Democracy Sounds Good: Nicki Green and Woody De Othello in Conversation with CJM Curators Heidi Rabben and Qianjin Montoya

Nicki Green is a transdisciplinary artist who works primarily in clay. Originally from New England, Green completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts in sculpture from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2009, and her Master of Fine Arts in Art Practice from the University of California, Berkeley in 2018. Green's sculptures, ritual objects, and various flat works explore topics of history preservation, conceptual ornamentation, and aesthetics of otherness. Green has exhibited her work internationally, notably at the New Museum, New York; The Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco; and Rockelmann & Partner Gallery, Berlin, Germany. She has contributed texts to numerous publications including a recent piece in Duke University Press’ Transgender Studies Quarterly and a piece in Fermenting Feminism, Copenhagen. In 2019, Green was a finalist for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s SECA Award and a recipient of an Arts/Industry Residency from the John Michael Kohler Art Center, among other awards. Green currently lives and works in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Qianjin Montoya is assistant curator at The CJM. Her practice includes curating, writing, and research, with a focus on institutional histories and the narratives of women and people of color. Her curatorial research has been featured in exhibitions at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (San Francisco) and in programming at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. She is is an Emerging Arts Professionals (EAP) SF/Bay Area Fellow alumni and is the current Americas Collection Research Fellow at Kadist in San Francisco. Montoya holds a Master of Arts in Curatorial Practice from California College of the Arts, and a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from the University of California, Berkeley.

Heidi Rabben is a curator and writer based in San Francisco. She is currently senior curator at The Contemporary Jewish Museum and adjunct professor in the MFA Design program at California College of the Arts. Rabben's practice includes curating, writing, editing, and research, with a focus on international contemporary video and performance art. She has worked on projects in the Bay Area, Detroit, New Delhi, South Korea, and Canada. Prior to her position at The CJM, Rabben was the BICI curator-in-residence at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Alberta, Canada, and has previously held positions as director and curator of events and exhibitions at KADIST, curatorial fellow at the CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts, and writing fellow for the Asian Contemporary Arts Consortium. Rabben’s writing has been published in Afterimage, Art Practical, Daily Serving, and San Francisco Arts Quarterly, as well as in exhibition catalogs and artist publications. Rabben holds a Master of Arts in Curatorial Practice from California College of the Arts and a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from the University of California, Berkeley.