Meet-a-Ram: Amber Esseiva brings artistry and ‘intrigue’ to audiences at the ICA

By Drew Thompson

Developing an exhibition - and engaging a diverse public audience - is an art form unto itself, and Amber Esseiva has created an impressive body of work.

At the Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University, Esseiva has been a mainstay since 2016, two years before the acclaimed institution opened to the public and further solidified VCU's international standing in the art world.

Starting as a curatorial assistant, the School of the Arts alum has established her own reputation alongside the ICA's. Esseiva has directed or participated in the curation of roughly 20 exhibitions in the ICA's first decade, and her work on "Dear Mazie" - the first contemporary exhibition dedicated to the life and work of architect, educator and artist Amaza Lee Meredith - is now on view at the California African American Museum through March 1.

Esseiva also created the guest curator program that expands the ICA's artistic perspectives while offering opportunities to rising curators. And with her recent promotion to senior curator and director of curatorial affairs, she is ready to build on the accomplishments of her first decade at the ICA.

Amid her busy schedule, VCU News caught up with Esseiva for some quick insights.

Let's go back in time: When did you know you wanted to be an art curator?

I knew I wanted to work in museums since high school, and so I pursued this in college by getting degrees from VCUarts in art history (bachelor's) and from Bard College in curatorial studies (master's).

And now in the present: What is your overarching goal as the ICA's senior curator?

I hope to shape the program to include many different initiatives - from a cutting-edge exhibition program to partnerships with other museums and like-minded institutions - so that all our efforts are recognized throughout the art world. The goal is to put Richmond on the map as a site that is a stop within the international art world.

In broad strokes, what goes into curating an exhibition?

Deep collaboration with artists, fabricators, administrators and our staff in order to translate artistic intent into formats that people can understand and access. Each exhibition starts with an idea, and this idea gets translated by many different experts in order to be realized.

What was it like co-curating the ICA's inaugural exhibition in 2018?

It was a tremendous opportunity to show many artworks, so we could reach as many people as possible. Every medium was included - and an approach to artistic freedom, protest and art-making.

What is your "un" word and why?

I suppose I would pick unusual, as what we want to bring to the table is intrigue, allure and mystery.