TheWrong
Collective.

Application for

Toby Devan Lewis Director, New Museum

New York City. USA.

I. Summary. 

The Wrong Collective is a multidisciplinary team of curators, artists, technologists, educators, and cultural executives united by a shared premise: that institutions evolve not by reinforcing certainty, but by interrogating it.

We propose a museum model that embraces contradiction, challenges authority, and redefines public engagement through experimentation, inclusion, and intellectual risk.

Rather than positioning the museum as a space of finalized knowledge, we envision it as a living organism; adaptive, participatory, and intentionally “wrong” in the sense that it resists fixed narratives and singular truths.

Who We Are.

The Wrong Collective is composed of professionals across fields including contemporary art, urban studies, digital media, anthropology, academy and public programming. Our structure is non-hierarchical, with leadership rotating depending on project needs. This allows us to remain responsive, collaborative, and open to constant reinvention.

We prioritize:

- Cross-disciplinary thinking.
- Collective authorship over individual authority.  
- Community co-creation.  
- Transparency in decision-making.  

Vision for the Museum.

We propose a museum that functions as a platform rather than a container. A space where exhibitions are not static displays but evolving conversations.

Key pillars of our vision:

1. Curatorial Instability.

Exhibitions will be dynamic and iterative. Works may be added, removed, or recontextualized in real time, reflecting ongoing dialogue with audiences and communities.

2. Public as Co-Creator.

Visitors will not simply consume content—they will shape it. Through open calls, participatory installations, and digital interfaces, the museum becomes a shared authorship space.

3. Radical Accessibility.

Admission models, language access, sensory-friendly design, and decentralized programming (including off-site and digital experiences) will ensure the museum reaches beyond traditional audiences.

4. Digital-Physical Integration.

The museum extends beyond its walls. Hybrid exhibitions, virtual residencies, and interactive archives will expand global access and engagement.

Programming Strategy.

 
Exhibitions: Rotating, modular shows that evolve over time. 
Residencies: Inviting artists, activists, and thinkers to intervene directly in the institution. 
Assemblies: Public forums where community members shape museum direction.
Labs: Experimental spaces for testing ideas, technologies, and formats.

Archives of the Unfinished: A living archive documenting process, failure, and revision. 

Leadership Approach.

As a collective, we reject the singular director model in favor of distributed leadership. However, we recognize the need for clarity and accountability. We propose:

- A facilitator-director role (rotating within the collective) to interface with the team, the board and all stakeholders.
- Transparent governance structures.
- Regular public reporting and open feedback channels.

Why Us.

 
The future of museums requires courage: to question authority, to decentralize power, and to engage audiences as collaborators. The Wrong Collective brings not only vision, but a working methodology grounded in collaboration, adaptability, and critical inquiry.

We are not interested in preserving the museum as it is. We are committed to transforming it into what it could be.

To lead this museum is not to define it, but to keep it in motion. The Wrong Collective offers a model of leadership that is plural, responsive, and unafraid to be wrong in the pursuit of something more honest, inclusive, and alive.

We welcome the opportunity to build this future together.

II. Compensation Framework.

Salary Distribution Model for Rotating and Temporary Members.

The Wrong Collective rejects fixed, hierarchical compensation in favor of a dynamic model that reflects contribution, responsibility, and time-based involvement.

Given the collective’s fluid structure (where members rotate in and out depending on projects) the salary of the Museum Director position will be distributed through a transparent, modular system.

1. Core Principles. 

- Equity over equality: Compensation reflects actual labor, not titles.  
- Transparency: All allocations are visible internally.
- Flexibility: Adapts to changing team composition.
- Sustainability: Ensures continuity without overextending resources.

2. Salary Pool Structure.

 
The total director salary is treated as a shared annual pool, divided into three components:

- Base Collective Fund (40%).  
Distributed evenly among all active core members during a given cycle (monthly or quarterly). This ensures stability and baseline compensation.

- Role-Based Allocation (35%).
Assigned to members taking on specific responsibilities (e.g., facilitator-director, lead curator, operations coordinator). These roles are temporary and rotate, with compensation tied to duration and intensity of the role.

- Project & Contribution-Based Allocation (25%).
Distributed based on measurable contributions to exhibitions, programs, partnerships, and institutional development. This includes temporary members, collaborators, and short-term participants.

3. Temporary Member Compensation. 

Temporary members (such as guest curators, artists, researchers, or advisors) are compensated through the Project & Contribution-Based Allocation.

Their pay is determined by:

- Scope and duration of involvement.
- Level of responsibility and expertise.
- Impact on programming or institutional growth.
- Agreed-upon rates set transparently at the start of each engagement.

Temporary members may also receive:

- Honoraria for short-term contributions.
- Stipends for residency-style involvement.
- Performance-based bonuses tied to project outcomes.

4. Rotational Leadership Compensation.  

When a member assumes the facilitator-director role, they receive additional compensation from the Role-Based Allocation for that period. Once the role rotates, compensation adjusts accordingly.

5. Governance and Adjustment. 

- Compensation decisions are reviewed regularly (e.g., quarterly).
- All members participate in setting and revising allocation criteria.
- A small finance working group ensures fairness, compliance, and clarity.
- Disputes are resolved through structured collective dialogue.

6. Transparency Mechanisms.  

- Open financial dashboard accessible to all members.
- Clear documentation of roles, contributions, and payments.
- Regular reporting to stakeholders and board.  

Comp Statement.  

This model ensures that compensation remains aligned with the collective’s values: fluid, fair, and accountable. By tying salary distribution to participation rather than fixed hierarchy, The Wrong Collective creates an economic structure that mirrors its institutional vision; adaptive, inclusive, and intentionally reimagined.

III. Rapid Decision-Making Framework.

Maintaining Agility Within a Non-Hierarchical Structure.

Speed doesn’t come naturally to collectives, it has to be designed. Without clear mechanisms, collaboration turns into delay. To avoid that, The Wrong Collective builds decision-making systems that are structured, delegated, and time-bound, while still honoring shared authorship.

A collective doesn’t need to be slow, it just needs to be intentional about where participation matters and where autonomy is required. The Wrong Collective ensures speed not by reducing voices, but by structuring when and how those voices shape outcomes.

1. Define Decision Types (Not All Decisions Are Equal).

We categorize decisions into three tiers:

- Immediate (hours–48h): Operational, logistical, or time-sensitive.
- Short-Term (2–7 days): Programmatic or partnership-related.
- Long-Term (weeks+): Strategic, financial, institutional.

Each tier has a different process and level of involvement. This prevents every decision from becoming a full-group discussion.

2. Delegate Authority Through “Decision Cells”.

Small, temporary groups (2–4 members) are empowered to make decisions within defined scopes.

- Each cell owns a domain (e.g., exhibitions, public programs, finance).  
- Cells have full authority within their remit. No full consensus required.
- Membership rotates to avoid power consolidation. 

If everything requires everyone, nothing moves. Decision cells keep things fast.

3. Assign a “Final Caller” for Every Decision.

Even within a cell, one person is responsible for closing the loop.

- They gather input.
- Set a deadline.
- Make the final call if consensus isn’t reached.

This role rotates, but it is always explicit.

4. Use Default-to-Action Rules.

Silence should not block progress.

- If no objections are raised within a set timeframe → decision passes.
- Objections must be specific and constructive, not just preference-based. 

This prevents endless debate and encourages thoughtful input.

5. Time-Box Everything.

 
Every decision has a deadline before discussion even begins.

- Example: “We have 48 hours to finalize this exhibition change”.
- After the deadline, the designated caller decides.

Open-ended discussion is the enemy of speed.

6. Pre-Agreed Principles Reduce Debate.

The more values are clarified upfront, the fewer decisions require deep discussion.

- Curatorial principles.  
- Budget priorities.
- Community engagement standards.  

When principles are clear, decisions become execution.

7. Transparent but Asynchronous Communication.

- Use shared platforms where all discussions are visible.  
- Allow input without requiring everyone to meet live.  
- Document decisions clearly and immediately.  

This keeps momentum without sacrificing inclusion.

8. Post-Decision Review (Not Pre-Decision Paralysis).

Instead of over-deliberating beforehand:

- Make the decision quickly.
- Review outcomes afterward.  
- Adjust systems, not just individual choices. 

This builds institutional learning without slowing action.

IV. Final Statement.

The Wrong Collective does not propose an alternative for its own sake. We propose a structure that meets the complexity of the present moment with clarity, rigor, and imagination. Our model aligns vision, governance, compensation, and decision-making into a single, coherent system. It is responsive without being chaotic, distributed without losing accountability, experimental without sacrificing institutional stability.

We understand that leading a museum today requires more than curatorial excellence. It demands adaptability, transparency, the capacity to operate across multiple temporalities at once, immediate, iterative, long-term. Our collective structure is designed for this. It allows us to think in parallel, act with speed, remain open to revision without losing direction.

This is not a rejection of leadership, but its evolution. A shift from authorship to stewardship, from control to coordination, from fixed authority to shared responsibility. Within this framework, the museum becomes not only a site of cultural production, but a model for how institutions can function differently.

We are prepared to take on this responsibility with discipline, clarity, commitment. To build an institution that is not only relevant to its time, but capable of changing with it.

The Wrong Collective stands ready to lead, not as a single voice, but as a system built to listen, respond and move forward.