CINCINNATI, OH.- The Contemporary Arts Center announces Valentine Umansky as the new Curatorial Fellow of Lens-Based Arts. The three-year fellowship, funded by FotoFocus and its Founder Tom Schiff, focuses on bringing lens-based exhibitions to the CAC with an eye toward the FotoFocus Biennial’s ten year anniversary in 2020.

“We are thrilled for FotoFocus’ and Mr. Schiff’s support for this important curatorial position," says Raphaela Platow, CAC’s Alice and Harris Weston Director. “This fellowship will allow a brilliant, emerging curator to present the most forward-thinking projects with a focus on photography, video, film and digital production. After a highly competitive interview process with superb candidates from around the world we believe that Valentine Umansky will add a unique perspective and fresh voice to our curatorial program. Her curatorial experiences across Europe, the U.S. and Africa will broaden the scope of our exhibitions and programs and her passion for the Midwest is in concert with our commitment to the artists and makers at home.”

As an independent curator, author and critic, Umansky has worked for various institutions dedicated to visual arts. After collaborating with the Rencontres d’Arles – a renowned photography festival—for several years, she left France for the U.S. where she has been based since 2015, working with institutions including MoMA and the International Center of Photography. That same year, she published her first book, Duane Michals Storyteller with publisher Filigranes. Umansky has also spent a considerable amount of time in the Midwest, collaborating with artists in both Michigan and Illinois. “At the Contemporary Arts Center, I hope to develop new ties between these states and Ohio, creating projects between Chicago, Detroit and Cincinnati, says Umansky. “These three cities function as the breeding ground for some of the most creative artists I’ve met and I look forward to being a harbinger of new collaborations and co-productions.”

Umansky will be working alongside the Curatorial team and the position is a result of the strong bond shared by FotoFocus and the CAC. “Valentine brings her international experience to a talented CAC team,” says Schiff. “For both the CAC and FotoFocus we are certain that a decade of this very special partnership will manifest in bold and brilliant projects for future audiences.”