CULTURE TYPE reports on new appointments of Black curators and arts leaders to gauge institutional representation, 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 color feel welcome and represented
New Appointments | Clockwise from top left: TK Smith (Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University); Jane Carpenter-Rock (Smithsonian American Art Museum); Ryan N. Dennis (Contemporary Arts Museum Houston); Jessica Bell Brown (Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University); Chase Brandon Quinn (Mississippi Museum of Art); Bergan Burnett (High Museum of Art); Asa Jackson (McColl Center); Heran Sereke-Brhan (Smithsonian National Museum of African Art)
THE CULTURE TYPE ANNUAL LIST of 2024 appointments among museum curators and arts leaders is divided into two parts. Published earlier this year, the first installment focused on staffing announcements made in the first six months of 2024. This second installment covers new hires and promotions announced from July to December.
Notable recent appointments include Le Monte G. Booker Sr., who was named president and CEO of Newfields in Indianapolis, Ind.; Alicia Graf Mack, incoming artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; Jessica Bell Brown, who joined the Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University as executive director; and the promotion of Ryan N. Dennis to co-director and chief curator of the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, starting in January 2025. Prior to their new appointments, Brown and Dennis co-curated “A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration,” a signature exhibition in each of their careers.
Several trends emerged in the second half of the year. Leadership transitions have led to several Black museum officials serving as acting directors, shepherding major museums while searches for new directors are underway. For example, Jane Carpenter-Rock became acting director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum in September. Since fall, Shirley Solomon has been serving as interim co-director of the Bronx Museum of the Arts. In Canada, Betty Julian is interim director and senior curator at Ontario’s McMaster Museum of Art. It will be interesting to see whether any of those serving in an interim capacity will land the leadership positions on a permanent basis.
Museums and positions specifically focused on African American and African diasporic art and history also attracted new talent, including Angela Tata at the Museum of African American History Boston | Nantucket; Christopher Blay at the National Juneteenth Museum; TK Smith, curator of the Arts of Africa and the Diaspora at Emory University; and Heran Sereke-Brhan, the new deputy director at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art.
In addition, many of the appointments covered below highlight staff movements at museums in the U.S. South, from Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia to Kentucky, Mississippi, and Texas. Presented below, Culture Type’s list of new appointments made in the second half of 2024 features two dozen new hires and promotions at American institutions arranged according to the announcement dates. (The list is not comprehensive, but it is representative):
JULY
DeVone Holt. | Courtesy Muhammad Ali Center
DeVone Holt, President and CEO. | Muhammad Ali Center, Louisville, Ky.
In July, DeVone Holt became president and CEO of the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Ky. The appointment was announced July 9. Established in 2005 by Lonnie and Muhammad Ali (1942-2016), The Ali Center honors the legacy of the boxing champion and humanitarian in his hometown, through exhibitions, educational programming, and community engagement. Holt joined the Ali Center from Goodwill Industries of Kentucky, where he spent five years, most recently as chief external affairs officer. His background includes nearly 30 years of experience in the metropolitan area across public relations, brand management, government affairs, strategic communications and fundraising. The first Louisville native to head the Ali Center, Holt described his new role as “my dream job.”
“Being entrusted to manage the legacy of my personal hero while simultaneously helping other people pursue greatness is one of the highest honors I could receive. This is my dream job.” — DeVone Holt
Andreia Wardlaw. | Courtesy SCAD MOA
Andreia Wardlaw, Director. | Walter and Linda Evans Center for African American Studies, SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah College of Art & Design, Savannah, Ga.
The SCAD Museum of Art in Savannah, Ga., appointed Andreia Wardlaw director of the Walter and Linda Evans Center for African American Studies. The news was announced July 10. She started in May. The Evans Center was established in 2011 by SCAD within the museum, where a permanent gallery space is dedicated to exhibiting works by African American artists. The Walter O. Evans Collection of African American Art, a gift of more than 60 significant works by 20th century artists is foundational to the center, which is designed to study and showcase the richness of Black art, culture, and contemporary expression through exhibitions, lectures, and programming. Wardlaw earned an M.A., in African American studies from Columbia University and received a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of South Carolina. Prior to joining the Evans Center, Wardlaw held an adjunct teaching position at the University of South Carolina (2023), her alma mater. Her earlier experience includes stints as an educator at the Center for Women’s History at the New York Historical Society and program assistant at The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History in New York.
Angela Tate. | Photo by Breanna Biorato, Courtesy Museum of African American History Boston I Nantucket
Angela Tate, Chief Curator. | Museum of African American History Boston | Nantucket, Boston, Mass.
In Massachusetts, Angela Tate joined the Museum of African American History Boston | Nantucket (MAAH) as chief curator and director of collections, a newly created role. Her appointment was announced in July 30. She officially started in September. Previously, Tate was curator of women’s history at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington, D.C. (2021-24). Among her projects at NMAAHC, she helped organize “Forces for Change: Mary McLeod Bethune and Black Women’s Activism,” which is on long-term view. Active since 1963, MAAH is registered with the National Park Service as a Boston African American Historic Site.
Betty Julian. | Courtesy McMaster Museum of Art
Betty Julian, Interim Director and Senior Curator. | McMaster Museum of Art, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Betty Julian was named interim director and senior curator of McMaster Museum of Art at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. Since September 2022, Julian had been an adjunct senior curator at M(M)A. In addition to her work on exhibitions, she has played a key role supporting early career curators through the museum’s mentorship and professional development initiative for emerging Indigenous and Black curators. An off-reserve citizen of the Sipekne’katnik First Nation and of the Black diaspora, Julian’s experience includes three decades in the visual arts with a curatorial portfolio spanning photography, film and video. The new M(M)A appointment was announced July 15, effective Sept. 1. Julian succeeds Carol Podedworny, who served as director and chief curator for 18 years before retiring. The announcement said Julian will “serve in the interim role for a period of up to one year or until a permanent director is appointed.”
“Betty’s commitment to diversity, inclusion, decoloniality, and contemporary cultural and artistic practices make her a significant and profoundly exciting choice to transition the museum into its next chapter.” — Outgoing McMaster Museum of Art Director and Chief Curator Carol Podedworny
Genesis A. Emery-Foley. | Courtesy MoAD
Genesis A. Emery-Foley, Chief Marketing Officer. | Museum of the African Diaspora, San Francisco, Calif.
The Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) in San Francisco appointed Genesis A. Emery-Foley to the newly created role of chief marketing officer. The news was announced July 16. She joined MoAD on July 1. The museum said Emery-Foley brings 15 years of marketing, communications, and public relations experience to the position. A Chicago native, she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2021 and had recently founded The Blueprint Haus Agency, a digital marketing agency.
Audrey Hudson. | Courtesy Philadelphia Museum of Art
Audrey Hudson, Deputy Director for Learning and Engagement. | Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pa.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) welcomed Audrey Hudson as the Kathleen C. Sherrerd Deputy Director for Learning and Engagement, a leadership role at the museum. Hudson’s new appointment was announced on July 18. She officially started at PMA on Aug. 26. Her background includes a range of experience across academia, art education, museum learning, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) practices. She is an educator, artist and researcher who made the leap from university teaching to museum education seven years ago. Hudson joined PMA from the Art Gallery of Ontario where she was chief of education and programming, after first serving as the Canadian museum’s associate curator of the Schools and Early Learning programming (2017-24).
AUGUST
TK Smith, 2024. | Photo by Jonathan Echevarria
TK Smith, Curator of the Arts of Africa and the Diaspora. | Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University, Atlanta, Ga.
In Atlanta, Ga., Emory University welcomed TK Smith as curator of the arts of Africa and the diaspora at the Michael C. Carlos Museum. His new appointment and arrival at the campus museum was announced Aug. 1. Smith is a curator, writer, lecturer, and cultural historian who has been based in Atlanta and Philadelphia, Pa. Most recently, he was the inaugural Assistant Curator: Art of the African Diaspora at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia (2022-2024), where he worked on several projects and a few exhibitions including “William Edmondson: A Monumental Vision.” During his tenure at the Barnes, he was a curator-in-residence at Yinka Shonibare’s Guest Artist Space (G.A.S.) Residency in Lagos, Nigeria (2023). Smith has organized exhibitions as an independent curator and he is a contributing editor at Art Papers in Atlanta. In 2022, Smith was awarded an Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant for short-form writing. He was also a recipient of the 2024 Rabkin Prize for visual arts writers.
“TK is a remarkable communicator who connects people with ideas, knowledge and beauty and makes art accessible.”
— Carlos Museum Director Henry S. Kim
Bergan Burnett. | Courtesy High Museum of Art
Bergan Burnett, Chief Financial Officer. | High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Ga.
Bergan Burnett joined the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Ga., as chief financial officer (CFO). Her appointment was announced Aug. 6. She officially started at the High Museum on July 8. A longstanding Atlanta resident and member of the museum, Burnett is a certified public accountant with a record of leading financial and accounting operations at nonprofits. She joined the High Museum from the Atlanta Humane Society where she spent two years as vice president of finance. Previously, she was controller at Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta. Burnett began her career at Kearney & Company in Atlanta, a certified public accounting firm.
Shirley Solomon. | Courtesy Bronx Museum of the Arts
Shirley Solomon, Interim Co-Director. | The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx, N.Y.
Shirley Solomon is co-leading the Bronx Museum of the Arts as interim co-director and deputy director. Anticipating the fall departure of The Bronx Museum of the Arts Executive Director Klaudio Rodriguez, Solomon was named interim co-director alongside Yvonne Garcia, the museum’s chief advancement officer. The two are shepherding The Bronx Museum while a $33 million renovation is underway and the search for a new director is conducted. The transition plan was made public in August. Rodriguez was previously deputy director of The Bronx Museum. When he was promoted to the top job in 2020, Solomon replaced him as deputy director. Her tenure at the museum spans more than a decade. Previously, she served as director of government and institutional giving. Solomon joined The Bronx Museum in 2013 as manager of government and institutional affairs.
Le Monte G. Booker Sr. | Courtesy Newfields
Le Monte Booker Sr., President and CEO. | Newfields, Indianapolis, Ind.
On Aug. 26 the Newfields Board of Trustees announced the appointment of Le Monte G. Booker Sr., as president and CEO. He officially assumed the role in October. Newfields is a 152-acre destination for nature and the arts in Indianapolis, Ind. The cultural institution includes gardens and the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Booker previously served for a decade as chief financial officer (CFO) of the Field Museum in Chicago, Ill. (2015-24). In a prior role, he was CFO of Easter Seals for five years. Since 2020, Newfields has been trying to course correct after multiple complaints about racism and a toxic work culture related to hiring and staff treatment. In 2021, Charles Venable, who is white, resigned as director and CEO, after nearly a decade in the role, following a job posting for director of the museum that sought a candidate who could “attract a broader and more diverse audience while maintaining the museum’s traditional core, white art audience.” Hired to replace Venable, Colette Pierce Burnette, the first Black woman to serve as CEO of Newfields, left abruptly in November 2023 after a relatively brief 15-month tenure. Newfields Board Chair Darrianne Christian, the first Black woman to lead the board, announced Burnette’s “departure” without specifying whether she resigned or was fired. Booker succeeded Burnette. “Mr. Booker emerged as a clear frontrunner in our national search—an inspirational and collaborative leader with two decades of experience in the not-for-profit and museum sectors. His visionary approach, coupled with his operational skills and his trusted presence as an ambassador, makes him an exceptional fit for Newfields and the Indianapolis community,” said Anne Sellers, Chair of the Search Committee. “His peers and colleagues consistently describe him as thoughtful, pragmatic and unwavering in his integrity. We are thrilled to welcome him to our team.”
“”I am thrilled to start my next chapter as the CEO of Newfields, which is an outstanding example of a cornerstone cultural institution in the unique position of having both a world-class art collection as well as important gardens and historic homes.” — Le Monte G. Booker Sr.
Jessica Bell Brown. | Photo by Justin T. Gellerson
Jessica Bell Brown, Executive Director. | Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Va.
The Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va., announced the appointment of Jessica Bell Brown as executive director on Aug. 27. She officially started on Oct. 28. Brown joined ICA from the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) where she was hired as associate curator of contemporary art in 2019, and promoted to curator and head of contemporary art in 2022. Under her leadership, BMA acquired more than 150 works of art, diversifying the museum’s collection. She also helped establish residency and internship programs. During her tenure at BMA, Brown organized several exhibitions. Most notably, she co-curated the national touring exhibition “A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration” with Ryan N. Dennis. Brown has brought her curatorial expertise to executive residences. In Washington, D.C., she curated the art collection at Vice President Kamala Harris’s residence at the Naval Observatory, with works by Glenn Ligon, Carrie Mae Weems, and Carmen Neely, among others. Previously, Brown served as the consulting curator of Gracie Mansion Conservancy where she organized “She Persists: A Century of Women Artists in New York” (2019) and “Catalyst: Art and Social Change” (2020) at the official residence of New York City’s mayor. She was also a Mellon Museum Research Consortium fellow at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
“I am beyond thrilled to lead the Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU, an institution that I have admired as a leading voice in the field of contemporary art today. The ICA is a beacon for artistic excellence and freedom, grounded in the potency of ideas, collaboration and exchange.”
— Jessica Bell Brown
SEPTEMBER
Allison F. Avery. | Courtesy Allison Avery
Allison F. Avery, Chief People Officer. | Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, N.Y.
In July, Allison F. Avery joined the Brooklyn Museum as chief people officer, a leadership role focused on “shaping the Museum’s workforce, fostering a culture of creativity, excellence, belonging, and connection, and contributing to the institution’s strategic goals and long-term success.” She is the museum’s first chief people officer. The museum announced the appointment on Sept. 5. Avery brings more than 20 years of experience managing people and culture in the healthcare, legal, and media industries, as well as the nonprofit sector. She joined the Brooklyn Museum from SYPartners, a New York-based boutique management consulting firm. Avery spent three years at SYPartners and became Chief People & Flourishing Officer. Previously, Avery was global vice president of Inclusion & Community at Dow Jones (WSJ/Factiva).
Karla Barthelmy-Hippolyte. | Photo by Evie Bishop, Courtesy Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
Karla Barthelmy-Hippolyte, Auditorium Programs Manager. | Modern Art Museum Fort Worth in Fort Worth, Texas
Modern Art Museum Fort Worth in Texas announced Karla Barthelmy-Hippolyte had joined the museum as auditorium programs manager. She started in July. The Modern hosts an array of programming in its auditorium, including conversations with artists, designers, and scholars; film screenings; and music and spoken word events. Barthelmy-Hippolyte previously served as cultural programs coordinator for the City of Dallas – Office of Arts and Culture. In prior roles at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, she handled public programs and youth initiatives (2016-21). Modern Art Museum Fort Worth welcomed Barthelmy-Hippolyte along with a new education team. The new appointments were announced Sept. 12.
Christopher Blay. | Courtesy National Juneteenth Museum
Christopher Blay, Director of Public Programs. | National Juneteenth Museum, Fort Worth, Texas
Artist and curator Christopher Blay was appointed director of public programs at the forthcoming National Juneteenth Museum (NJM) in Fort Worth, Texas. The news was announced Sept. 10. Blay joined NJM from the Houston Museum of African American Culture, where he had served as chief curator since 2021. In a prior role, he spent nearly a decade as curator at Tarrant County College, organizing exhibitions for three campus galleries. The mission of the National Juneteenth Museum is to “enrich public understanding of Juneteenth and African American history.” Located in Forth Worth’s Historic Southside neighborhood, the museum is scheduled to open to the public in 2026.
Taylor Renee Aldridge. | Photo by Bella Lopez
Taylor Renee Aldridge, Executive Director. | Modern Ancient Brown Foundation, Detroit, Mich.
In Detroit, Mich., the Modern Ancient Brown Foundation (MAB) welcomed curator and writer Taylor Renee Aldridge as executive director. Founded by artist McArthur Binion in 2019, the Modern Ancient Brown Foundation supports BIPOC artists and writers in Detroit through visiting fellowships and a post-baccalaureate artist residencies. The MAB appointment marks a homecoming for Aldridge, who was born and raised in Detroit. She started in the new role on Sept. 1. Aldridge is the editor of the recently published book “All These Liberations: Women Artists in the Eileen Harris Norton Collection.” She joined the foundation from the California African American Museum (CAAM) in Los Angeles, where she had been visual arts curator & program manager since 2020. Aldridge is co-curator of the Los Angeles presentation of “Simone Leigh,” which is currently on view at CAAM and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, through Jan. 20, 2025. In a prior role, she briefly served as assistant curator of contemporary art at the Detroit Institute of Arts (2016-18). In 2014, Aldridge and Jessica Lynne co-founded ARTS.BLACK, an online journal of art criticism.
“I have long admired McArthur Binion’s practice and vision for the Foundation and I am thrilled to be a part of its legacy where I will expand upon the arts ecosystem in the city I call home.” — Taylor Renee Aldridge
OCTOBER
Jonell Logan. | Courtesy Tephra ICA
Jonell Logan, Executive Director and Curator. | Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art, Reston, Va.
On Oct. 22, the Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art (Tephra ICA) in Reston, Va., announced the appointment of Jonell Logan as executive director and curator. She officially started on Oct. 28. A curator, arts advocate, and nonprofit leader originally from New York, Logan previously served as vice president and creative director at the McColl Center in Charlotte, N.C. (2020-23). She was also director of education and public programs at the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture in Charlotte. Earlier, Logan worked in education roles at New York museums. Founded in 1974, Tephra ICA is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year. Formerly known as the Greater Reston Arts Center, the nonprofit and non-collecting institution adopted its new name in 2021.
Jane’a Johnson. | Photo by Mandy Draper and Lindsay Calmettes
Jane’a Johnson, Editor. | Aperture, New York, N.Y.
Curator, writer, and lecturer Jane’a Johnson joined Aperture in the role of editor, effective Nov. 14. Her appointment was announced Oct. 31. Based in New York, Aperture is a nonprofit publisher focused on photography worldwide. Johnson is an editor in Aperture’s book publishing program and contributes to the quarterly magazine, and website, as well as education offerings and public programming. Previously, Johnson was artistic director of Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam (the photography museum in Amsterdam), from 2021-22. Earlier, she served as director of the Photographic Archives Research Group at Brown University, her alma mater where she earned a Ph.D., in modern culture and media. In the announcement, Aperture Editor in Chief Michael Famighetti said: “Jane’a Johnson is a rigorous thinker on photography and image culture. We are excited for all that she will contribute to our program and its continued impact on the field.”
NOVEMBER
Asa Jackson. | Courtesy McColl Center
Asa Jackson, President and CEO. | McColl Center, Charlotte, N.C.
On Nov. 5, The McColl Center in Charlotte, N.C., announced Asa Jackson will be its next president and CEO. His tenure begins Jan. 6, 2025. Jackson is a multidisciplinary artist, curator, arts leader, and 2023-24 artist-in-residence at the McColl Center. Previously, he was director of 670 Gallery in Hampton, Va. (2014-17); founded and served as executive director of the Contemporary Art Network (CAN) Foundation in Newport News, Va. (2017-24); and was a member of the Virginia Commission for the Arts from 2018-23, serving as chair for FY 2022. The McColl Center supports artists through a variety of programs, including artist’s residencies, subsidized studio space, and access to tools and equipment and gallery space to display and sell their work. Founded in 1999, the center is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
Alicia Graf Mack. | Photo by Gregory Costanzo
Alicia Graf Mack, Director. | Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, New York, N.Y.
Alicia Graf Mack was appointed artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York. The new leadership announcement arrived as the Whitney Museum of Art is celebrating the artistry and legacy of Alvin Ailey with a dynamic exhibition (“Edges of Ailey,” through Feb. 9, 2025) and a few weeks after the death of Judith Jamison, Ailey’s muse and artistic director emerita of the dance company. Mack has served as dean and director of Juilliard Dance since 2018. A former member of the Ailey company, she has also performed with Dance Theatre of Harlem. She received an undergraduate degree in history from Columbia University and earned a master’s degree in nonprofit management from Washington University in St. Louis, Mo. Mack’s appointment was reported Nov. 21. She will assume the leadership role at Alvin Ailey in July 2025. Mack succeeds Robert Battle who announced his resignation abruptly in November 2023, citing health reasons. “In Alicia, we saw a strength of character like Mr. Ailey’s, along with a vision for the future,” Ailey Board Member Anthony A. Lewis, who led the selection committee, told the New York Times. “It became a clear choice.”
“In Alicia, we saw a strength of character like Mr. Ailey’s, along with a vision for the future. It became a clear choice.”
— Ailey Board Member Anthony A. Lewis
Matthew Jordan-Miller Kenyatta. | Photo courtesy Matthew Kenyatta
Matthew Jordan-Miller Kenyatta, Director of Exhibitions and Public Programs. | Temple Contemporary, Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pa.
In Philadelphia, Pa., Tyler School of Art and Architecture at Temple University welcomed Matthew Jordan-Miller Kenyatta as director of exhibitions and public programs for Temple Contemporary. His appointment was announced on Nov. 25, shortly after he started. At Temple Contemporary, Tyler’s center for exhibitions and public engagement, Kenyatta is focusing on underrepresented artists and cultural histories and greater engagement with the local community. He is also taking on a teaching role in the master’s degree program in City and Regional Planning and the Arts Management track in the Art History MA degree program at Tyler. Kenyatta previously spent six years at the University of Pennsylvania’s Weitzman School of Design. At Penn, he taught courses as a community engagement fellow and post doctoral fellow, and also served as director of Justice and Belonging. Kenyatta holds a Ph.D., in urban planning and development from the University of Southern California.
Jane Carpenter-Rock. | Photo Courtesy Smithsonian American Art Museum
Jane Carpenter-Rock, Acting Director. | Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.
Since September, Jane Carpenter-Rock has been acting director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) and Renwick Gallery in Washington, D.C. Carpenter-Rock joined SAAM as deputy director for museum content and outreach in 2022, overseeing the museum’s education, conservation, external affairs and digital strategies departments, as well as the Research and Scholars Center. Previously, Carpenter-Rock served for 20 years at the U.S. Department of State where her roles included director of the orientation division at the Foreign Service Institute; deputy director of the National Museum of American Diplomacy; deputy director of the Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Bureau of African Affairs; and public affairs officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Cape Town, South Africa. At SAAM, Carpenter-Rock was named acting director after Stephanie Stebich, SAAM’s director since 2017, was removed from her position. The decision followed “years of declining morale” and staff complaints describing an “atmosphere of fear and recrimination” under the leadership of a “toxic director,” according to an in-depth report published by The Washington Post. The Smithsonian said a search for Stebich’s replacement is underway.
Chase Brandon Quinn. | Photo by Ryan Belk
Chase Brandon Quinn, Creative Director and Curator of Special Projects. | Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, Miss.
On Nov. 21, Mississippi Museum of Art (MMA) announced the appointment of Chase Brandon Quinn as creative director and curator of special projects. He starts Jan. 13, 2025. In the newly created role, Quinn will organize exhibitions and pubic programming and oversee the museum’s curatorial and education departments, “fostering inclusive, cohesive content development and storytelling across the institution.” Previously, Quinn served as the first African American staff curator at the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, S.C. During his tenure as co-director of education and programs and curator of special projects at the Gibbes, he curated “Something Terrible May Happen: The Art of Aubrey Beardsley and Edward ‘Ned’ I.R. Jennings.” The exhibition “explored the queer influences on the Charleston Renaissance, re-contextualizing the city’s early 20th-century art scene.”
Heran Sereke-Brhan. | Courtesy National Museum of Africa Art
Heran Sereke-Brhan, Deputy Director.| Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington, D.C.
Heran Sereke-Brhan, an arts leader and advocate, recently joined the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art (NMAfA) as deputy director. Born in Ethiopia, Sereke-Brhan brings to the role diverse leadership experience in the arts. She was executive director of the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities (2019-22) and also served as deputy director for the D.C. Mayor’s Office on African Affairs (2014–2017). A writer, producer, and artist, for more than two decades, Sereke-Brhan earned master’s and doctorate degrees in history, with an emphasis on African, African American and Caribbean history, from Michigan State University. Sereke-Brhan’s appointment at NMAfA was announced on Nov. 25, alongside news that John K. Lapiana was named director of the museum. A lawyer and longstanding Smithsonian official, Lapiana had been serving as interim director of the museum for a year and a half. Lapiana and Sereke-Brhan both officially started in their new roles on Nov. 4. NMAfA marked its 60th year in 2024. Over the past decade, the museum has faced some challenges, including an exhibition controversy, staff complaints of racism, and rightful ownership of the Benin bronzes in its collection. Leadership turnover has also been an issue. Over the past eight years, the museum has had four directors.
DECEMBER
Ryan N.Dennis “will serve as the first Black Museum Director for the institution over its 76 year history.”
Ryan N. Dennis. | Photo by Charles A. Smith, Courtesy CAMH
Ryan N. Dennis, Co-Director and Chief Curator. | Contemporary Arts Museum Houston in Houston, Texas
Last week, the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH) named Ryan N. Dennis co-director and chief curator. Dennis joined CAMH as senior curator and director of public initiatives in 2023. Previously, she was chief curator and artistic director of the Center for Art & Public Exchange at the Mississippi Museum of Art (MMA) in Jackson (2020-23). In addition to working on a solo exhibition of Betye Saar and a public art installation with Leonardo Drew, her greatest undertaking at MMA was co-curating, with Jessica Bell Brown, the critically recognized traveling exhibition “A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration.” In a prior role, Dennis was curator and programs director at Project Row Houses (PRJ), from 2012 to 2020. She also co-curated the Texas Biennial in 2021. At CAMH, Dennis will collaborate with Melissa McDonnell Luján. After serving as deputy director of CAMH, Lujánn was tapped as co-director and chief operating officer. Both promotions were announced Dec. 20, effective in January 2025. In the announcement, CAMH stated that Dennis “will serve as the first Black Museum Director for the institution over its 76 year history.” CT
FIND MORE Culture Type has previously reported on annual curatorial and arts leader appointments, dating from 2016
FIND MORE Black Curators Matter: An Oral History Project was established by Columbia University Professor Kellie Jones focusing on visual art curators active over the past half century “who have played an important role in getting the museum and curatorial field to where it is today,” with interviews are conducted by younger curators
FIND MORE Since 2015, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Ithaka S+R have been surveying museum staff demographics to understand opportunities and representation in terms of age, race, and gender at the institutions. In November 2022, they released a third survey of North American art museum staff demographics. (Summary)
