Tiffany Sims
Tiffany Sims is a South Florida native and currently the Margaret Powell Curatorial Fellow at Carnegie Museum of Art. The fellowship has given her an understanding of and opportunity for curation, programming, and research. Within the fellowship she is exploring themes of memory and movement through photography and performance, and how performance artists of color use their bodies as an enactment of the past. She was previously a Hot Metal Bridge Post Baccalaureate Fellow in the Department of History of Art and Architecture at the University of Pittsburgh. She holds a BA in Art History from University of Florida, Gainesville and a AA from Broward College.
Tiffany, where did you grow up and what motivated you to pursue studies at Broward College?
I grew up in South Florida, I went to a middle and high school of the arts that fostered a true passion for the arts within me as a dance major. In my junior year of high school at A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, my AP Art History teacher, Lacy Van Reeth exposed me to the possibilities of art history and the museum world. My choice to go to Broward College was a practical one, given the expense of larger universities. The decision was a blessing because I was able to truly figure out my academic career and stay close to my family during my first two years out of high school.
Can you tell us about one or two moments that stand out about your time at the College?
2018 was an exciting year for me at Broward College, I studied abroad and curated my first exhibition! I was able to study abroad for the first time in Catania, Sicily, with Professor Kevin Cole and students and faculty from Florida Atlantic University. The month-long summer program centered around an archaeological site at Rocchicella di Mineo, ancient Palikè, a sanctuary for indigenous people of that region. We did fieldwork on the site and weekly excursions throughout the island along with lectures on Mediterranean art history. It was a wonderful trip to start my art history career and to experience another part of the world.
In the fall semester of 2018, Professor Marjetta Geerling gave me the opportunity to curate an exhibition for P'an Ku that opened in November as part of a celebration for past and current artists and staff who have been a part of the art and literary magazine. Professor John Selburg was an instrumental part of the exhibition process as this was my first time learning about the installation procedures. The exhibition examined the relationship between art and literature in the 60 years of P'an Ku's publication. I am thankful for everyone involved who supported me; that exhibition laid the foundation for the curatorial and research work I am doing now.
Did you have any professors or people at the College who were particularly important to you as a student?
I am thankful for Professor Kevin Cole, Marjetta Geerling, and John Selburg. I am going to be selfish with this question and also give my mom, Wanda Sims, Coordinator of Printing at Broward College, a shout out. She is such a moving force within the college, and opened up doors for me at BC as I navigated my first two years of college. I am beyond grateful for her, she is amazing!
Where did you go after Broward College? How did what you learn at BC prepare you for your path?
After Broward College I went to the University of Florida (UF) to study Art History for my last two years for my undergraduate studies. During my time at the UF, I gained a mentor, Dr. Kaira Cabañas who continuously encouraged and exposed me to Black and Latin American visual and performance artists. I would not be where I am without her mentorship. I've always known that I gravitated towards Black contemporary art, but the performance and dance side of my research came out within the past two years. After graduating from UF, I applied and was accepted as the Hot Metal Bridge Post Baccalaureate Fellow in the Department of History of Art and Architecture at the University of Pittsburgh. The fellowship is a one year, fully funded program exposing students to graduate school and Pittsburgh. I took this fellowship as an opportunity to explore all that the university had to offer and to discover my own art historical research interests and priorities. Before ending the fellowship, I applied to a handful of art history graduate programs but ultimately, at the last minute, applied to the Margaret Powell Curatorial Fellowship at Carnegie Museum of Art and was accepted. The two-year fellowship has expanded my understanding of possibilities of exhibitions, curation, programming, and research. I can say I have worked in and with many departments in the museum. I have gained a better understanding of the exhibition process by working on The Milton and Sheila Fine Collection exhibition and gallery rotations through the permanent collection galleries of contemporary art. My career and approach to curatorial endeavors has been impacted by the mentorship I am receiving from Liz Park, Richard Armstrong Curator of Contemporary Art.
The faculty at Broward College gave me the foundation of where I am today. I really took it to heart when someone told me to just reach out to individuals in my field and talk to them about their experience and my own. I also learned how to be intentional about the relationships I am making and to keep in touch with the colleagues and friends I've made through professional connections.
Do you have any final thoughts about your connection to BC?
I am glad to have spent my first two-years at Broward College and gained a community I am still in contact with today!