Curator Donna Honarpisheh takes the meaning of the word curator to heart. Grounded in the Latin curare, meaning “to cure,” Honarpisheh approaches her work with care: She knows that museums and art institutions must be rooted in the needs of humanity. She aims to develop exhibitions that center global artists whose work provides an important perspective on the most critical issues of our time. 

Through her work with the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami (ICA), the discussions she hosts on her podcast “Tomorrow is the Problem,” and her academic research, Honarpisheh highlights non-Western artists who haven’t yet received recognition in the United States within a broad cultural framework. For her multidisciplinary approach to address the historic and ongoing omissions of global artists and movements in Western art history, Honarpisheh receives a 2025 Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Curatorial Work.

Transformative Experiences and Transforming Narratives

Early on, Honarpisheh was moved by the way in which global arts institutions approached art in history and urgent political issues through dynamic, multimedia, and non-Eurocentric frameworks. Her parents, who pursued careers in engineering and science, respectively, were committed to providing Honarpisheh with a cultural education that included frequent visits to institutions like the Tate Modern; the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art; the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC; and the Asia Society Museum, among many others.

The artworks and exhibitions she encountered at a young age shaped Honarpisheh’s perspective on the role of museums in shaping culture. “These visits had a profound effect on me and my understanding of the way exhibitions have the power to shape canons and art historical narratives,” she says.The importance of canon-formation and global cultural frameworks not only influenced her work as a curator, but as a scholar of comparative literature and a critical theorist. 

Honarpisheh’s exhibitions at ICA center the work of influential artists from outside the Western canon through solo shows that highlight their individual contributions: from the specific stylistic innovations of their craft to, more broadly, impact on contemporary artistic movements. Her exhibition Huguette Caland: Outside the Line foregrounds the Lebanese feminist artist’s Bribes de Corps series, expanding the canon of abstract art and color theory. The show has been covered by major publications including the New York Times and ARTnews. 

• 
• 
• 
• 

Honarpisheh is dedicated to mobilizing her scholarship and perspective as a curator to develop new frameworks to spark dialogue and discourse about historic and contemporary global issues. Her goal is to compel both academic and arts institutions to approach challenging subjects with a global, comparative, and interdisciplinary lens. 

Championing Underrepresented Voices

“I look to artists to help me understand the past, the present, and to guide me toward the future,” says Honarpisheh. “Beyond inclusion, I approach each curatorial task with a pedagogical urgency: How can the work of artists help us navigate a more equitable and just future?” 

As a podcaster, and curator, Honarpisheh embodies the role of curator as a conduit and advocate to connect artists with society at large. She seamlessly bridges theory into her practice, and sparks important conversations about the power of art to heal, unite, and inspire.