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Indeed, Hopkins isn't really a place to go to study contemporary art... they don't even have faculty to sponsor a dissertation about anything post-WWII, or anything American, really. In addition to the departments that Arthistoryvoe2 listed, McGill Univerity is worth mentioning -- they have amassed a rock-star faculty for contemporary art -- Christine Ross and Amelia Jones alone would be great.

totally reasonable... don't sweat the GREs... they're all but a formality.

chamomile is (likewise) right -- and I'd go even farther (at risk of being a total debbie downer) and say that a student is highly unlikely to be admitted into a Phd program to study Japanese art without a strong working knowledge of Japanese. Now, this is not the case for MA programs. But I don't know of a single colleague studying East Asian art at the PhD level without a strong knowledge (reading, writing, and speaking) of the relevant language.

captainscarlet -- regarding studying contemporary art in Japan/China at the PhD level -- you're unlikely to be admitted without a strong working knowledge of the relevant language (Japanese, Mandarin, etc. -- depending on your focus) -- not to mention an application essay (personal statement) and writing sample that demonstrate deep knowledge of and critical insights into the field. Because your interests are broad and if your aim is to curate at alternative spaces/contemporary art museums and teach part-time, perhaps it might be worthwhile to look at MA programs that focus on curating and contemporary art more broadly -- Bard (http://www.bard.edu/ccs/) and CCA (http://www.cca.edu/academics/graduate/curatorial-practice) are good places to start -- both have programs that are very well respected and give opportunities to curate while a student. A PhD, while it is one route, it is not necessarily the best route (and certainly not the only route) into a career of contemporary art curation -- particularly if you want to end up working in alternative spaces or kunsthalle type museums (ones without a permanent collections).

as far as languages go -- learn german. regardless of your area of interest, you will be expected to have a reading-knowledge of german. my recommendation at this stage in the process would be to read as many recently published books on modern/contemporary art as you can -- see what resonates with you and then look into where the authors of the books teach. also look at the bibliographies of the books that resonate and follow the sources around. this will help you to hone in on schools as well as begin to give you fodder for your application essays. good luck!

without a doubt curatorial internship at a less famous museum + two research languages is the way to go. learning research languages will do more to strengthen your application than museum internships will -- so doing both is pretty much a no-brainer. admissions committees at top programs think it "irresponsible" to admit students without foreign language training (particularly German) -- since it is near impossible to learn two languages and finish coursework in a timely manner (and more and more, programs stress getting done quickly). plus, there are benefits to working at smaller museums -- you might have more opportunities to do more substantial curatorial tasks (writing wall text, essays for exhibition brochures, etc.).

even better if you can get the new paper critiqued by an art history professor before you submit it -- perhaps when you write your old professors eliciting letters of recommendation? the worst they can say is that they don't have time. very best of luck.

For what it's worth -- to get in to a top program, you must submit the very best MOST SPECIFIC writing sample you can possibly generate, period. If you have a doubt about the writing sample, then re-write it -- because lord knows you'll be competing against kids who have done just that. Next to the statement of purpose, the writing sample is the single most important part of your application. Your writing sample should be a cogent (aim for 10-15 pages) and persuasive piece of original scholarship that speaks precisely to your research interests as stated in your personal statement. If it's not, then you open up a host of questions -- most specifically... the adcom might very well ask... if she's thought enough about xyz topic to want to write a dissertation about it, then why didn't she submit the proof? -- and why would you want to even let them open up that line of questioning?

I'd contact the faculty members at UChicago that you're interested in taking courses with, and make sure they're not on leave next year. Since MAPH is only one year long, that's always a risk.

chiming in to say that Williamstown is small, intense, but chock full of museums, art historians and curators who provide more art openings/talks/lectures/symposia/colloquia etc. than you could ever hope to attend. so if you're willing to give up city life for two years (though people frequently travel to NYC/Boston on the weekends) it's probably the best place in the world to be doing art history. and if you're a contemporary-art type person, check out mass moca's website to get a feel for the types of events that go on there.

The professor might just be asking you to send him/her your statement of purpose/personal statement directly (the one you're planning to submit with your application) -- I'd take it as a good sign (that something you said in your email piqued the professor's interests enough to want to see more).

fewer than 20 pages is fine too -- probably preferable if you're able to make a tight and compelling argument.

word on the street is that julia bryan wilson will be there next year.

Williams MA grad here... can't help but chime in (and now fully funded at my first choice PhD program). I was fully funded at Williams as well -- so I can't speak to the question of whether or not it is worth the price. The program is excellent, and like other programs, it is what you make of it -- though the opportunities it affords are pretty much second to none. There are ample opportunities to teach, do very high level curatorial work, and high level research work with visiting scholars (through the research and academic program headed by Michael Ann Holly) -- and this is in addition to rigorous coursework. These opportunities do distinguish Williams from other programs -- I know of few other MA students who were able to curate exhibitions at major museums. Several members of my cohort are now in top PhD programs, and several are working in museums as fellows, researchers, and assistant curators. Needless to say, I'm a big fan of the program (though, admittedly, the Berkshires are fantastic during the summer and awful during the winter). There are certainly other paths to a successful PhD program -- and I have nothing bad to say about other MA programs (I can really only speak to Williams) -- but, Williams is certainly a good option that, in my experience, opens up doors to PhD programs and museum work.

anything you can do to learn more about your intended field and produce a stronger writing sample will help you get into a top PhD program. if (for whatever reasons) finances don't present an obstacle to enrolling in a terminal MA program, then i'd say go for it. and if your goal is to apply to top phd programs, then focus your MA studies on producing a publishable writing sample (not that you have to publish it, just aim to make it that quality) and honing your focus within the field so that when you apply to PhD programs you'll be able to say with confidence exactly who you want to work with and why. for what it's worth (from someone who has been through this process with much success) the key is having a specific and confident personal statement, a killer writing sample, and recommendors who can speak in detail about your graduate level curatorial/research work.