Ashley McNelis is a curator, writer and art historian based in New York. In May 2015, she graduated with a master’s degree in the History of Art, Theory & Criticism from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, where she studied with Robert Slifkin, PhD. Her academic interests include postwar photography, performance studies, conceptual art, the archive and institutional critique. A freelance art writer, she is a frequent contributor to BOMB Magazine, The Heavy Collective and Blonde Art Books. In the past, she has written for IFA Contemporary, Whitewall Magazine and other publications.

Her previous curatorial experiences include an exhibition in her apartment in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, an internship in the Department of Photography at The Museum of Modern Art and an internship in the Research & Exhibitions department at David Zwirner.

In the inaugural, 2014-2015 season of the NYU Curatorial Collaborative, McNelis organized the exhibition Unwanted Sexual Conduct Shouldn’t Be Part of Anyone’s Commute featuring the work of artists Chris Blue and Yoon Choi.