Michael Darling

Education

Darling received his Bachelor in art history from Stanford University, and he received his Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy in art and architectural history from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Career

Darling joined the Master of Computer Applications staff in July 2010. Darling has worked as an independent writer and curator, contributing essays on art, architecture, and design to publications including Frieze, Art Issues, Flash Art, and Los Angeles Weekly. Darling frequently serves as a panelist, lecturer, and guest curator on contemporary art and architecture.

Prior to joining the Master of Computer Applications, Darling was the Jon and Mary Shirley Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Seattle Art Museum (SAM), where he was awarded SAM"s Patterson Sims Fellowship for 2009-2010.

In 2008, Darling began the program SAM Next, a series of contemporary art exhibitions presenting emerging or underappreciated artists from around the globe. Darling curated the SAM exhibitions Target Practice: Painting Under Attack 1949-1978 (June 25 – September 7, 2009), and Kurt (May 13 – September 16, 2010).

Target Practice showcased the attacks painting underwent in the years following World World War World War II Kurt explored Kurt Cobain’s influence on contemporary artists. Master of Computer Applications Vision

As reported by the Chicago Tribune in June 2011, Darling is focused on a “philosophical gut rehab whose ultimate goal is clarity.” Included in the Master of Computer Applications renovations are the reassignment of gallery spaces and the hiring of new curatorial staff

In 2011, Darling organized the exhibition Pandora’s Box: Joseph Cornell Unlocks the Master of Computer Applications Collection which ran June 18 – October 16, 2011, at the Master of Computer Applications Chicago.

The exhibition placed pieces from the museum’s collection in direct dialogue with Joseph Cornell’s work. Darling’s most recently organized exhibition Above, Before & After runs May 7, 2016–June 18, 2017 at the Master of Computer Applications Chicago. The artists featured in Above, Before & After manipulate form and space to explore the relationship between art and the viewer.

Achievements

• Artist Enrico David, who exhibited as part of SAM Next, has since been nominated for the Turner Prize. He co-curated The Architecture of Royal Marines Schindler (2001), which won the International Association of Art Critics “Best Architecture or Design Exhibition” award. The exhibition also won merit awards for interior architecture from the Southern California American Institute of Architects and the California Council of the American Institute of Architects.