Cur8or: Kim Carlino

Kim Carlino, Artist, Independent Curator, and Exhibition Director of the Loft Parlor @ Mill 180 in Easthampton,  has organized and curated The Laboratory, Version 1, a DIY exhibition that utilizes non-traditional space for large-scale contemporary art exhibitions. She has fabulously re-purposed a defunct dye laboratory on the third floor of Mill 180 to house the work of 24 artists from the NorthEast region and beyond. Yeah, we love that! The exhibition ranges from video, sound, sculpture, photography, site-specific wall paintings, installation, painting and drawing. So get a move on out to the Pioneer Valley and check out some great homemade work.

We caught up with the very busy Kim to answer our Cur8or 8.

1 Being the curator of The Laboratory, Version 1 is like being a a) kindergarten teacher, b) Stevie Nicks impersonator, c) dictionary editor, or d) mortgage lender.
E) Cruise ship director.

2 What is the most misunderstood aspect of being a curator?
That curating is just putting some work up on the walls.

3 Finish this statement: “The work exhibited at The Laboratory, Version 1 is…
a delight for the senses.

4 What’s the most surprising response you’ve ever had to your own work?
“I did that in middle school.”

5 What artists’ work do you most admire?
I am inspired by Sol LeWitt, Agnes Martin, Julie Mehretu, Elizabeth Murray, Matthew Ritchie, Philip Glass, and Arvo Part.

6 Share a surprise twist in the Kim Carlino story.
Kim Carlino likes to start things. Big things.

7 The unauthorized biography of your life is titled:
“Art/Play: Making It Up”

8 What is the greatest thing about DIY?
The greatest thing about DIY is that you can throw the rules out the window. You can adopt the formality or get rid of the parts that don’t serve your aesthetic.

Image credit from top to bottom:
Carolyn Clayton, Specimens from Hoard. 2013.
Angela Zammarelli, Get Through This. 2013. Peter Brauch, Building Something. 2013.
Catie Heitz, Untitled (Cheery-ohs), Untitled (Silver and Gold) 2013.