CECILIA LEONORA VARGAS
10+ year Experienced curator and arts administrator with a passion for making art accessible. Vargas offers extensive curatorial and project management experience to collectors, artists, and organizations. Her work ethic is mission based, customer service focused, and best practice oriented. She takes the necessary care to ensure logistics are on track to realize a project’s vision within given parameters. Over the years of managing arts programs, she has developed an approach to fostering artistic and professional development through trustworthy relationships. As a creative and resourceful problem solver, she relishes new challenges and opportunities for shared learning.
ART SKILLS
Curatorial: Identifying artistic talent, Exhibition development/Production; Collections Development: Advising on collection strategy, Identifying relevant acquisitions; Collections Management: Organizing, Cataloging
PROJECT MANAGEMENT skills
Organization, attention to detail, problem-solving, adaptable yet consistent, relationship-building, collaboration, communication, marketing, event planning, logistics, setting goals, establishing priorities, meeting deadlines, achieving objectives, management of databases, inventory, and multiple simultaneous projects
TECHNICAL SKILLS
PC and Apple OS, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator), Canva, G-suite, MS Office Suite, Content Management Systems (Cascade, Localist, Squarespace), FileMaker Pro, MailChimp, Constant Contact, and Social media
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
VARGAS ART Curator and Arts Administrator 2010 – present
Responsible for providing art consulting services including curatorial, project, and collections management to collectors, artists, and organizations on a contract basis.
Select assignment as Curator
NATIONAL WOMEN’S CAUCUS FOR ART Curator and Juror 2020
Invited to jury and curate the National Women’s Caucus for Art’s (WCA) 2020 open call exhibition.
Presented the exhibition entitled Collectively Shifting at the Bridgeport Art Center. Represented the WCA and the exhibition at public events (e.g. the building-wide open studio events and exhibition reception that accompanied the WCA annual conference).
Developed call for art and exhibition statement with the national WCA’s exhibition committee. Reviewed and juried 160 submissions, selected 42 artworks through Entrythingy platform.
Provided feedback on brochure development, wrote essay, and distributed print edition of 1,000.
Select assignment as Archivist
THE FRANKLIN COLLECTION Archivist 2019 – 2020
Archiving The Franklin Collection owned by artist Edra Soto and Dan Sullivan. The Franklin is both a backyard exhibition space and private collection accessible to the public through events, receptions, scheduled tours, and its web presence. Funding supported through a 3Arts matching grant.
Conducted extensive grass roots research on provenance.
Developed database with 15 categories, cataloged 180 artworks on display. This information will be available for the collectors to use for internal (e.g. artwork on loan: label information and tracking) and or external purposes (e.g. publication about the collection and gallery maps with object identification).
Collaborated on grant writing.
COLUMBIA COLLEGE CHICAGO 2022 – 2023
Director of Exhibitions, Department of Exhibitions, Performance and Student Spaces
Managed all aspects of exhibitions. Oversaw 1 staff member, and 3 student workers, and collaborated with them to accomplish departmental goals.
Managed 3 exhibition spaces. Annually produced approximately 20 exhibitions.
Work with the Executive Director on the Wabash Arts Corridor, which consisted of approximately 58 murals by an international roster of artists and the Corri-doors student and recent graduate murals on area doors.
Worked on file management, inventories, and establishing brand consistency and systematic organization.
CITY OF AURORA PUBLIC ART DIVISION
Project Assistant 2021 – 2022
Independent Curator 2022
Managed all aspects of exhibitions, and planned for Visiting Artist programs.
Planned and coordinated logistics, led from inception to realization, researched, publicized, and engaged in coordination with other departments that are a part of the City of Aurora’s Community Services Department, and produced exhibitions and events.
Coordinated exhibition of 140 artworks by Aurora students K-12, and facilitated reception.
Assisted in the installation of 4 banner murals.
MORAINE VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE Art Gallery Coordinator 2021 – 2022
Managed all aspects of 7 Exhibitions, and 2+ Visiting Artist programs.
Planned and coordinated logistics, led from inception to realization, researched, publicized, and engaged in interdepartmental coordination.
Initiated exhibition archive to provide overview of institutional history.
Managed MVCC juried art competitions, exhibitions, and purchases, including their participation in Skyway, an annual intercollegiate art competition and exhibition between eight regional colleges,
WAUBONSEE COMMUNITY COLLEGE Art Coordinator 2013 – 2020
Managed all aspects of approximately 200 Exhibitions, 75 Visiting Artist programs, and the Permanent Collection (322 artworks).
Organized logistics, led from inception to realization, researched, oversaw budget, developed publicity, and engaged in interdepartmental coordination.
Created archive to provide overview of institutional history for NASAD (the National Association of Schools of Art and Design) accreditation review. Resulted in 14 year hardcopy archive and five year digital archive that was a strong tool. It helped attain NASAD accreditation.
Managed WCC’s participation in an annual intercollegiate art competition and exhibition between eight regional colleges, including host planning and coordination responsibilities during COVID 19 shut down. Pivoted, solicited artist statements for 37 artworks, collaboratively produced video and digital/printed catalog and ensured they were represented on the website and on social media.
THE SCHOOL OF THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO Associate 2007 – 2012
Selected assignments
Special Programs Coordinator, Campus Life 2012
Project Manager, Office of Exhibition Practices 2008– 2010
Teaching Assistant, Intermediate and Advanced Lithography 2008
Studio Program Coordinator, Multicultural Arts High School 2007
EDUCATION
Dual Degree: Master of Art in Modern Art History, Theory and Criticism, and Master of Art in Arts Administration and Policy, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), Chicago, IL, Emphasis of study on Exhibition Studies
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, Graduated Cum Laude, Emphasis of study on Painting and Printmaking
Summer Study Program, Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, Scotland, Emphasis of study on Painting and Drawing