Culture Type reports on new appointments of Black curators and arts leaders to get a sense of representation in museums, with an emphasis on art museums. Museum leaders, curators, and educators shape the management and intellectual direction of institutions, determine the art visitors see and the programming they experience and, by extension, whether audiences of color feel welcome and represented
New Appointments: Clockwise, from top left, Dalila Scruggs (Smithsonian American Art Museum), Imara Limon (Amsterdam Museum), I.D. Aruede (Whitney Museum of American Art), Jacquelyn Sawyer (Cleveland Museum of Art), Candice Yates (Metropolitan Museum of Art), Imani Roach (Philadelphia Museum of Art), Natasha L. Logan (Studio Museum in Harlem), Floyd Hall (Atlanta Contemporary)
CULTURE TYPE’S ANNUAL LIST of new museum and arts leader appointments features curators who organized two of the most anticipated exhibitions of the fall season. In February, Adrienne Edwards was promoted to senior curator and associate director of curatorial programs at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, where her exhibition “Edges of Ailey,” exploring the life and work of choreographer Alvin Ailey, opens tomorrow. Dalila Scruggs joined the Smithsonian American Art Museum in March and earlier this month debuted “Elizabeth Catlett: A Black Revolutionary Artist and All That It Implies,” the landmark traveling retrospective she co-curated at the Brooklyn Museum.
The year’s list also includes a couple of chief curators; several curators who have taken on roles dedicated specifically to African and African American art; museum educators, deputy directors, and CFOs; and the head of Liverpool’s International Slavery Museum. In addition to appointments at major art museums, the list highlights new hires at a selection of university galleries, community-based art centers, nonprofit art organizations, citywide art agencies, and membership organizations representing the museum field. The roundup primarily captures announcements from U.S. institutions, along with a few appointments at international organizations.
The list is divided into two parts. This first installment focuses on announcements made from January through June. The second installment will cover new hires announced in the last six months of 2024. Presented below, Culture Type’s list of new appointments made in the first half of 2024 features 35 new hires and promotions arranged according to the announcement dates. (The list is not comprehensive, but it is representative):
JANUARY
Michelle Charters. | Photo by Pete Carr
Michelle Charters, Director. | International Slavery Museum, Liverpool, UK
In January, Michelle Charters became head of Liverpool’s International Slavery Museum, where she is among the celebrated figures featured on the Black Achievers Wall. Charters is the first Black woman to lead the museum and she is overseeing a £28 million (about US $37 million) expansion that will transform the institution from a gallery space into a bonafide museum. A community activist, Charters served for 17 years as CEO of Kuumba Imani Millennium Centre in Toxteth, Liverpool, which was conceived by Liverpool Black Sisters to tackle discrimination, racial and otherwise, experienced by the Black community. The new appointment announcement noted her record of advocacy: “Throughout her career spanning more than 40 years, Michelle’s commitment has been to uncover and promote the truth of Black experiences, both historically and in the present, to find a way in which we could all learn, share and participate in a collective fight for justice.”
“I’m proud to be the one who will lead the International Slavery Museum as it realises National Museum Liverpool’s ambition to become the world leader in understanding and exploring the impact and legacies of historic and modern slavery, and how it still influences the world today.”
— Michelle Charters
Floyd Hall. | Photo by Wesley Cummings
Floyd Hall, Executive Director. | Atlanta Contemporary, Atlanta, Ga.
Floyd Hall officially joined Atlanta Contemporary as executive director on Jan. 16. An Atlanta-based cultural producer and media strategist, Hall collaborated with a variety of companies and organizations over the past dozen years. He had been serving as interim director of Emory University’s Science Gallery Atlanta since June 2022 and was a co-founder of the Canopy Atlanta, a journalism nonprofit. The new appointment was announced Jan. 6.
James Claiborne. | Courtesy The Barnes Foundation
James Claiborne, Deputy Director of Community Engagement. | The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia, Pa.
James Claiborne rejoined the Barnes Foundation as deputy director for community engagement, effective Feb. 5. Claiborne first worked the Philadelphia museum as curator of public programs in 2021. After a brief stint as senior vice president of exhibitions and programs at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit, which commenced in July 2023, he returned to the Barnes in a reconfigured role. Claiborne succeeded Val Gay, who departed after five years as deputy director for audience engagement and chief experience officer. In 2023, Claiborne co-curated “William Edmondson: A Monumental Vision” and co-edited the accompanying exhibition catalog.
FEBRUARY
Rachel D. Graham. | Photo by Elijah Davis Jr./Elijah Camera Art @ElijahCameraArt
Rachel D. Graham, Chief Executive Officer. | Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts, Baltimore, Md.
Rachel D. Graham was named CEO of the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts (BOPA), effective March 15. The news was announced in early February. Graham took on the city role after serving as director of external relations at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture in Baltimore (2021-24). She brings two decades of experience in strategic communications, media, and events working with nonprofits and local governments. BOPA is a nonprofit that serves as Baltimore’s arts council. BOPA contracts with the city to stage major events such as Artscape, Baltimore Book Festival, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade; oversee arts venues; administer grants; and manage the public art commission, mural program, and film office.
The Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts stages major events such as Artscape, Baltimore Book Festival, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade; oversees arts venues; administers grants; and manages the public art commission, mural program, and film office.
Oluremi Onabanjo. | Photo by Austin Donohue. © 2024 The Museum of Modern Art, New York
Oluremi C. Onabanjo, Curator of Photography. | Museum of Modern Art, New York, N.Y.
Oluremi C. Onabanjo was named Peter Schub Curator in the Department of Photography at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. In 2021, Onabanjo joined MoMA as associate curator of photography. The promotion was announced Feb. 8, after taking effect officially in January. During her tenure, Onabanjo has organized “Projects: Ming Smith” (2023) and “New Photography 2023: Kelani Abass, Akinbode Akinbiyi, Yagazie Emezi, Amanda Iheme, Abraham Oghobase, Karl Ohiri, Logo Oluwamuyiwa.” Previously, Onabanjo was director of exhibitions and collections at The Walther Collection. Her recent publications include “Ming Smith: Invisible Man, Somewhere Everywhere,” and “Marilyn Nance: Last Day in Lagos,” which appeared on Culture Type’s list of the Best Black Art Books of 2022.
Gevelyn McCaskill. | © 2022 Peabody Essex Museum. Photo by Kathy Tarantola
Gevelyn McCaskill, Chief Financial Officer. | Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Mass.
The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, Mass., appointed Gevelyn McCaskill chief financial officer. The news was announced Feb. 8. She first joined the museum in 2016 and then served as director of Financial Planning and Business Intelligence at PEM, before being promoted to CFO. Prior to her arrival at PEM, McCaskill was senior financial analyst at Harvard Medical School, associate director of finance and administration at Brandeis University, and Harvard University’s manager of finance. At PEM, McCaskill officially started as CFO on March 31.
Marilyn Jackson, 2023. | Courtesy American Alliance of Museums
Marilyn Jackson, President and CEO. | American Alliance of Museums, Arlington, Va.
On Feb. 22, the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) announced its next president and CEO would be Marilyn Jackson, effective April 22. Jackson’s appointment is historic. She is the first person of color and first Black woman to lead the organization. Established in 1906, AAM represents art, history, and science museums, as well as zoos. Jackson joined AAM from the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Ky., where she had served as president and CEO since 2022. Previously, she was the chief strategy and engagement officer at United Way of Metro Chicago. In prior roles, Jackson was vice president of membership at Chicago Architecture Foundation and director of marketing at the Museum of Science & Industry in Chicago.
Marilyn Jackson is the first person of color and first Black woman to lead the American Alliance of Museums, which represents 35,000 museums and museum professionals.
Adrienne Edwards. | Photo By Bryan Derballa
Adrienne Edwards, Senior Curator and Associate Director of Curatorial Programs. | Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, N.Y.
On Feb. 22, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York announced the promotion of Adrienne Edwards to the position of Engell Speyer Family Senior Curator and Associate Director of Curatorial Programs. She officially stepped into the new role on Feb. 26. Edwards joined the Whitney Museum in 2018 as curator of performance and was named director of curatorial affairs in 2021. She is currently organizing “Edges of Ailey,” the first large-scale museum exhibition to explore the life and work of legendary choreographer Alvin Ailey (1931-1989). The show opens on Sept. 25.
Evan Waddy-Farr. | Courtesy Heckscher Museum of Art
Evan Waddy-Farr, Director of Operations and Strategic Initiatives. | Heckscher Museum of Art in Huntington, N.Y.
The Heckscher Museum of Art in Huntington, N.Y., appointed Evan Waddy-Farr to the newly created role of director of operations and strategic initiatives. Waddy-Farr is a Morehouse alum who brings more than a dozen years of experience, including nonprofit operations and development, project management, grant writing, and a background in K-12 teaching and working with youth. Previously, he was director of curriculum and director of development at 4th Family Inc., in Albany, N.Y., a nonprofit focused on teen mentorship. The news of Waddy-Farr’s appointment was announced Feb. 9. He started at Heckscher Museum in January.
Lauren LeBeaux Craig. | Photo by Fresco Arts Team
Lauren LeBeaux Craig, Executive Director. | Newark Arts, Newark, N.J.
On Feb. 12, Newark Arts in New Jersey announced the appointment of Lauren LeBeaux Craig as executive director, making permanent a job she had been performing on an interim basis since July 2023. Craig has been engaged with the nonprofit for more than a decade, first serving on the board from 2013 to 2016. She led marketing and branding for seven years before being named interim executive director last summer.
Courtney J. Martin, 2024. | Photo by Mara Lavitt
Courtney J. Martin, Executive Director. | Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, New York, N.Y.
On Feb. 24, the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation announced the appointment of Courtney J. Martin as executive director. With assets of more than half a billion dollars, the foundation supports artists and scholars through grants, a residency program, and a variety of collaborations. A curator and art historian, Martin joined the Rauschenberg Foundation from the Yale Center for British Art (YCBA) at Yale University in New Haven, Conn., where she had served as the Paul Mellon Director since 2019. Prior to joining YCBA, she was deputy director and chief curator at the New York-based Dia Art Foundation. Her latest appointment is historic. In her new role at the Rauschenberg Foundation, Martin is the first Black person to lead a major artist-endowed foundation (AEF) in the United States, according to the Aspen Institute. She officially started in July.
Courtney J. Martin is the first Black person to lead a major artist-endowed foundation (AEF) in the United States.
MARCH
Sheila McDaniel. | Courtesy Museum Association of New York
Sheila McDaniel, Interim Executive Director. | Museum Association of New York (MANY), New York, N.Y.
After serving on the board of directors of the Museum Association of New York (MANY), from 2018-20, Sheila McDaniel was asked to return and lend her leadership skills. On March 1, MANY announced McDaniel was stepping into the role of interim director. The news came in the wake of Erika Sanger’s plan to depart in early April. After leading MANY for eight years, Sanger accepted the executive director role at Opera House Arts in Stonington, Maine. McDaniel brings a wealth of experience to the interim role. She was administrator at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. (2020-23). Managing teams critical to the museum’s operations—administrative support, architecture and capital improvement, facilities, horticulture, personnel, procurement, and security—McDaniel was the first Black woman to hold an executive officer post at the National Gallery since its founding. Previously, she was deputy director of finance and operations at the Studio Museum in Harlem for more than 16 years (2004-20).
I.D. Aruede. | Courtesy Whitney Museum of American Art
I.D. Aruede, Deputy Director. | Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, N.Y.
In March, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York announced the promotion of I.D. Aruede to deputy director, a leadership role on the senior management and policymaking team. Aruede joined the Whitney Museum in 2009. Today, his expansive, museum-wide responsibilities include long-term strategy, operations, and oversight across matters of finance, investment, endowment, capital planning, legal, and government and community affairs, as well as DEI goals, and the Office of People & Culture. Over the past 15 years, Aruede rose from director of finance (2009-12) to chief financial officer (2012-18) and co-chief operating officer and CFO (2018-24). Prior to the Whitney Museum, he began his career in accounting at KPMG and also worked in investment banking.
Dalila Scruggs. | Photo by Jeffrey Mercado
Dalila Scruggs, Curator of African American Art. | Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.
The Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) announced the appointment of Dalila Scruggs to a newly created role on its curatorial team. Scruggs joined the Washington, D.C., museum as the inaugural Augusta Savage Curator of African American Art. Previously, Scruggs was curator for photography and prints at the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. At SAAM, she focuses on exhibitions and acquisitions of African American art, one of the strengths of the museum’s collection. The news was announced March 11. She officially started at SAAM on April 22. Scruggs is also co-organizing “Elizabeth Catlett: A Black Revolutionary Artist and All That It Implies.” The landmark touring exhibition just opened on Sept. 13 at the Brooklyn Museum and travels to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the Art Institute of Chicago in 2025.
Dalila Scruggs is the inaugural Augusta Savage Curator of African American Art at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, where she will focus on exhibitions and acquisitions of African American art.
A Philadelphia native, Valerie V. Gay has a creative background in music and fashion and leadership experience in arts organizations and academia.
Valerie V. Gay, Chief Cultural Officer. | Office of Art, Culture and the Creative Economy, Philadelphia, Pa.
On March 19, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker announced several new appointments. Among them, Valerie V. Gay joined the administration as chief cultural officer/executive director of the city’s Office of Art, Culture and the Creative Economy (OACCE). Gay is the first head of OECCE to serve in the mayor’s cabinet, signaling her administration’s commitment to the arts. Gay started on April 10. Previously, she served as deputy director of audience engagement at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia (2019-24). In earlier roles in the city, she was executive director of the Art Sanctuary and assistant dean for institutional advancement at Temple University’s College of Education. In 2006, Gay founded Fortress Arts Academy to provide access to the arts in underserved communities.
Vedet Coleman-Robinson. | Photograph by Megapixels Media Photography
Vedet Coleman-Robinson, President and CEO. | Association of African American Museums, Washington, D.C.
Vedet Coleman-Robinson was promoted to president and CEO of the Association of African American Museums (AAAM), a member organization that supports museums and individual professionals focused on African and African American art, history, and culture. The appointment was announced March 25. Since 2019, she had served as executive director of AAAM. Before accepting a staff role, Coleman-Robinson was on AAAM’s membership committee. Previously, she spent 11 years at the National Park Service working on grant programs for the State, Tribal, Local, Plans & Grants Division and Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Lauren Haynes. | Photo by Derrick Beasley
Lauren Haynes, Head Curator and Vice President for Arts and Culture. | Trust for Governors Island and Governors Island Arts, Governors Island, New York, N.Y.
Governors Island offers a quick escape from the New York City streets to a park-like environment with picturesque views and must-see public art. Earlier this year, the popular public art program got a new leader. On March 26, the Trust for Governors Island and Governors Island Arts announced the appointment of Lauren Haynes as head curator and vice president for arts and culture. Haynes previously served as director of curatorial affairs and programs at the Queens Museum and held earlier curatorial roles at Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, and Studio Museum in Harlem. Her Governors Island tenure began in March.
APRIL
Jordan Jones. | Courtesy Jacob Lawrence Gallery
Jordan Jones, Director and Curator. | Jacob Lawrence Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle, Wash.
Jordan Jones was appointed director and curator of the Jacob Lawrence Gallery at the University of Washington in Seattle. The newly renovated, state-of-the-art exhibition space is located within UW Seattle’s School of Art + Art History + Design. After earning a bachelor of arts degree from Williams College, Jones was based in New York, where she served as exhibitions coordinator at Independent Curators International. Previously, she was a joint curatorial fellow at The Studio Museum in Harlem and the Museum of Modern Art. The new appointment was announced April 2 and Jones started at the Jacob Lawrence Gallery the next day.
Cécile Fromont. | Courtesy Harvard History of Art and Architecture
Cécile Fromont, Director. | Ethelbert Cooper Gallery of African and African American Art, Hutchins Center, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
Cécile Fromont joined Harvard University as a new professor in the Department of History of Art and Architecture and the first faculty director of the Ethelbert Cooper Gallery of African and African American Art at the Hutchins Center. The appointment was announced APril 5. Fromont arrived at Harvard from Yale University, where she was a professor of African and South Atlantic Art. She holds a Ph.D., in the history of art and architecture from Harvard (2008).
Cécile Fromont is the first faculty director of Harvard University’s Ethelbert Cooper Gallery of African and African American Art at the Hutchins Center.
Annissa Malvoisin. | Photo by Liz Ligon, Courtesy Brooklyn Museum
Annissa Malvoisin, Associate Curator for Arts of Africa. | Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, N.Y.
On April 23, the Brooklyn Museum announced the appointment of Annissa Malvoisin as associate curator for Arts of Africa. Previously, Malvoisin was a Bard Graduate Center/Brooklyn Museum postdoctoral fellow in the Arts of Africa (2021-24). During her fellowship, she co-curated the “Africa Fashion” (2023) exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum. Malvoisin hails from Toronto, Canada. Her prior experience includes a multi-year internship at the Royal Ontario Museum, where she concentrated on African art. Malvoisin officially started in her new role at the Brooklyn Museum in February.
Drexell Owusu. | Courtesy Perot Museum of Nature and Science
Drexell Owusu, Chief Learning Officer. | Perot Museum of Nature and Science, Dallas, Texas
Drexell Owusu was named chief learning officer at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, effective April 1. Focusing on education and research, the Perot Museum describes itself as “dedicated to inspiring minds through nature and science.” Owusu is expected to expand the museum’s impact on STEM education throughout Texas. He joined the Perot Museum from The Dallas Foundation where he had served as chief impact officer since 2021. Previously, Owusu was senior vice president of Education & Workforce at the Dallas Regional Chamber. His latest appointment was announced April 30.
MAY
Imani Roach. | Photo by Naomieh Jovin, Courtesy Philadelphia Museum of Art
Imani Roach, Curatorial Director. | Brind Center for African and African Diasporic Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pa.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) announced in February 2023 the establishment of the Brind Center for African and African Diasporic Art. A year later, the museum selected Imani Roach to lead the center. Roach joined PMA from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York where she was assistant curator, Arts of Africa. She started her new role as the inaugural curatorial director of the Brind Center in May. Dedicated to the study, acquisition, and care of art from continental Africa, the Americas, and the wider Black diaspora, the center is designed to expand the scope and reach of PMA’s collection.
Imani Roach is the inaugural curatorial director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Brind Center for African and African Diasporic Art, which is dedicated to the study, acquisition, and care of art from continental Africa, the Americas, and the wider Black diaspora.
Danielle Burns Wilson. | Photo by Emile Browne, Courtesy Project Row Houses
Danielle Burns Wilson, Executive Director. | Project Row Houses, Houston, Texas
On May 1, Project Row Houses (PRH) announced Danielle Burns Wilson had been appointed executive director. Project Row Houses in Houston is a platform for art and community based in a series of renovated shot-gun houses in the Third Ward, one of city’s oldest African American neighborhoods. The nonprofit focuses on exhibitions, fellowships, residencies, and grant opportunities for artists, alongside community enrichment and neighborhood development programs. Wilson joined PRH in 2021 as curator and art director and since fall 2023 had served as interim executive director. Previously, she spent about a dozen years as curator and manager of the African American Library at The Gregory School, a special collections unit of the Houston Public Library System.
Natasha L. Logan. | Photo by Nicholas Parakas, Courtesy Studio Museum in Harlem
Natasha L. Logan, Chief Program Officer. | Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, N.Y.
The Studio Museum in Harlem welcomed Natasha L. Logan in the role of chief program officer. She officially started May 8. The Studio Museum focuses on local, national, and international artists of African descent. Its new building, the museum’s first purpose-build home is currently under construction and expected to be complete in 2025. Logan will be responsible for exhibition and program strategies, a key leadership role supporting the museum’s mission and fundraising goals. Logan joined the Studio Museum from Creative Time, the New York-based public art organization, where she had served as deputy director since 2019.
Bethani Blake. | Courtesy Amistad Center for Art & Culture
Bethani Blake, Associate Curator for African Diaspora. | Amistad Center and Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, Conn.
The Amistad Center in Hartford, Conn., focuses on the African American experience. Founded in 1987, the center is housed in The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, which dates back to 1842 and is the oldest continuously operating public art museum in America. After being appointed programs manager for the African Diaspora at the Amistad Center and the Atheneum in summer 2023, Bethani Blake took on the role of associate curator at the Amistad Center in May. The newly created position is also a collaborative role with the Atheneum. Blake hails from Ohio and earned a BFA in painting and performing arts from the Savannah College of Art and Design (2021).
Michelle RhodesBrown. | Courtesy Walters Art Museum
Michelle RhodesBrown, Co-Director | Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Md.
On May 8, the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Md., announced Chief Financial Officer Michelle RhodesBrown would co-lead the museum beginning in September. Gina Borromeo, senior director of collections and curatorial affairs and senior curator of ancient art is her partner in the leadership role. The interim appointments were necessitated by news that the museum’s then-director Julia Marciari-Alexander planned to depart in September. RhodesBrown joined the Walters in 2019 as director of finance and became CFO in 2023. She brings three decades of experience in the financial industry to the museum, including equity analysis, investor relations, and portfolio management. RhodesBrown has also been a business owner and served as national finance chair of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., from 2013 to 2017.
Arlene Williams. | Photo by Andre Dunston, Epic Media Photography, Courtesy NGA
Arlene Williams, Director of Strategic Giving. | National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Arlene Williams joined the National Gallery of Art on May 6. Williams is the Washington, D.C., museum’s new director of strategic giving. In the role, she is charged with bringing in major gifts from corporate, institutional, and individual donors, funds critical to sustaining the museum’s exhibitions and programming. Most recently, Williams served as COO and senior vice president of special initiatives at the The Policy Academies in Washington. Over the years, she has held fundraising roles at a variety of organizations, including the Economic Policy Institute, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Williams also served as director of development at the American Alliance of Museums earlier in her career. Her new appointment was announced May 20.
Marcus E. Margerum. | Photo by Lisa M. Margerum
Marcus E. Margerum, Deputy Director. | Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago, Chicago, Ill.
In May, Marcus E. Margerum became deputy director of the Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago, where he collaborates on institutional strategy and initiatives and oversees operations and administration. In the leadership role, Margerum is responsible for key museum departments and teams, including collections and registration, exhibition production and management, publications, communications, facilities and security management, and guest services. His appointment was announced on May 20. Previously, Margerum served as deputy director and chief business officer at the Ohio’s Contemporary Arts Center (CAC), Cincinnati (2021-24) and vice president of government and community affairs at the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau (2015-20).
Kenvi Phillips. | Courtesy National Archives and Records Administration
Kenvi Phillips, Director. | Barack Obama Presidential Library, College Park, Md.
Kenvi Phillips is the inaugural director of the Barack Obama Presidential Library at the National Archives and Records Administration, a federal agency that administers the Presidential library system. Her appointment was announced May 22 and she officially started on June 16. Phillips is charged with leading all library activities across planning, administration, and programming. The Obama Library is the first all-digital Presidential library. Previously, Phillips was the first director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Brown University Library. She also served as the first Johanna-Marie Frankel Curator for Race and Ethnicity at Harvard University’s Schlesinger Library, which focuses on American women. In an earlier role, she was assistant curator of manuscripts at the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center at Howard University, her alma mater. Phillips earned a doctorate in U.S. history and a master’s degree in public history from Howard.
Allison Glenn. | Photo by Grace Roselli
Allison Glenn, Artistic Director. | The Shepherd, Detroit, Mich.
On May 23, Library Street Collective announced Allison Glenn had officially joined The Shepherd as artistic director. She began working with the Shepherd in January and her appointment was first reported in the New York Times on April 25. Glenn is a curator, writer, and visiting curator in the Department of Film Studies at the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma. She previously served as senior curator at Public Art Fund in New York and associate curator of contemporary art at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Ark. As artistic director, Glenn will focus on developing exhibitions, programs, and partnerships. Her inaugural exhibition at the Shepherd is now on view. “In an effort to be held” features 26 artists and opened Aug. 3. A Detroit native, Glenn is based in New York.
Jacquelyn Sawyer. | Courtesy Cleveland Museum of Art
Jacquelyn Sawyer, Chief Learning Officer. | Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
The Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland, Ohio, appointed Jacquelyn Sawyer chief learning officer. The news was announced May 24. She officially started June 17. Sawyer joined the Cleveland museum from the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., where she had served as vice president of education and engagement since 2021. Previously, Sawyer was interim director of Interpretation, Collections and Education at Baltimore’s Reginald F Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture and vice president of education at the National Aquarium in Baltimore.
Toyia K. Stewart. | Courtesy Art Institute of Chicago
Toyia K. Stewart, Vice President of Human Resources, People and Culture. | Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Ill.
The Art Institute of Chicago announced the appointment of Toyia K. Stewart as vice president of Human Resources, People and Culture on May 24. Stewart’s background features more than 25 years of human resources experience, including employee and labor relations and diversity programs. Previously, she served as vice president and chief human resources officer at Roosevelt University in Chicago. Stewart had started at the Art Institute in March.
JUNE
Candice Yates. | Courtesy Candice Yates via Metropolitan Museum of Art
Candice Yates, Senior Research Associate, James Van Der Zee Archive | Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, N.Y.
Candice Yates joined the Photographs department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as senior research associate of the James Van Der Zee Archive. Previously, Yates spent three years as a cataloger in the Photographs department of Christie’s auction house in New York. Active from the 1910s to the early 1980s, Van Der Zee famously documented the lives of Harlem’s Black residents. In December 2021, the Met established the Van Der Zee Archive in collaboration with the Studio Museum in Harlem. The collection includes about 20,000 prints made in Van Der Zee’s lifetime, 30,000 negatives, studio equipment, and related materials. Yates is leading the museum’s efforts to process the archive, including preservation, conservation, research, cataloging, and digitization. Her appointment was effective June 10.
Candice Yates is leading efforts to research and process the James Van Der Zee Archive at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, including the preservation, conservation, cataloging, and digitization of 30,000 negatives and about 20,000 prints.
Imara Limon. | Photo by Berdi Kramers
Imara Limon, Chief Curator. | Amsterdam Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
A new curatorial leader emerged recently at the Amsterdam Museum. Imara Limon was named chief curator at The Netherlands museum. In the new role, Limon is a member of the management team. A curator and art historian, Limon joined the Amsterdam Museum as a curator in 2017 and was serving as head of conservation before her latest appointment. The news was announced June 11 and the promotion was effective July 1.
Jaynelle Hazard. | Courtesy Georgetown Galleries
Jaynelle Hazard, Director and Chief Curator. | Georgetown University Art Galleries, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
In Washington, D.C., Georgetown University’s College of Art & Sciences recruited Jaynelle Hazard to helm its art galleries. Hazard was appointed director and chief curator of both the Maria & Alberto de la Cruz Art Gallery and the Lucille M. & Richard F.X. Spagnuolo Art Gallery. The news was announced June 20 and she started in August. Hazard is also an associate professor of the practice at Georgetown in the School of Art & Art History. Her background includes experience in the Washington region. Since 2020, Hazard had been executive director and chief curator of Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art in Reston, Va. In a previous role, she was director of exhibitions at Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, Va. She is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University and earned a master’s degree from Sotheby’s Institute of Art. CT
FIND MORE Culture Type has previously reported on annual curatorial and arts leader appointments, dating from 2016
FIND MORE Black Curators Matter: An Oral History Project was established by Columbia University Professor Kellie Jones focusing on visual art curators active over the past half century “who have played an important role in getting the museum and curatorial field to where it is today,” with interviews are conducted by younger curators
FIND MORE Since 2015, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Ithaka S+R have been surveying museum staff demographics to understand opportunities and representation in terms of age, race, and gender at the institutions. In November 2022, they released a third survey of North American art museum staff demographics. (Summary)
