CINCINNATI, OH.- Wave Pool announced their three curatorial residents, Abby Mae Friend, art and design duo SUBSTUDIO, and Harry Sanchez Jr. for the pilot year of the Curatorial Residency Program, an opportunity for artists and aspiring curators to execute their vision for a month-long exhibition in Wave Pool’s street-level gallery space.

Residents were chosen by a jury of artists, arts professionals and community members who are committed to Wave Pool’s neighborhood-focused mission through an open call process. Wave Pool received eleven excellent proposals, allowing them to promote the work of aspiring curators whose vision is consistent with Wave Pool's focus on contemporary art as a catalyst for social engagement.

Curatorial Residents will receive a mentorship, administrative support, marketing, gallery space, and a $2,000 stipend to realize bold visions for the gallery. Because Cincinnati has long lacked in opportunities for local curators, this program seeks to foster that ongoing professional development.

The pilot year for this program begins in the fall of 2017, with the first resulting exhibition opening in January of 2018.

Abby Friend is an artist, activist, and member of the Cincinnati community. They have worked for established arts institutions like the CAC, as well as multiple grassroots collectives such as the community based non-profit Village Green Foundation and MOBO Bicycle Co-op. Their intersection between organizing and the traditional institutional structure allows for an interdisciplinary approach to artistic exploration.

SUBSTUDIO co-founders Hannah Dewhirst and Ingrid Alexandra Schmidt are spatial artists and educators who found common ground with their research during their graduate studies in architecture at Cranbrook Academy of Art. They founded SUBSTUDIO Architecture in 2016 in pursuit of a method of autonomous practice that would enable them to pursue tool driven research and full scale built experimentation that challenges social and perceptual associations. Their past projects blur the boundary between architecture, performance, art and curation. Having spent their careers between the midwest and east coast, they currently manage their dual-city practice in conjunction with teaching at DAAP and Bowling Green State University.

Being from a border city Harry Sanchez Jr. is keenly aware of boundaries everywhere. In response, he has developed a practice of reacting against rules and limits. A recent graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s School of Art MFA program at DAAP, Sanchez strives to be a counter-balance in a world of conformity.