Ryan N. Dennis Named Co-Director and Chief Curator of Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Closely Watched Curator Will Lead Museum in Her Hometown
From left: Ryan N. Dennis. | Photo by Charles A. Smith; Melissa McDonnell Luján. | Photo by Fernanda Varela Rivera. Both Images Courtesy CAMH Ryan N. Dennis and Melissa McDonnell Luján appointed co-directors of Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, effective January 2025 NEW LEADERSHIP is coming to Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH). Senior Curator...
Naomi Beckwith Appointed Artistic Director of Forthcoming Documenta in Kassel, Curator Called Opportunity to Lead International Exhibition ‘Honor of a Lifetime’
DOCUMENTA 16 will take place under the artistic direction of Naomi Beckwith. An American curator, scholar, and art historian, Beckwith is Deputy Director and Jennifer & David Stockman Chief Curator at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation in New York. Documenta is one of the most prominent art shows in the world, rivaled only...
International Curator Koyo Kouoh Tapped to Organize 2026 Venice Biennale, She is ‘Ecstatic’ and Called it a ‘Momentous Mission’
Koyo Kouoh will curate the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026. | Photograph by Mirjam Kluka, Courtesy La Biennale di Venezia Koyo Kouoh is first Black woman and second African-born curator to organize Venice Biennale in international exhibition’s 130-year history THE NEXT ARTISTIC DIRECTOR of the Venice Biennale is Koyo Kouoh. She will curate...
Smithsonian National Museum of African Art Appointed New Leadership Team: Director John K. Lapiana and Deputy Director Heran Sereke-Brhan
New Appointments at Smithsonian National Museum of African Art: From left, Director John K. Lapiana. | Photo: Noah Willman; Deputy Director Heran Sereke-Brhan. | Courtesy National Museum of Africa Art THE YEAR 2024 marks the 60th anniversary of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art (NMAfA). The Washington, D.C., museum is concluding the milestone...
Linda C. Harrison is Departing Newark Museum of Art, She ‘Has Been a Transformative Leader of This Anchor Cultural Institution’
DIRECTOR AND CEO Linda C Harrison is departing the Newark Museum of Art on May 31, 2025. The museum announced Harrison is returning to the West Coast for “family reasons.” A search committee appointed by the museum’s board of trustees will conduct a national search for her successor. The Newark Museum of Art is the...
Recent Appointments: Chief Curator Joined Boston African American Museum, Brooklyn Museum Welcomed New Chief People Officer, Newfields Hired a CEO & More
FROM LOS ANGELES to Boston, Mass., museums have announced new appointments in leadership, curatorial, and other key staff roles in recent months. The following highlights several new hires: Angela Tate. | Photo by Breanna Biorato, Courtesy Museum of African American History Boston I Nantucket Angela Tate Named Chief Curator at Boston African American...
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...
Darren Walker Elected President of National Gallery of Art, Head of Ford Foundation Has Been Member of Museum Board Since 2019
A PROMINENT AND INFLUENTIAL FIGURE in philanthropy and the arts, Darren Walker was elected president of the National Gallery of Art (NGA). Walker has been a member of the museum’s board since 2019. The nine-member board governs the museum, appointing the executive director and executive officers, advising on policies such as acquisitions, and supporting the...
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...
Bergan Burnett is New Chief Financial Officer at High Museum of Art in Atlanta
THE NEW CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER (CFO) at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Ga., is Bergan Burnett. A longstanding Atlanta resident and member of the museum, Burnett has a record of leading financial and accounting operations at nonprofits. In the role of CFO of the High Museum, she is responsible for financial operations, planning,...
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....
