Sotheby’s Institute of Art-New York is pleased to announce the appointment of Klaudia Ofwona Draber as Faculty in the MA in Art Business program. Klaudia Ofwona Draber is a curator and the founder of KODA — a social practice residency for mid-career artists.
"Honored to give back to the community that provided me with insight, expertise, inspiration, and nurtured my sense of understanding of the art world." – Klaudia Ofwona Draber
Having graduated Sotheby’s Institute of Art-New York five years ago, Klaudia Ofwona Draber is returning to the Institute with an appointment as faculty in the MA in Art Business program.
“It is with great pleasure that we welcome Klaudia, a Sotheby’s Institute of Art alumna, as a professional art and finance colleague in our community of thought leaders. Klaudia’s talents and expertise are in line with our MA in Art Business curriculum expansion designed to mirror the rapid growth of career opportunities and entrepreneurship fostered in the contemporary art market and bespoke luxury trade.” – Ann-Marie Richard, Director, Sotheby’s Institute of Art-New York.
Klaudia Ofwona Draber is a curator and the founder of KODA. She used her time as a Sotheby’s Institute of Art student in 2017-2019 to write the business plan for KODA — a social practice residency for mid-career artists she founded in 2019 upon graduating. The mission of the non-profit is delivered through artist residencies, exhibitions, and arts education programs. Klaudia’s commitment to education is demonstrated through KODA Publishing, championing art historical scholarship through print and online publications, exploring the work of mid-career socially engaged artists.
“Studying at Sotheby’s Institute of Art-New York was extremely practical, it contextualized my professional experience, equipment me with in depth knowledge, and skills to start and run a nonprofit. The greatest value was being taught by experts. My professors and fellow students from the program remained mentors, friends, colleagues, and business partners. I came into the Institute with an open mind. Being able to explore, experiment, and find what we are good at is the greatest gift of education. Honored to give back to the community that provided me with insight, expertise, inspiration, and nurtured my sense of understanding of the art world. Embracing individuality, life-long learning, openness, and critical thinking.” – Klaudia Ofwona Draber
Klaudia Ofwona Draber has lived and led arts, technology and strategy projects in Europe, Africa, and the United States. Her professional experience includes working as the Head of Public Relations at the Polish Cultural Institute New York, and as a consultant to the British Council Arts where she worked with the Visual Arts team to develop their new Collection Management System. She also worked at UBS, managing global change portfolio and local arts Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects.
Klaudia Ofwona Draber’s curatorial work focuses on social justice and postcolonialism. Including such notable accomplishments as 1-800 Happy Birthday, an exhibition with artist Mohammad Gorjestani honoring the lives and legacies of Black and Brown people killed by police. At KODA she has worked with such artists as Renée Cox, Toisha Tucker, Alex Mari Berry, Jodie Lyn-Kee-Chow, Sa’dia Rehman, Cythia Tobar, maré de matos, Oasa DuVerney, Milderd Beltre, Betty Yu, Sari Carel, Baseera Khan, Bahar Behbahani, Ewa Harabasz, Farideh Sakhaeifar, Lina Puerta, and Hidemi Takagi. Klaudia was the 2021-2022 Helena Rubinstein Curatorial Fellow at the prestigious Whitney Museum Independent Study Program (ISP) where she co-curated in/stasis with Daría Sól Andrews, and Sally Eaves Hughes. She also mentors at ArtTable, and New Museum's NEW INC.
Klaudia holds an MA in Art Business from Sotheby‘s Institute of Art New York. She also holds an MA in Economics from the Warsaw School of Economics, and BA in Economics from the Cracow School of Economics.
Image: Klaudia Ofwona Draber by Hidemi Takagi
About KODA
KODA is a nonprofit for mid-career artists of diverse backgrounds. We grant residencies to allow for experimentation and facilitate creative projects through strategic partnerships with socially engaged businesses. We are the go-to thinking spot and serve the community through exhibitions, events and outreach to strengthen art education.