Damon Reaves is Joining Washington’s National Gallery of Art as Head of Education
THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART (NGA) has appointed Damon Reaves head of education. An experienced educator in museum and classroom settings, Reaves brings more than a dozen years of experience to the position. He joins the National Gallery in Washington, D.C., from the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) where he has been on staff since...
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...
National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., Has Hired Eric L. Motley as Deputy Director
THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART (NGA) is adding to its executive ranks. Today, the museum announced the appointment of Eric L. Motley as deputy director, a critical role focused on driving the institution’s mission, building awareness and support for its programing, and expanding and better serving its audiences. He officially starts at NGA on Aug....
Jenkins Johnson Gallery Announced its Representation of New Jersey-Based Painter Philemona Williamson
Philemona Williamson at Montclair Art Museum. | Courtesy Jenkins Johnson Gallery JENKINS JOHNSON GALLERY now represents Philemona Williamson. The New Jersey-based artist makes narrative paintings that capture poetic, dream-like moments that elicit multiple interpretations. The timeless, invented scenes reflect childhood and adolescent experiences and explore the nature of innocence, vulnerability, and strength through the...
Fresh From Studio Museum Residency, Naudline Pierre Joins James Cohan Gallery
“Lest You Fall” (2019) by Naudline Pierre JAMES COHAN GALLERY in New York announced its representation of Naudline Pierre today. Brooklyn-based Pierre makes figurative paintings and drawings suffused with enchanting color. Her images of fantastic and imagined worlds are populated with recurring characters who hold, carry, watch, and hover over a protagonist who serves...
The Week in Black Art, March 15-21, 2021: Art Institute of Chicago Hires New Education Director, New Orleans Museum Acquires Wangechi Mutu Sculpture, Major Lynette Yiadom-Boakye Painting Headed to Auction
This post will be updated with the latest news in Black art throughout the week Ashley Harris is heading up marketing at Mana Culture. | Photo by Angela Pham March 20, 2021 Ashley Harris Joins Mana Culture Ashley Harris was appointed head of marketing, Arts and Culture for Mana Culture based...
Lauren Haynes Named Senior Curator at Duke University’s Nasher Museum of Art
THE NASHER MUSEUM OF ART at Duke University announced the appointment of Lauren Haynes this morning. She is joining the museum as Patsy R. and Raymond D. Nasher Senior Curator of Contemporary Art. The Nasher Museum in Durham, N.C., has been a leader in the field, showcasing a spectrum of emerging and overlooked artists,...
The Week in Black Art, March 8-14, 2021: Deana Haggag Departs United States Artists to Join Mellon Foundation, Mariane Ibrahim Opening Paris Gallery
This post will be updated with the latest news in Black art throughout the week Deana Haggag. Photo by Braxton Black March 12, 2021 Deana Haggag is Joining the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation After serving as president and CEO of United States Artists (USA) for four years, Deana Haggag has accepted...
New Orleans-Based Artist and Filmmaker Garrett Bradley is Now Exclusively Represented by Lisson Gallery
Artist and Filmmaker Garrett Bradley. | Courtesy Lisson Gallery LISSON GALLERY of London, New York, and Shanghai announced its worldwide representation of Garrett Bradley on March 5. In her bio, the artist and filmmaker states that she “works across narrative, documentary, and experimental modes of filmmaking to address themes such as race, class, familial...
The Week in Black Art, March 1-7, 2021: Two Museums Will Acquire Amy Sherald’s Portrait of Breonna Taylor, Text From Obama Speech Will Grace Facade of Presidential Museum
This post will be updated with the latest news in Black art throughout the week AMY SHERALD (b. 1973), “Breonna Taylor,” 2020 (oil on linen, 137.2 x 109.2 cm / 54 x 43 inches). | © Amy Sherald. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth. Photo by Joseph Hyde March 7, 2021...
College Art Association 2021 Awards Honor Samella Lewis, Deborah Willis, Nicole R. Fleetwood, Simone Leigh, Charles L. Davis II, and Maren Hassinger
From left, Nicole R. Fleetwood and Samella Lewis AN INTERGENERATIONAL SLATE of artists and scholars was recognized by the College Art Association (CAA) with 2021 Awards for Distinction. In previous years, one or a few of the honorees have been Black. This year, there were several. Recipients of the juried awards included Samella Lewis,...
The Week in Black Art, February 22-28, 2021: Precious Okoyomon Wins Frieze Artist Award, Honor Titus Now Repped by Timothy Taylor Gallery
This post will be updated with the latest news in Black art throughout the week PRECIOUS OKOYOMON, Installation view of “A Drop of Sun Under The Earth,” at the LUMA Westbau, Zurich, 2019. | Courtesy the artist, the LUMA Westbau, and Quinn Harrelson / Current Projects. Photo by Nelly Rodriguez Feb. 27,...
Water Works: Los Angeles-Based Artist Calida Rawles is Now Represented by Lehmann Maupin Gallery
LEHMANN MAUPIN announced its representation of Calida Rawles. Based in Los Angeles, she is recognized for her images of Black men, women, and young people submerged and floating in waves of pool water. Blending hyper-realism and abstraction, each of the paintings is grounded in spaces of stunning, deep blue color. Drawing on the symbolism...
The Week in Black Art, February 15-21, 2021: Art Institute of Chicago Hires People and Culture VP, Phillips Collection and Newark Museum of Art Announce New Board Appointments
This post will be updated throughout the week Feb. 19, 2021 Art Institute of Chicago Appoints Leader of People and Culture Norissa Bailey is joining the Art Institute of Chicago as senior vice president, People and Culture. In her new post, she will “shape the museum’s efforts on inclusion and belonging, staff engagement,...
National Gallery of Art Acquires Howardena Pindell’s Seminal Video ‘Free, White and 21’
THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART (NGA) recently acquired “Free, White and 21” (1980), a seminal video installation by artist Howardena Pindell. She was 37 years old when she filmed herself facing the camera recounting her personal experiences with racism and bias as a young Black woman in America. Pindell also performs as a white...
Painter Jordan Casteel, Who Portrays Her Subjects with Illuminating Detail, is Now Represented by Massimo de Carlo Gallery
MASSIMO DE CARLO announced its representation of painter Jordan Casteel, whose illuminating portraits capture detailed observations of her subjects—primarily young Black men, her students, and residents of the culturally rich community of Harlem. She is now jointly represented by Casey Kaplan in New York and Massimo de Carlo, which has gallery locations in Milan, London,...
The Week in Black Art, Feb. 8-14, 2021: Alexis Johnson Takes Senior Role at Paula Cooper Gallery, Cummer Museum Appoints 4 Black Board Members, April Bey Now Repped by Gavlak Gallery
“Portrait of a Mother and Daughter” (1841) by Robert S. Duncanson. | Hammonds House Museum This post will be updated throughout the week Feb. 13, 2021 Oldest Robert Duncanson Painting The inauguration of President Joseph Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris brought renewed attention to 19th century artist Robert S. Duncanson...
The Week in Black Art: Feb. 1-7, 2021 – Detroit Artist Charles McGee Has Died, Lauren Halsey Nabs Jacob Lawrence Prize, Black Rock Senegal Artists Named, Nick Cave Wins Public Art Battle
This post will be updated throughout the week ELDZIER CORTER, “Southern Souvenir No. II,” circa 1948 (oil on board mounted on Masonite™ on wood strainer, 35 1/2 x 64 1/2 inches). | Art Bridges. © Estate of Eldzier Cortor / Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York Feb. 5, 2021 Eldzier Cortor...
Derek Fordjour Has Joined David Kordansky Gallery, His Explorations of Race and Identity Invoke Culture of Sport, Symbolism of Teams
DAVID KORDANSKY GALLERY in Los Angeles announced its representation of Derek Fordjour this morning. He will continue to be represented by Petzel Gallery, where he had a major exhibition, “Derek Fordjour: Self Must Die,” last fall. Fordjour expresses himself through painting, sculpture and installation. Employing layers of cardboard, newspaper, and paint, a complex visual materiality...
Akili Tommasino Headed to Metropolitan Museum of Art as Associate Curator
THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART in New York has hired Akili Tommasino as associate curator in the Modern and Contemporary Art department. A scholar of the 20th-century avant-grade, Tommasino is currently a curator at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. He starts at The Met in April. The appointment was first reported by ARTnews on...
