New Book Spotlights Transformative Nature of Black Curatorial History
Six illuminating interviews between pioneering Black curators and the new generation of arts professionals explore the dynamics of race, art, and culture
Black Curators Matter
Conversations on Art and ChangeAuthors
Kellie Jones, Tumelo Mosaka
Body Content
The relationship between Black Americans and American art museums has historically been both fraught and hard-won.
Fifty years after Black artists protested their exclusion from exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney, and MoMA, among others, there was a call for museums to hire Black curatorial talent. As a result, the Black curator made significant inroads into the U.S. art world. Such advocacy led to acquisitions and exhibitions by Black artists at important institutions and spurred the establishment of museums and cultural organizations promoting Black art and culture. Today, Black curators hold significant positions at institutions nationwide. In this context, the Black curator becomes essential to broadening the discourse around the endeavors of Black artists, and for providing the frameworks by which depictions of the Black experience are perceived and historicized.
Black Curators Matter: Conversations on Art and Change (Getty Research Institute, $30) illuminates this critical history by spotlighting figures who have transformed the art world since the 1970s. This book presents illuminating conversations between six pioneering curators—Lowery Stokes Sims, Deborah Willis, Richard J. Powell, Kellie Jones, Thelma Golden, and Franklin Sirmans—and a new generation of professionals, including Ashley James, Kalia Brooks, Aaron Bryant, Thomas Jean Lax, Rujeko Hockley, and LeRonn P. Brooks. The oral histories presented fill a gap in the existing scholarship on Black arts production, circulation, and institutionalization. It incorporates, directly from the sources, the experiences and voices of Black curators who have transformed the art world since the 1970s, a history frequently mentioned in scholarship but not explicitly addressed at length. By showcasing their stories, Black Curators Matter brings new perspectives to curatorial and museum history and reveals how these pioneering figures reshaped American art museums toward greater inclusivity and innovation.
Endorsements
“2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding, and our sense of ourselves is completely adrift. We need an anchor like this.”
— Lisa Yin Zhang, Hyperallergic
“With a powerful selection of interviews and a sharp editorial framework, 'Black Curators Matter' is a must-read for anyone invested in equity in the arts.”
— Professor Dorothy Price FBA, Professor of Modern and Contemporary Art and Critical Race Art History
“Unique, compelling, and highly informative, 'Black Curators Matter' invites readers to celebrate and learn from six influential professionals whose work has shaped the curatorial field. This essential volume explores the recent history of curating and highlights the lasting impact of Black curators on art history, the museum visitor experience, and the careers of countless artists.”
— Eddie Chambers, Goldabelle McComb Finn Professor in Art History, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
“Black creative production is central to understanding the pathways to freedom in this world, making this volume indispensable for curators, scholars, and artists. 'Black Curators Matter' examines the museum as an insurgent site of reckoning and power through interviews between six landmark leaders and a vanguard of curatorial professionals. This book is a vital record of the full story of race and aesthetics in the arts today.”
— Sarah Lewis, Harvard University; Founder, Vision & Justice
Black Curators Matter
Conversations on Art and Change$30/£26