Gabriel Ritter, contemporary-art curator at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, will curate the Focus section of the 2018 Armory Show, an influential international contemporary and modern art fair that takes place annually in March on Piers 92 & 94 in New York City.
He is the first-ever curator from the Minneapolis museum to work with the Armory.
"While my work at Mia is to define Contemporary art within the long arc of global art history, the Focus section will give me a chance to foreground both emerging and underrepresented artists," said Ritter. "In addition, I am hoping to expand the scope of the Focus section to include a number of non-western artists who have never before exhibited in New York as a conscientious way to introduce new names into the art fair scene."
Ritter joined the Minneapolis Institute of Art in May 2016. Previously, he was the assistant curator of contemporary art the Dallas Museum of Art since May 2012. His Minnesota connection came in when he worked on the Walker Art Center's show "International Pop," which traveled to Dallas in 2015.
In his time in Minneapolis, Ritter has curated a number of shows, including a second-floor gallery reinstalled with work by Dave Muller, who covered the walls with a murel-esque assortment of images and objects from the permanent collection. In September 2017, Ritter will open a solo exhibition of work by New York-based artist Aliza Nissenbaum, who will connect with and portray members of the nearby Phillips and Whittier communities.
Ritter will be joined by curators Jen Mergel, an independent curator who was previously with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She will oversee the Platform section, focused on site-specific and large-scale works. Armory organizers also plan to start a curatorial leadership summit, chaired by MCA Chicago curator Naomi Beckwith.
The Armory Show will take place March 8-11, 2018, in New York City.
