Curator Conversation: John Corbett and Paul Baker Prindle

A conversation between curators John Corbett and Paul Baker Prindle about the legacy of Sam Gilliam and William Weege's artwork. In conjunction with our exhibition Number One at Tandem Press: Sam Gilliam & William Weege, Tandem Press is pleased to host a conversation in the studio with John Corbett, director of the Chicago gallery Corbett vs. Dempsey, and Paul Baker Prindle, director of the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. Together, they will explore the intertwined legacies of Gilliam and Weege, examining their impact on the art of Wisconsin and the broader Midwest. The conversation will highlight the artistic connections and cultural exchanges that helped shape the Midwest's creative landscape. John Corbett is a writer, curator, and gallerist based in Chicago. He is co-founder of Corbett vs. Dempsey, a gallery and record label, established in 2004. Among his recent curatorial efforts, Corbett co-curated 3-D Doings: The Imagist Object in Chicago Art, 1964-1980 (Tang Teaching Museum, Saratoga Springs, NY); Private Eye: The Imagist Impulse in Chicago Art (Indianapolis Museum of Art); and Monster Roster: Existentialist Art in Postwar Chicago (Smart Museum of Art, Chicago). He is the author of several books, including Vinyl Freak: Love Letters to a Dying Medium (Duke University Press), A Listener’s Guide to Free Improvisation, and Pick Up the Pieces (both University of Chicago Press). Paul Baker Prindle is the Gabriele Haberland Director of the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA), where he oversees the museum’s exhibitions, collections, public programs, and strategic direction. A curator, arts administrator, and artist, he holds an MFA in Printmaking from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Before joining MMoCA in 2024, Baker held leadership positions at several university museums, including the University of Nevada, Reno, where he opened the John and Geraldine Lilley Museum of Art, and California State University, Long Beach, where he directed the Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum. His curatorial work includes the first solo museum exhibitions of Dyani White Hawk and Clifford Prince King, as well as Lee Krasner: A Through Line and, most recently, David R. Harper: Good Morning Sweetheart. He is curator of the forthcoming Extended Play: B-Side, an exhibition of work by the artist Sam Gilliam.