with these positions, and we’re especially thrilled that Marcela and Ru will inaugurate them.”

“I am humbled and honored to receive this promotion,” said Guerrero. “With this new title, I feel empowered to continue working hard to bring awareness of Latinx art nationally and globally. It’s also not lost on me that this promotion wouldn’t be possible had it not been for the trailblazing work of women on whose shoulders I stand. Likewise, I am proud to carry the name of Jennifer Rubio in my title, a woman of color changing the face of philanthropy.” [. . .]

Marcela Guerrero came to the Whitney from the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles where she worked as a Curatorial Fellow from 2014 to 2017. At the Hammer, she was involved in the much-lauded exhibition Radical Women: Latin American Art, 1960–1985, organized as part of the Getty Foundation’s Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA initiative, and guest-curated by Cecilia Fajardo-Hill and Andrea Giunta. Prior to joining the Hammer, she worked in the Latin American and Latino art department at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, where she served as Research Coordinator for the International Center for the Arts of the Americas. In her current role as assistant curator at the Whitney, Guerrero has organized important exhibitions and worked to foreground the contributions of Latinx artists in the U.S. and increase the presence of their works in the Whitney’s collection. She was part of the curatorial team that organized Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945. She also curated the exhibition Pacha, Llaqta, Wasichay: Indigenous Space, Modern Architecture, a show featuring the work of seven emerging Latinx artists. Guerrero is co-chair of the Whitney’s Emerging Artist Working Group and is currently organizing Martine Gutierrez, a public art installation that will be displayed on the facade of 95 Horatio Street. She has been instrumental in the Whitney’s recent Spanish language initiatives both digitally and on-site. Guerrero’s writing has appeared in exhibition catalogues and in art journals such as caa.reviews, ArtNexus, Caribbean Intransit: The Arts Journal, Gulf Coast: A Journal of Literature and Fine Arts, Interventions: International Journal of Postcolonial Studies, and Diálogo. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Guerrero holds a Ph.D. in art history from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. [. . .]

[Photo above: Whitney assistant curators (l.) Marcela Guerrero (Credit: Photo by Javier Romero) and Rujeko Hockley have been promoted to newly endowed positions.]

For full article, see https://www.artfixdaily.com/artwire/release/3970-the-whitney-announces-two-curatorial-promotions

Also see: https://cvc.wisc.edu/staff/guerrero-marcela and “From Latinx artists to new takes on Surrealism, curator Marcela Guerrero’s favourite works at Frieze New York,” Gabriella Angeleti, The Art Newspaper: https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2022/05/20/whitney-curator-marcela-guerreros-picks-at-frieze-new-york