Ana-Maria Maciuca-Pufu

In 2021, 50 contemporary art curators, researchers, and museum professionals from 32 different countries were awarded support to attend the CIMAM 2021 Annual Conference, in-person and online.

For the first time, and thanks to the generous support of The Getty Foundation who sponsored the virtual platform, 27 grantees attended the conference online, while 23 attended onsite.

Launched in 2005, CIMAM’s Travel Grant Program is designed to foster cooperation and cultural exchange between contemporary art curators and museum directors in emerging and developing economies and their counterparts in other regions of the world.

Ana-Maria Maciuca-Pufu's Conference Report

First of all, I would like to thank the CIMAM Board and the Getty Foundation for supporting my virtual participation at the CIMAM Annual Conference “Under Pressure. Museums in Times of Xenophobia and Climate Emergency”. The conference Keynote speakers and relevant case-study presentations showed me how institutions, artists, and intellectuals working together could provide practical laboratories concerning these emerging issues.

I was impressed by T.J Demo's presentation regarding neoliberal recognition and radical futurity. The given examples and the alternative proposals for future justice were very enlightening. The case study presented by Hilke Wagner on how art organizations can win over a hostile public was most impressive.

I found the workshops to be very educating because I met new people from different countries, especially Endri Dani, Artist and Researcher, ZETA Contemporary Art Center, Tirana, and Ana Škegro, Curator, Head of Experimental and Research Department, Museum of Contemporary Art Zagreb. They come from countries with a cultural situation close to my country, Romania.

Because in Romania, the challenge is to educate the public in diversity and accepting minorities, I was curious to find out from my colleagues how they dealt with these situations, what ways they found to educate the public, and what solutions they took in presenting an environment that also attracts minorities. I showed them an exhibition I curated about women artists in Romania but how I also wish to present artists that belong to the LGBTQ community, considering that the general public is reserved to this aspect in Romania. I received much new information that I intend to apply in my future projects and present them to the museum where I work, hoping they will consider them.

I also appreciated the presentation of the Avant-garde Museum. At the beginning of the 20th century, the avant-garde movement was really powerful in Romania, and we do not yet have a museum dedicated to these artists. Therefore, I curated in 2018 an exhibition dedicated to this artistic movement.

Once again, I would like to thank the organizers for this opportunity and extend my congratulations for this successful conference, keeping hope that I can participate in person next year in Spain.