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....
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...
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...
Lauren Haynes Named Head Curator of Governors Island in New York, She is Expected to Grow the Public Art Program
Governors Island: The Exchange (aerial view), showing the iconic forms designed to evoke the dramatic landscapes and hills of the island with the skyscrapers that define Manhattan’s skyline in the background. | © SOM | Miysis via Governors Island GOVERNORS ISLAND offers a quick escape from the city streets to a park-like environment with...
Smithsonian American Art Museum Announces Newly Created Position, Appoints Dalila Scruggs Inaugural Augusta Savage Curator of African American Art
THE SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN ART MUSEUM (SAAM) announced the appointment of Dalila Scruggs to a newly created role on its curatorial team. Scruggs is joining the Washington, D.C., museum as the inaugural Augusta Savage Curator of African American Art. Currently, she is curator for photography and prints at the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for...
Historic Appointment: Robert C. Davidson Jr., is New Chair of Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Board of Commissioners
THE SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN ART MUSEUM (SAAM) in Washington, D.C., has a new board chair. Robert “Bob” C. Davidson Jr., was appointed chair of SAAM’s Board of Commissioners, effective Jan. 1, 2024. The news was announced Feb. 15. He was appointed by his fellow commissioners to a four-year term. Davidson is the retired chairman, CEO, and...
Adrienne Edwards Appointed Senior Curator and Associate Director of Curatorial Programs at Whitney Museum, Expanding Her Leadership Role
THE WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART in New York announced the promotion of Adrienne Edwards to the position of Engell Speyer Family Senior Curator and Associate Director of Curatorial Programs. Edwards joined the Whitney in 2018 as curator of performance and was named director of curatorial affairs in 2021. She is currently organizing “Edges of...
Building History: Kimberly Dowdell is AIA’s 100th President. First Black Woman to Lead Architecture Organization Plans to ‘Do More’
Kimberly Dowdell, AIA, gives remarks in her first moments as president. | Photo courtesy AIA THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS (AIA) elected its first Black female president. Kimberly Dowdell, AIA, is the 2024 President of AIA. Dowdell, 40, describes herself as “an architect determined to make the world a better place.” She is a...
