Lauren Haynes. | Photo by Claudia Lucia, Courtesy Atlanta Contemporary
IN ATLANTA, GA., Atlanta Contemporary is ushering in a new era with a major leadership appointment. Lauren Haynes, a nationally recognized museum curator and arts leaders, is joining Atlanta Contemporary as executive director.
Dating back to 1973, Atlanta Contemporary originated as an artists’ collective. Today, the nonprofit art center is mission-focused on “supporting artists, fostering experimentation, and connecting audiences to new ideas through dynamic exhibitions and programs.”
Haynes brings two decades of experience with institutions in New York and the U.S. South. She got her start at the Studio Museum in Harlem, spent five years at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Ark., and most recently served as head curator and vice president for arts and culture at Governors Island in New York.
“Lauren’s exceptional track record of curating transformative exhibitions while building institutional capacity makes her the ideal leader for this moment,” Atlanta Contemporary’s Acting Board Chair Amanda Rhein said in the announcement.
“Her ability to champion artists, expand community partnerships and advance organizational sustainability aligns perfectly with the goals outlined in our Strategic Plan. We are thrilled to welcome her leadership.”
“Lauren’s exceptional track record of curating transformative exhibitions while building institutional capacity makes her the ideal leader for this moment.” — Atlanta Contemporary Acting Board Chair Amanda Rhein
HAYNES HAS LED arts and culture programming at the Trust for Governors Island since March 2024. Located in New York Harbor, Governors Island offers views of the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn waterfront, and Lower Manhattan. Formerly utilized by the U.S. military, the 172-acre site has been transformed into an incredible destination for artist residencies, an art fair, and public art inspired by the history, landscapes, and architecture of the island.
Previously, Haynes was director of curatorial affairs at the Queens Museum in Queens, N.Y. (2022-24), where she was responsible for exhibition programming and oversaw the curatorial, public practice, and community engagement teams.
Among her projects at the Queens Museum, Haynes was the institutional curator of the sole U.S. presentation of “Tracey Rose: Shooting Down Babylon” and co-curated “Lyle Ashton Harris: Our first and last love.” The 35-year survey of Harris’s photography-based practice was previously on view at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University in Durham, N.C., where Haynes was the Patsy R. and Raymond D. Nasher Senior Curator of Contemporary, from 2021 to 2022.
At Crystal Bridges (2016-2021), Haynes was director of artist initiatives and curator of contemporary art at Crystal Bridges and The Momentary, the museum’s satellite contemporary art space in downtown Bentonville. She oversaw contemporary art acquisitions; led the curatorial team that organized “State of the Art 2020,” an expansive exhibition showcasing an intergenerational slate of 61 artists from throughout the nation; coordinated the first U.S. presentation of “Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power” (2018); and co-curated “The Beyond: Georgia O’Keeffe and Contemporary Art” (2018).
Early in her career, Haynes was an associate curator at the Studio Museum in Harlem. Over the course of a decade (2006-16), she led the Studio Museum’s celebrated artist-in-residence program, oversaw its expansive permanent collection, and organized numerous exhibitions, including shows dedicated to Alma Thomas, Stanley Whitney, Trenton Doyle Hancock, the legacy and influence of Romare Bearden, and art inspired by Ebony and Jet magazines.
More recently, Haynes curated “Jordan Casteel: Field of view” at the Hill Art Foundation in New York (2024). In 2023, President Biden appointed her to the Committee for the Preservation of the White House. She also curated the FOCUS section of the Armory Show (2019) and was a Fellow of the Center for Curatorial Leadership (2018).
Haynes has contributed essays to a number of exhibition catalogs, participated in public conversations, and served on grant panels and prize juries for the National Endowment for the Arts, Creative Capital, David C. Driskell Prize, and Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition. Her board membership includes the Association of Art Museum Curators and the Visiting Committee of the Allen Memorial Art Museum at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, her alma mater.
Born in Tennessee and raised in the Bronx, New York, Haynes earned a B.A. in art history with a minor in African American Studies from Oberlin.
“Atlanta Contemporary’s dedication to championing artists, fostering creative experimentation, and ensuring that diverse perspectives are represented resonates strongly with my own values and practice.”
— Lauren Haynes
ATLANTA CONTEMPORARY is a non-collecting institution that centers artists, providing studio space and commissioning new works, often giving artists their first significant exhibition opportunity in the Southeast.
The 2024 tax filing for Atlanta Contemporary shows revenue of nearly $593,000, falling short of $842,000 in expenses, with net assets standing at about $1.3 million, according to Pro Publica. Atlanta Contemporary’s website lists a skeleton staff of five, including the interim director.
Last September, Atlanta Contemporary released a new strategic plan, laying out an ambitious agenda for 2025-28. Priorities include keeping artists at the heart of its mission; expanding staff; growing its audience and membership base; investing in systems and facilities; improving fundraising with more diverse revenue streams and less reliance on grants; and maintaining a free admission policy, which was adopted in 2015.
The search for a new executive director was also highlighted in the strategic plan. Floyd Hall departed Atlanta Contemporary in August after 18 months in the executive director role. Haynes succeeds Everett Long, the former board chair who has been serving as interim executive director. Echoing Rhein’s statement, Haynes’s vast knowledge and experience make her the “ideal leader for this moment” as Atlanta Contemporary embarks on its next chapter. She officially starts on March 16.
“I am deeply honored to return to Atlanta and lead Atlanta Contemporary at this transformative moment. One of my earliest experiences in the arts began here as an undergraduate summer intern at City Gallery East, and that formative experience continues to shape my commitment to accessibility and community-driven programming,” Haynes said in a statement.
“Atlanta Contemporary’s dedication to championing artists, fostering creative experimentation, and ensuring that diverse perspectives are represented resonates strongly with my own values and practice. I am excited to work alongside the talented staff, board, and extended community to advance the organization’s mission, expand its impact, and create meaningful connections between artists and audiences across Atlanta and beyond.” CT
FIND MORE about Lauren Haynes on Instagram
FIND MORE about Atlanta Contemporary’s new strategic plan and current exhibitions
FIND MORE about the leadership transition at Atlanta Contemporary via reporting by Leia Genis of ArtsATL
BOOKSHELF
Lauren Haynes’s publications include “Panorama of the City of New York,” “Sarah Cain: Enter the Center,” and “Speaking of People: Ebony, Jet and Contemporary Art.” She co-authored “Crystals in Art: Ancient to Today” and co-edited “Alma Thomas,” which was published to accompany the exhibition organized by the Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and the Studio Museum in Harlem. More recently, Haynes contributed to “Revelation: A Journey Into Abstraction” (forthcoming in March 2026), “Jordan Casteel: Within Reach,” “Yashua Klos: Our Labour,” “Hughie Lee-Smith,” “Stanley Whitney: Dance the Orange,” and “Trenton Doyle Hancock: Mind of the Mound: Critical Mass,”
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