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...
Latest News in Black Art: Anina Major Received Future Perfect Design Prize, Board Appointments at African Art Museum, Amy Sherald Covers Cultured Magazine & More
Latest News in Black Art features updates and developments in the world of art and related culture From left, Anina Major received the inaugural Future Perfect Prize in design. | Courtesy The Future Perfact; ANINA MAJOR, “Off Spring,” 2024 (soda-fired glazed stoneware, seaglass, sand, 10 x 12.25 x 8.75 inches). | © Anina Major...
History Maker: ‘Amy Sherald: American Sublime’ Will Be First Solo Exhibition of a Black Female Artist at Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery
AMY SHERALD, “A God Blessed Land (Empire of Dirt),” 2022 (oil on linen, 96 1/8 x 130 1/8 inches). | Tymure Collection, © Amy Sherald. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth. Photo by Joseph Hyde THE LARGEST-EVER EXHIBITION of Amy Sherald (b. 1973) opens in November at the San Francisco Museum of Modern...
Latest News in Black Art: Ingrid Pollard Wins Hasselblad Photography Award, New Gallery Representation for Alberta Wittle, Coco Fusco, and Julien Creuzet & More
Latest News in Black Art features updates and developments in the world of art and related culture Ingrid Pollard reflects on her work and winning the 2024 Hasselblad Award. When she was first contacted about the honor, Pollard assumed it was a scam. After realizing she indeed was the recipient, she thought about being...
Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery Presents ‘One Life: Frederick Douglass,’ Exhibition Showcases Photography and Rare Objects
THROUGH THE LENS of prints, photographs, and ephemera, ‘One Life: Frederick Douglass’ explores the life and legacy of one of the 19th century’s most influential writers, speakers and intellectuals. “One Life” opens June 16. Douglass was a radical activist who devoted his life to abolitionism and rights for all. The exhibition will showcase...
Michelle Commander: New Deputy Director of National Museum of African American History and Culture Joining Smithsonian From Schomburg Center
THE SMITHSONIAN’S National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) named a new deputy director on Jan. 10. Michelle Commander is joining the Washington, D.C., museum in the No. 2 role. She arrives from the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, where she served most recently as deputy...
Founding Deputy Director Kinshasha Holman Conwill Has Retired From Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture
A MUSEUM LEADER and institution builder, Kinshasha Holman Conwill dedicated her entire career to being a faithful steward of art, history, and culture, establishing the background and experience necessary to seize the opportunity of a lifetime. Few get the chance to help envision and develop a monument to the African American experience, from ideas...
New Exhibition at SAAM’s Renwick Gallery Features Artwork of Bisa Butler, Nick Cave, Sonya Clark, and More
THIS PRESENT MOMENT: CRAFTING A BETTER WORLD, a new exhibition on view at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM), showcases the dynamic landscape of American craft. The exhibition highlights the role that artists play in our world to spark essential conversations by asking two questions: How have you reimagined...
Latest News in Black Art: Estate of Thornton Dial and Kevin Beasley Join New Galleries, Julie Mehretu and Kehinde Wiley Collaborate with American Express, Smithsonian Launches Searchable Museum & More
Latest News in Black Art features news updates and developments in the world of art and related culture THORNTON DIAL, “History Refused to Die,” 2004 (okra stalks and roots, clothing, collages drawings, tin, wire, steel, Masonite, steel chain, enamel, and spray paint, 102 x 87 x 23 inches). | © Estate of Thornton...
Latest News in Black Art: Curator Vivian Crockett Joins New Museum, Smithsonian Tackles Race, Mabel O. Wilson Wins Building Museum Prize, Beyoncé and Jay-Z Star in Tiffany Campaign With Basquiat Painting
Latest News in Black Art features news updates and developments in the world of art and related culture Scholar and Curator Vivian Crockett. | Photo by Ciara Elle Bryant Appointments The New Museum in New York City announced the appointment of Vivian Crockett as curator. A Brazilian American scholar and curator, Crockett...
Ngaire Blankenberg Named Director of Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art: ‘My Main Priority is to Hire More BIPOC Staff in Positions of Power’
IN WASHINGTON, D.C., the Smithsonian announced Ngaire Blankenberg has joined National Museum of African Art (NMAfA) as director. She started July 6. A consultant for museums and heritage sites around the world, Blankenberg has advised clients on some of the most challenging matters cultural institutions are currently navigating—how to address diversity issues, approach decolonization...
Rhea L. Combs Named Director of Curatorial Affairs at Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.
THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY (NPG) in Washington, D.C., announced a new appointment today. Rhea L. Combs is joining the Smithsonian museum as director of curatorial affairs. Leading the curatorial and conservation teams and working closely with the history and audience engagement departments, Combs will oversee NPG’s exhibitions, acquisitions, and collection. She will also be...
The Week in Black Art, March 22-28, 2021: Smithsonian Hiring 6 New Museum Directors, Veronica Ryan Now Represented by Paula Cooper Gallery, Gary Simmons Joins Hauser & Wirth
This post will be updated with the latest news in Black art throughout the week Portrait of Gary Simmons. | Photo by Tito Molina, HRDWRKER March 25, 2021 Smithsonian Hiring 6 New Museum Directors For the first time in its history, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., is searching for directors...
Kevin Young Will Lead Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture
THE SMITHSONIAN’S BLACK MUSEUM has a new leader. Kevin Young has been named director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington, D.C. Young is currently director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York. He also serves as poetry editor at The New Yorker. He...
Aug. 28: Smithsonian is Marking March on Washington Anniversary With Film Dedicated to Pivotal Day in Black History
TO MARK THE 57TH ANNIVERSARY of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is making its grand opening film, “August 28: A Day in the Life of a People,” available online, free to public for 24 hours, beginning tomorrow morning. “Aug. 28”...
American and European Museums Plan 48-Hour Stream of Arthur Jafa’s Moving Video Installation ‘Love is the Message’
Still from Arthur Jafa’s “Love is the Message, The Message is Death” (2016) A MEDLEY OF HISTORIC and contemporary footage, Arthur Jafa‘s “Love is the Message, The Message is Death” (2016) is an ode to the Black experience. The video installation is a rapid-pace montage of poignant images, both celebratory and heart-wrenching. Kanye West’s...
Hirshhorn Museum Plans First U.S. Retrospective of Sam Gilliam in 15+ Years
“Light Depth” (1969) by Sam Gilliam THE HIRSHHORN MUSEUM and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., plans an expansive look at the six-decade career of pioneering abstractionist Sam Gilliam. Exploring key moments in his innovative painting practice, the retrospective will open at the Smithsonian museum on the National Mall in spring 2022. “Inspired by the...
Lonnie G. Bunch III Officially Installed as 14th Secretary of Smithsonian Institution
IT’S OFFICIAL. Lonnie G. Bunch III was installed as the 14th Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution on Nov. 1. The ceremony was presided over by John G. Roberts Jr., chief justice of the United States Supreme Court, who serves as chancellor of the Smithsonian. Roberts presented Bunch with a ceremonial brass key, a symbolic...
Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art is Showcasing Women Artists, a Group Vastly Underrepresented in its Collection
“Liberal Women Protest March I” (1995) by Nike Davies-Okundaye of Nigeria THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN ART is celebrating women artists. Over the past five years, the Smithsonian museum has doubled its holdings of art by women. Showcasing some of the recent acquisitions, “I Am… Contemporary Women Artists of Africa,” opened in June. The...
Veteran Museum Director Spencer Crew is Serving as Interim Head of Smithsonian African American Museum
THE SMITHSONIAN’S black history museum has been entrusted to Spencer R. Crew, a curator, scholar, and veteran museum director. In the wake of Lonnie Bunch’s appointment as secretary of the entire Smithsonian Institution, the founding director of the National Museum of African America History and Culture (NMAAHC) tapped Crew, 60, as his temporary replacement....
