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| Will Harr | |
|---|---|
| Name | Will Harr |
| Birth date | 1980s |
| Birth place | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Occupation | Author; Editor; Curator |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Harvard University; Columbia University |
Will Harr is an American author, editor, and curator noted for his contributions to contemporary literature, cultural criticism, and curatorial practice. He has collaborated with major institutions and publishers, contributing to projects spanning biography, visual art, and archival studies. Harr's work bridges literary history, museum studies, and publishing, engaging with figures and institutions across the United States and Europe.
Harr was born in Boston, Massachusetts and raised in the Greater Boston area, where he attended local schools before matriculating at Harvard University for undergraduate study. At Harvard University he studied literature and history, engaging with collections at the Harvard College Library and participating in programs affiliated with the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He later earned graduate degrees from Columbia University in New York, where he worked with faculty connected to the Graduate School of Journalism and the Columbia University Libraries. During his studies he held internships at the Museum of Modern Art and the New York Public Library.
Harr began his professional career in publishing at a major New York house, collaborating with editors linked to Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster. He moved into curatorial and editorial roles at cultural institutions including the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles and the Whitney Museum of American Art, where he organized exhibitions and contributed to catalogues. His editorial projects include partnerships with independent presses and university presses such as Yale University Press and MIT Press, as well as curatorial essays for the Tate Modern and the Guggenheim Museum. Harr has taught seminar courses associated with New York University and Columbia University and has been a visiting lecturer at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He has contributed writing and criticism to periodicals including The New Yorker, The New York Times Book Review, The Atlantic, and Artforum.
Harr's books and edited volumes cover biography, photography, and archival practice, with projects focusing on historical figures and cultural archives. He edited monographs on artists whose work has been shown at the Museum of Modern Art and the Tate Modern, and produced a biographical study that draws on collections at the Library of Congress and the British Library. His essays examine primary materials from archives such as the Smithsonian Institution Archives and the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, situating artistic practice alongside archival discovery. Harr has collaborated with photographers and visual artists associated with galleries like Gagosian Gallery and Hauser & Wirth, and his curatorial writing appears in exhibition catalogues for shows at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Museum.
Harr resides in New York City and is active in networks connecting writers, curators, and scholars across the city, including events at the New York Public Library, readings at the 92nd Street Y, and panel discussions at The New School. He has participated in fellowships and residencies linked to the MacDowell Colony and the American Academy in Rome. Harr's collaborations extend to public programs at the Kennedy Center and community initiatives affiliated with the Public Theater.
Harr's work has been recognized with grants and fellowships from organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts, the Guggenheim Foundation, and the Ford Foundation. He has received awards from literary and arts institutions including prizes administered by Poets & Writers and honors from the American Alliance of Museums. His edited volumes and curatorial catalogues have been shortlisted for awards administered by the Association of American Publishers and the Turner Prize–adjacent critical programs.
Category:American authors Category:American curators