We’re excited to launch a new initiative supporting early-career curators working in socially engaged, experimental, and community-rooted practices.

Talking Dolls Gallery

To Detroit Whimsy, With Love is a love letter to the playful and imaginative spirit of Detroiters who use whimsy as an action of radical sustainable resilience. Step into an exhibition where communal play is purposefully explored through the lens of fashion, watercolor, film, photography and sculpture to invite us to shape shift and craft our dreams beyond the hustle into a more creative and whimsical defiance.
Curated by BULK Space Emerging Curator Nianna [Oyster Knife Lab]
Arlinda Crossland
Zakiya Karamoko
Nick Azzaro
Crystal Robinson
Aminah Yasmeen
The selected curator will participate in a curatorial development program that provides mentorship from experienced arts professionals, access to BULK Space resources, and a public platform to realize an exhibition or project. The program centers experimental, socially engaged, and interdisciplinary practices, with a particular emphasis on amplifying voices historically excluded from mainstream arts institutions.
The selected curator is expected to be highly self-driven, taking initiative in research, coordination, and project development while working in dialogue with BULK Space staff and mentors. Through mentorship, production support, and public presentation, the program supports curators in developing rigorous, community-responsive projects from concept to execution.
Each selected curator will receive a $1,000 honorarium, along with $1,000 in project support to cover artist fees, exhibition production, programming, shipping, and gallery staffing.
The program runs June 1st to August 31, with the resulting exhibition presented at Talking Dolls opening August 6th. Applications open March 1st, offering an opportunity for early-career curators to gain hands-on experience, mentorship, and a public platform to realize a socially engaged, experimental project.

photo & artwork by Nicholas Azzaro



