Throughout her career working with internationally recognized organizations, Helen has developed expertise in curatorial leadership, cultural partnerships, strategic planning, risk management, and fundraising. She utilizes these skills to advocate for artists in local, national, and international contexts through board and committee roles and long-term relationship-building.
Below is a small selection of organizations she has been proud to support; each has led to enduring relationships that have shaped her curatorial ethos and life.
2022-2024 Program Mentor, Prospectus Curatorial Development Program
Board Member, 2021-2022
The Brew House Association (BHA) provides a wide range of creatives with the support needed to foster invention, creation, and collaboration.
Find out more about their programs for artists and curators via their website.
Installation photograph of the BHA gallery space showing g work by Paper Buck © Helen Trompeteler
Curatorial Advisor, 2022-Present
Board Member, 2017- 2022
Four Corners is a center for photography and film in London. Their work builds upon almost 50 years of radical, socially engaged approaches to photography and film. Helen’s expertise supports Four Corners’ long-term curatorial strategy.
Learn more about Four Corners at their website and online Four Corners Archive.
Advisor, 2017-Present
From 2017-2023, Helen advised photojournalist Marilyn Stafford on the long-term care and development of her photographic archive. Stafford’s photographs span from 1948 to 1980 and cover remarkable periods of international modern history. Following Marilyn’s death in January 2023, Helen remains an active advocate for Stafford’s lifetime body of work as part of the Marilyn Stafford Collective.
Learn more about Stafford’s life at her website.
Boulogne-Billancourt © Marilyn Stafford
Committee Member, PIT Art in the Airport program
2022 – Present
As a dual British-American citizen who has settled in Pittsburgh, Helen is delighted to support the Pittsburgh International Airport Art Advisory Committee in support of the program’s mission to present dynamic visual art, performing art, and public art produced by local, regional, national, and international artists.
Learn more about the program and artist opportunities at Fly Pittsburgh
Carolina Loyola-Garcia, Hands, PIT Art Collection. Image: Carolina Loyola-Garcia.
Mentor for Society of Photography Education Pride Caucus
2023
Helen has previously supported fellow members of the SPE Pride Caucus as a mentor. The SPE Pride Caucus mentorship initiative aims to support artists who identify as LGBTQIA2+ with feedback on their work and guidance on professional practice.
Learn more about SPE Pride Caucus Mentorship Sessions via Instagram.
Individual member on behalf of Silver Eye Center for Photography, 2022-2023
VACE is a coalition of eight small visual arts organizations in Pittsburgh that aim to make the field more equitable, visible, and sustainable.
Learn more about VACE at their website and read VACE’s Statement on Pay Standards for Arts Workers.
Exterior view: Silver Eye Center for Photography
Associated Artists of Pittsburgh
Exhibition Committee Member, 2021-2022
The Associated Artists of Pittsburgh (AAP) is the oldest continuously exhibiting visual arts organization in the US. As an exhibition committee member, Helen supported AAP’s members, exhibitions, and programs.
Find out more about AAP and the work of its members via their website.
Installation photograph of the AAP gallery space © Helen Trompeteler
Photographic Collections Network
Advisor and Researcher, 2017
PCN is an organization that protects and shares the UK’s diverse photographic collections and archives. Helen was an advisor and researcher for the network during its inaugural year.
Learn more about PCN’s collections research and programs via their website.
Photograph © Ula Kuźma