Meet Cortney Stell | Executive Director + Chief Curator, Black Cube

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cortney Lane Stell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cortney, what principle do you value most?
I value curiosity above most else. To be curious is to have an active and open relationship to the world around you. In a sense, it is a humble position to place yourself in, as a curious mindset requires a base understanding that you may not have all the knowledge or awareness – “on any given circumstance.” To be curious is to be open to what you may not know or perceive. For me, curiosity also represents a desire to understand or to “know better”, it is the effort to try to understand that it holds important value. Curiosity as a value is also about change, growth, and adaptation. But, a curious outlook must be paired with ethics. Curiosity for curiosity’s sake can lead to some dark pathways (for example, look at some of the medical experimentations performed on women, the disabled, or minorities). This link to ethics is a key aspect of holding curiosity in high esteem, as ethics highlights our relationships, responsibilities, and interconnectedness to others (our friends, foes, neighbors, community, society, etc.)

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a contemporary art curator and the Executive Director + Chief Curator of Black Cube, a nonprofit nomadic art museum headquartered in Denver. I’ve held an independent curatorial practice since 2006, which has included curating numerous exhibitions nationally and internationally for museums, university galleries, biennials, and art events. Stemming from a philosophical interest in art as communication, I’ve organized exhibitions that focus on artworks experimental in both conceptual and material nature, including exhibitions with artists such as Liam Gillick, Cyprien Gaillard, SANGREE, and Shirley Tse.

I had the fortune of working with Laura Merage to build Black Cube from the ground up; , we have  been in operations since 2015. The museum brings ambitious site-specific art to the public. We’ve produced artworks at locations such as alleyways, mining towns, palaces in Venice, and along the US/Mexico border. Black Cube is always expanding into the space of the unknown, which means that the work is both immensely challenging and deeply rewarding.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I think having meals at some of the special old Denver haunts would be a priority – places like the Mercury Cafeé, City O’ City, or Domo. I also recommend grabbing a cocktail at the Oxford Hotel’s old speakeasy, the Cruise Room.

It’s a privilege to be in a state with so many different ecosystems, any person visiting the regions should carve out time to see the magnificent and changing landscapes, some highlights are. The Paint Mines, Mt Evans, Cave of the Winds, or any number of the many mountain hikes.

For cultural experiences, I’d recommend folks do a tour of our local contemporary art spaces, both big and small spaces alike. The larger museums like the MCA Denver are worth checking out, they operate under a kunsthalle-model, so exhibitions are always changing. The Denver Art Museum’s newly renovated Ponti building is worth a stop (check out the Indigenous Arts, Fashion and Design Departments). For mid-sized orgs,I recommend seeing RedLine’s artist studios, Platte Forum, or the Kirkland’s quirky collection. And for smaller orgs, I’d make sure to see CPAC, Leon, or Lane Meyer Projects. I recommend supporting the local scene by purchasing art; my fav commercial galleries are Friend of a Friend, David B. Smith, Robischon, or Rule.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d love to give recognition to my husband Dmitri Obergfell, who is always inspiring me., I’d like to also give a shoutout to my colleague Hannah James, my mentor (and a spectacular curator) Dianne Vanderlip, and my dogs (both my literal dogs and figurative). I’d like to give respect to all the birds and their capability of flying, to real anarchists, burgeoning philosophers, and all those creative types who make the world a more vivid, reflective, and dynamic place. I’d like to give one big shoutout to a friend and mentor, philosopher Simon Critchley… his work has been super important to my intellectual development, particularly his work around Heidegger and Levinas and his book ‘Infinitely Demanding’.

Website: www.blackcube.art

Instagram: @blackcube.museum

Facebook: @BlackCubeNomadicArtMuseum