Curators on Display @ Bond Street

Curators are kind of like the tour guides through a collection of artwork, attempting to bridge that ever-expanding rift between artist and slack-jawed visitor. Sometimes their job is like arranging visual grammar; at other times, they act as human Rosetta Stones -- not explicating the art so much as placing it in cultural context. So for that reason, there's something novel about "Young Curators, New Ideas," a show at Brooklyn's Bond Street Gallery (closing September 6), which tracks trends in current art photography through the eyes of six curators (some seasoned veterans, some green newbies.

Each participant demystifies distinct themes in their exhibitions-within-an-exhibition. Photographer/art critic Amy Stein explores identity issues via directorial photography, while artist Michael Bühler-Rose examines portraiture through the work of Charles Benton. Ergo, while the art world continues to grow, so does the demand for brave know-it-alls willing to consider each piece not as trash or treasure, but simply as an artifact of its time.