About Kate Stern

Kate Stern is a Los Angeles–based independent curator whose work spans museums, galleries, large-scale public art exhibitions, and private collections. Known for creating visually engaging exhibitions that connect contemporary art with broad audiences, her projects are both vibrant and accessible.

Raised within a family of writers, artists, and theatrical innovators, Kate feels that creativity is housed in her genes.

Most recently, Stern guest curated three exhibitions for the Oceanside Museum of Art in Oceanside, California. Dress Rehearsal explored the dress as both object and symbol through sculptures, installations, and two-dimensional works created from unexpected materials. Becoming Nature featured the extraordinary sculptures and wearable works of Melissa Meier, whose practice transforms organic materials gathered from nature into intricate contemporary artworks. Fabulous Fiber showcased contemporary textile art, highlighting artists working across an expansive range of materials and techniques.

In 2014, and in honor of Beverly Hills’ Centennial, Stern conceived and curated ARTS OF PALM, the city’s largest public art exhibition to date. Twelve large-scale sculptures were installed throughout the city, where they remained for one year.

One of the defining chapters of Stern’s career was her decade as curator of The Frostig Collection, an ambitious initiative featuring original small-scale sculptures created for the collection by renowned and emerging contemporary artists. Produced in limited editions, the works were created to raise funds for a social skills program serving children with learning disabilities and high-functioning autism at the Frostig Center. The collection brought together an extraordinary roster of artists and became one of the most distinctive philanthropic art initiatives of its kind. Stern was the director of the Frostig Collection Gallery at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica, California.

Following The Frostig Collection, Stern created Frostig at Large, a large-scale public art exhibition for the City of West Hollywood featuring six works by artists from the collection. The exhibition brought contemporary sculpture into the public realm, creating opportunities for the community to engage with works by renowned artists outside of a traditional museum setting.

Stern later guest curated Frostig at Large: Artists from the Frostig Collection at the Museum of Art and History (MOAH) in Lancaster, California. The exhibition spanned two floors of the museum and featured works by internationally renowned and celebrated artists including Robert Graham, Chris Burden, Nancy Rubins, Frank Gehry, Ken Price, Ed Moses, Lita Albuquerque, Larry Bell, Lynda Benglis, and many others. It brought together works from The Frostig Collection alongside additional works by these artists, creating an expansive survey of contemporary California art.

From 2003 to 2009, Stern curated four expansive and thematic SHOW&TELL exhibitions for the Zimmer Children’s Museum in Los Angeles. Each exhibition brought together approximately 75 artists and social activists, creating immersive experiences that encouraged creativity, dialogue, and community engagement.

Stern also leads curated small-group art experiences through Take Me to the Art, offering behind-the-scenes access to artists, collections, and cultural destinations. Past tours have included two exclusive Arts & Culture journeys to Havana, Cuba; art tours for the City of Beverly Hills; and numerous private visits to artists’ studios throughout Los Angeles.

Through the strong relationships she has formed with prominent and emerging artists, museum directors, gallerists, collectors, city officials, and arts organizations, Stern’s projects reflect a compelling balance of sophistication, imagination, and play.