Jonell Logan is New Executive Director and Curator at Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art in Reston, Va.
ON THE OUTSKIRTS of Washington, D.C., the Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art (Tephra ICA) in Reston, Va., appointed Jonell Logan executive director and curator, effective Oct. 28. “I am excited to join Tephra ICA at this dynamic point in its history. We are committed to the legacy of supporting local and national/international artists in concrete...
Taylor Renee Aldridge Joined Modern Ancient Brown Foundation in Detroit as Executive Director, Appointment Marks Return to Her Hometown
IN DETROIT, MICH., the Modern Ancient Brown Foundation (MAB) welcomed Taylor Renee Aldridge as executive director. Aldridge joined the foundation from the California African American Museum (CAAM) in Los Angeles, where she had been visual arts curator & program manager since 2020. The MAB appointment marks a homecoming for Aldridge, who was born and raised...
Moving On Up: 35 Museum Curators and Arts Leaders Who Took on New Appointments in First Half of 2024
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...
Jessica Bell Brown to Lead Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond
IN RICHMOND, VA., the Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University appointed Jessica Bell Brown its next executive director. ICA at VCU opened its doors in 2018. In less than a decade, the young institution has established itself as a dynamic space with a formidable contemporary art program engaging with local and regional figures...
Metropolitan Museum of Art Welcomed Candice Yates as Senior Research Associate of James Van Der Zee Archive
JAMES VAN DER ZEE (American, 1886-1983), “Self-portrait,” 1931 (gelatin silver print). | © James Van Der Zee Archive, The Metropolitan Museum of Art A VAST COLLECTION representing the legacy of Harlem Renaissance photographer James Van Der Zee (1886-1983) is housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The expansive holdings include about...
Courtney J. Martin Recently Joined Robert Rauschenberg Foundation as Executive Director, Calling Opportunity ‘Unparalleled’
Courtney J. Martin, 2024. Photo by Mara Lavitt Courtney J. Martin is the first Black person to lead a major artist-endowed foundation ONE OF THE MOST PROMINENT artist-endowed foundations has a new leader. The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation announced the appointment of Courtney J. Martin as executive director in February. A curator and art...
Allison Glenn Tapped as Artistic Director of the Shepherd, Multifaceted Community-Oriented Arts Campus in East Detroit
Allison Glenn. | Photo by Grace Roselli A NEW EXHIBITION opened this month in East Detroit. “In an effort to be held” at the Shepherd is presented by Library Street Collective and curated by Allison Glenn, a New York-based curator and writer. Featuring 26 artists, the group show focuses on experimentation with material and...
Kenvi Phillips Appointed Director of Barack Obama Presidential Library at the National Archives, HBCU Alum is Leading First Digital Presidential Library
OVER THE COURSE of her two-decade career, American historian Kenvi Phillips has achieved a number of firsts. Her latest is tied to the first Black President of the United States. Phillips is the inaugural director of the Barack Obama Presidential Library. She is charged with leading all library activities across planning, administration, and programming. Colleen...
TK Smith Joined Emory University’s Michael C. Carlos Museum as Curator, Arts of Africa and the African Diaspora, ‘He Uses Art as Portal for Understanding Our Histories’
EMORY UNIVERSITY in Atlanta, Ga., welcomed TK Smith as curator of the arts of Africa and the diaspora at the Michael C. Carlos Museum. Smith is a curator, writer, lecturer, and cultural historian who has been based in Atlanta and Philadelphia, Pa. His new appointment at the campus museum was announced Aug. 1. “TK is...
Audrey Hudson is Joining Philadelphia Museum of Art as Deputy Director of Learning and Engagement: ‘I Am Pumped By the Opportunity’
THE PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART (PMA) is welcoming Audrey Hudson as the Kathleen C. Sherrerd Deputy Director for Learning and Engagement, a leadership role at the museum. Hudson brings a range of experience across academia, art education, museum learning, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) practices. She is joining PMA from the Art Gallery...
SCAD Museum of Art Named Andreia Wardlaw Director of Walter and Linda Evans Center for African American Studies
THE SCAD MUSEUM OF ART (SCAD MOA) at the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) in Georgia appointed Andreia Wardlaw director of the Walter and Linda Evans Center for African American Studies. The July 10 announcement described Wardlaw as “an experienced leader and community builder who is passionate about education and the arts.” She...
Imara Limon Promoted to Chief Curator at Amsterdam Museum, She Has ‘Enriched Our Museum and the Museum Field as a Whole’
A NEW CURATORIAL LEADER has emerged at the Amsterdam Museum. Imara Limon was appointed chief curator at The Netherlands museum. In the new role, Limon will become a member of the management team. A curator and art historian, Limon joined the Amsterdam Museum as a curator in 2017 and currently serves as head of conservation....
Atlanta: 2024 Driskell Prize Winner Naomi Beckwith Celebrated at High Museum of Art Gala and Afterparty
2024 Driskell Prize Recipient Naomi Beckwith, deputy director and chief curator of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, N.Y. | Photo by Rafterman, Courtesy The High Museum of Art Gala guests included High Museum of Art Director Randall Suffolk, curator Valerie Cassel Oliver, photographer Tyler Mitchell, designer Sergio Hudson, artist Ebony G....
Naomi Beckwith Reflects on the Role of a Curator, Influencing Art History, and Receiving 2024 David C. Driskell Prize
2024 David C. Driskell Prize Recipient Naomi Beckwith reflects on the meaning of the honor and the legendary contributions of its namesake. | Video by High Museum of Art. A CURATOR AND ART HISTORIAN, Naomi Beckwith has made remarkable strides in the museum world. After formative roles at the Studio Museum in Harlem and...
Studio Museum in Harlem Appoints New Chief Program Officer: Natasha L. Logan is ‘Proven Leader’ With ‘Deep Commitment to Uplifting Artists’s Voices’
THE STUDIO MUSEUM IN HARLEM is welcoming Natasha L. Logan as its chief program officer. The Studio Museum focuses on local, national, and international artists of African descent. Logan will be responsible for exhibition and program strategies, a key leadership role supporting the museum’s mission and fundraising goals. Logan joins the Studio Museum from Creative...
New Time100 List of World’s Most Influential People Includes Studio Museum’s Thelma Golden, Architect Lesley Lokko, and Artist LaToya Ruby Frazier
See everyone on the Time100 list for 2024. | Video by Time ACCORDING TO TIME MAGAZINE, the most influential people of 2024 include three important figures in worlds of visual art and design: artist and advocate LaToya Ruby Frazier, architect and educator Lesley Lokko, and Thelma Golden, director and chief curator of the Studio...
Imani Roach Named Curatorial Director of Philadelphia Museum of Art’s New Center for African and African Diasporic Art
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 has selected Imani Roach to lead the center. Roach joins PMA from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York where she currently serves as assistant curator, Arts...
On the Rise: 27 Museum Curators and Arts Leaders Who Took on New Appointments in Second Half of 2022
BLACK CURATORS AND ARTS LEADERS took on key roles at a variety of museums and arts institutions in the second half of 2022. Sean Decatur will be the next president of the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), a world-renowned New York institution that welcomes about 5 million visitors a year. Announced early this...
Appointment: Courtney Willis Blair Will Lead White Cube Gallery in New York
IT’S NEARLY UNHEARD OF for a white-owned art gallery to offer a stake in the business to a Black dealer. Courtney Willis Blair was in rare company in January 2021 when she was named partner and senior director at Mitchell-Innes & Nash in New York. Willis Blair is continuing to break new ground in...
On the Rise: 47 Museum Curators and Arts Leaders Who Took on New Appointments in First Half of 2022
DOZENS OF BLACK CURATORS and arts leaders took on new appointments in the first half of 2022. Jenenne Whitfield will helm the Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, Md. Camille Ann Brewer recently assumed leadership of the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles in California. In London, Gilane Tawadros has been selected as the...
