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...
New Appointments Announced at Studio Museum in Harlem, National Gallery of Canada, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Terra Foundation & More
SEVERAL ART INSTITUTIONS announced notable new curatorial and leadership appointments over the past month, including newly created roles at the Studio Museum in Harlem and the Terra Foundation for American Art in Chicago: T. Camille Martin-Thomsen is incoming dean of faculty and vice president of academic affairs at The School of the Art...
In California, Elena Gross is Incoming Co-Director at Berkeley Art Center, Which Champions Bay Area Artists and Curators
IN BERKELEY, CALIF., Elena Gross is joining the Berkeley Art Center (BAC) as co-director. Gross brings eight years of experience working in the Bay Area arts community and a background that spans museums, culturally specific institutions, commercial galleries, independent nonprofits, and arts publications. Gross is currently director of exhibitions and curatorial affairs at the Museum...
In New York, Public Art Fund Welcomes New Senior Curator: ‘Among Her Generation, Allison Glenn Has Emerged as a Leading Curatorial Voice’
THE NEXUS OF ART and community is central to the work of curator Allison Glenn. She is taking on a new role that will fuel that focus, bringing contemporary art to broader audiences through public art initiatives. After stints in New Orleans, Bentonville, Ark., and Houston, Glenn is headed to New York City where she...
Ndubuisi C. Ezeluomba Returns to Virginia Museum of Fine Arts as Curator of African Art: ‘I Hope to Inspire an Appreciation for and Deeper Understanding of African Art’
THE VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS (VMFA) named Ndubuisi C. Ezeluomba to the position of curator of African art. The appointment marks his return to the Richmond museum. From 2016-18, Ezeluomba was an Andrew W. Mellon Curatorial Research Specialist in African Art at VMFA. Ezeluomba will be responsible for the museum’s African art collection,...
Erica Wall Will Lead Lunder Institute at Colby College Museum of Art in Maine
THE COLBY COLLEGE MUSEUM OF ART announced the appointment Erica Wall. An arts leader with two decades of experience, she will serve as director of the Lunder Institute for American Art. Located in downtown Waterville, Me., the Lunder Institute was established in 2017 as the research and creative arm of the museum. Inviting artists,...
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco Announced New Appointments Across Curatorial, Programming, and Diversity and Inclusion Teams
THE FINE ARTS MUSEUMS OF SAN FRANCISCO (FAMSF) announced a slate of new staff members on May 5, including Abram Jackson, director of interpretation; Courtney Jones, manager of diversity and inclusion; Sarah Mackay, assistant curator, Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts; and Devin Malone, director of public programs and community engagement. FAMSF is comprised of...
Detroit Institute of Arts Appoints Juana Williams Associate Curator of African American Art
THE DETROIT INSTITUTE OF ARTS (DIA) is welcoming a new curator this week, naming Juana Williams associate curator of African American art. An independent curator based in Detroit, she recently served as director of exhibitions at Library Street Collective and was an adjunct faculty member in art history at Wayne State University. Williams is...
Jessica Bell Brown Promoted to Curator and Department Head for Contemporary Art at Baltimore Museum of Art
THE CONTEMPORARY ART DEPARTMENT at the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) is now led by Jessica Bell Brown. After joining the museum as associate curator of contemporary art in November 2019, Brown was promoted to curator and department head for contemporary art earlier this month. In her new role, she is overseeing a growing...
Camille Ann Brewer Appointed Director of San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles: ‘I’m Thrilled to be Part of an Institution That Celebrates California’s Legacy and History in Textile Arts’
THE SAN JOSE MUSEUM OF QUILTS AND TEXTILES (SJMQT) announced its new director will be Camille Ann Brewer. A Detroit, Mich.-based curator, handweaver, and archivist, Brewer will shape the museum’s vision and strategy, leading operations, exhibitions and programming, the collection, community engagement, and donor relations. Brewer brings a spectrum of experience to SJMQT, more than...
Ernestine White-Mifetu Appointed Curator of African Art at Brooklyn Museum
THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM recently welcomed Ernestine White-Mifetu as Sills Foundation Curator of African Art. White-Mifetu was working as an independent artist and curator when she joined the Brooklyn Museum. She brings two decades of experience to the role. Previously, she served as director and chief curator of the William Humphreys Art Gallery in Northern Cape,...
Henone K. Girma: Newark Museum of Art Names New Curator of Arts of Global Africa
THE NEWARK MUSEUM OF ART is starting off the new year by welcoming a new member to its curatorial team. Henone K. Girma has been named associate curator of the Arts of Global Africa. Girma joins the Newark Museum of Art in New Jersey from The Africa Center in Harlem, where she served as programs...
On the Rise: 69 Museum Curators and Arts Leaders Who Took on Notable New Appointments in 2021
FIVE YEARS AGO, Culture Type began reporting on new appointments of Black curators, primarily in museums. The first review in 2016 was prompted by findings published by the Mellon Foundation (2015) that showed American museums employed very few Black people in positions that shape them in terms of their management and intellectual direction as...
Latest News in Black Art: Curator Essence Harden Joins CAAM, New Curatorial Hires at Brooklyn Museum, Arthur Jafa Guest Edited i-D Magazine, Michael C. Thorpe and Jammie Holmes Gain New Gallery Representation
Latest News in Black Art features news updates and developments in the world of art and related culture From left, Curators Kimberli Gant and Stephanie Sparling Williams. | Courtesy Brooklyn Museum Appointments The Brooklyn Museum announced two new curatorial appointments. Stephanie Sparling Williams is joining the museum as the Andrew W. Mellon...
Jamillah James Appointed Senior Curator at Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago: As a Student ‘Visiting the MCA Helped Me Realize the Possibilities of Curating and of Museums’
THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART CHICAGO announced new leadership appointments to its curatorial team today. Jamillah James was named Manilow Senior Curator. MCA Chicago described her new role as leading the visual arts department and serving as a “driving force” in curatorial programming. She joins the museum from the Institute of Contemporary Art in Los...
Latest News in Black Art: Jesse R. Erickson Named Head of Printed Books & Bindings at Morgan Library & Museum, Anonymous Was a Woman Grants, Queer|Art Awards & More
Latest News in Black Art features news updates and developments in the world of art and related culture Appointments The Morgan Library & Museum in New York appointed Jesse R. Erickson to the position of Astor Curator and Department Head, Printed Books and Bindings. He officially starts in January. At the University of...
On the Rise: 54 Curators and Arts Leaders Who Took on New Appointments in 2020
REGULAR OPERATIONS AT MUSEUMS and cultural institutions were disrupted this year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The sector faced (and continues to contend with) temporary closures, severe financial losses, widespread layoffs, and racial reckonings. Against this backdrop and despite these challenges, dozens of Black curators were appointed to a variety of new posts this...
Yesomi Umolu is Tapped for Top Curatorial Post at The Serpentine in London
THE SERPENTINE in London has appointed Yesomi Umolu director of curatorial affairs and public practice. In the newly created position, Umolu will lead all of Serpentine’s curatorial, educational, and editorial programming. The news was announced Nov. 18. Founded in 1970, Serpentine is marking a half century of presenting contemporary art this year and is taking...
Asked to Name an Artwork She’d Want to Live With, Curator Zoé Whitley Immediately Thought of a 1973 Alma Thomas Painting
MUSEUM CURATORS are constantly immersed in art, which might make it a challenge to choose one single work to which they are particularly drawn. When asked to name an artwork she’d want to live with, Zoé Whitley thought about the spring tones of a stunning abstract painting made half a century ago. “I don’t...
On the Rise: 47 Curators and Arts Leaders Who Took on New Appointments in 2019
BLACK CURATORS have risen to significant positions at important institutions in the United States and internationally over the past year. In a field where people of color have historically been underrepresented, this 2019 listing of new curatorial and arts leadership appointments demonstrates the growing influence of people of African descent in the visual arts....
