Black Trustee Alliance for Art Museums

🖼️ BTA friends in San Francisco—don’t miss Infinite Hope, a timely and powerful must-see exhibition presented by Jenkins Johnson Gallery! Infinite Hope Kwame Brathwaite Renée Cox Gordon Parks Ming Smith “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 1968, three months before his assassination. Profound and timely when delivered during the Civil Rights Movement; this positivity has helped shape the landscape of Black American ethos. In times of uncertainty and disappointment, Dr. King’s passage is a reminder that hope is evergreen. Jenkins Johnson Gallery is pleased to present Infinite Hope, an exhibition of historical photographs by groundbreaking, internationally renowned artists Kwame Brathwaite, Renée Cox, Gordon Parks, and Ming Smith. Jenkins Johnson Gallery will present this ambitious museum-scale exhibition at 1150 25th Street, San Francisco, a 6,000 square foot venue formerly housing the McEvoy Foundation." Photo Credit: Jackson Brathwaite

Art Bits 🖼: 'Sandra Jackson-Dumont on Robert Colescott’s ‘George Washington Crossing the Delaware’ "If imagery can shape us negatively, it surely has the potential to do the opposite—to inspire positive change. I believe art can change the world because it changes people, and people change the world. I think that museums are more than repositories of artifacts or arbiters of taste. They exist in the spaces between the comfortable and the uncomfortable, the positive and the negative, the imagined and the real. I believe museums can serve as safer spaces for uncomfortable conversations—not necessarily “safe spaces” in the absolute sense, but spaces where people feel encouraged to discuss tough issues and consider ways to enact change." https://lnkd.in/eYF4mkx7

Field News: Deana Haggag to Helm Mellon Foundation Arts and Culture Grantmaking "The Mellon Foundation today announced that celebrated arts leader and advocate, Deana Haggag, will be promoted to the institutional leadership role of Program Director for Arts and Culture, effective January 1, 2025. She succeeds Emil J. Kang, who will step down at the end of this year. In this role, Haggag will drive the Foundation’s arts grantmaking area, nurturing and fortifying visionary leadership, securing artistic and cultural legacies, and improving the working conditions that enable the arts ecosystems of the nation." https://lnkd.in/erS-MyDU

🎨 Explore Exciting Opportunities in the Arts Ecosystem! 🌟 #ArtsJobs is here, featuring diverse roles across the creative landscape. Check out this week's featured positions below👇🏿: 1️⃣ Head of Operations - Museums Moving Forward 📍Remote (Los Angeles preferred), California ℹ️ The Head of Operations will play a major role at MMF during an exciting moment in the history of the organization. Working in close partnership with the Executive Director and the Head of Programs, the Head of Operations will grow MMF’s capacity to engage and learn from cultural workers across the country by supporting the management of activities across the organization, including governance, finance, fundraising, and the program. There will also be a particular emphasis on the stewardship of relationships with MMF’s growing network of museum partners and cultural workers. In addition, the responsibilities of this role will include the management of annual work plans, calendars and travel, databases, communications initiatives, and correspondence with contractors. Importantly, the individual strengths and experiences of the candidate selected will further inform the responsibilities and opportunities offered by this role, both across the entire organization and through ownership over more specific aspects of the program. The aspiration is for this position to grow, contributing even more directly to the program, mission, and vision of MMF. 🌐 Read more and apply - link in the comments section below. Museums Moving Forward

Black Trustee Alliance headed to the Bay Area for the inaugural NEXUS Black Art Week, and what an incredible time it was! We gathered to celebrate what unites us all—our shared love and dedication to Black art. We welcomed members from around North America to experience to vibrant creative landscape of San Francisco and Oakland. From thought-provoking panels and our private member dinner to artist studio visits and tours of stunning exhibitions, every moment was a reminder of the rich cultural contributions we strive to support. A special thank you and congratulations to MoAD Executive Director Monetta White for bringing NEXUS Black Art Week to life! Your vision created a powerful space for connection, celebration, and inspiration. Your leadership is truly transformational.

The Met’s Next Fashion Blockbuster Takes On the Politics of Race "The Met’s first fashion exhibition to focus solely on the work of designers of color, as well as the first in more than two decades to focus explicitly on men’s wear, the show is another step in the Costume Institute’s efforts to rectify its own historic failures in diversity and inclusion, said Andrew Bolton, the curator in charge. I wanted to stage a show on race that could use our collection to tell a story that had been absent from the conversation both within the museum and outside,” Mr. Bolton said. “This is a first of its kind.” https://lnkd.in/dE-aV33b

Congratulations to BTA member Darrell Hackett and Advisory Board member Nickol Hackett on receiving the 2024 Arts Philanthropy Awards from the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago! Your dedication to supporting and elevating Black art is an inspiration to us all. We are so proud to see your incredible contributions recognized!

Art Bits 🖼: Dancer Alvin Ailey Comes Into Full Focus in Stunning, Genre-Blurring Whitney Show 'The stunning multimedia show, which has taken over the Whitney’s entire fourth floor, is an immersive feast that seamlessly presents video, music, contemporary art, and archival material against eye-catching, sumptuous red walls. Six years in the making, it was put together in collaboration with the Alvin Ailey Foundation by Adrienne Edwards, a senior curator at the Whitney, who has skillfully blended together the mediums on view.' https://lnkd.in/extv_EaF

Huge Congratulations to Visual Artists Ebony G. Patterson and Tony Cokes for their MacArthur Fellowship Award!! https://lnkd.in/eURNjy5F

Joe Minter is Here - Landmark Exhibition in Birmingham, Alabama 🖼️ For decades, people have journeyed from all over the world to experience Joe Minter's sacred art environment, “African Village in America.” Using discarded materials, Minter has masterfully chronicled the Black experience, and today, his work graces some of the most prestigious collections in the U.S., including The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the National Gallery. However, this moment is different. For the first time ever, Joe Minter will have a solo show in his hometown of Titusville! Set in a historic warehouse within his own neighborhood, this immersive exhibit promises to be a landmark celebration of his artistic legacy, introducing his profound story to new generations and shedding light on the importance of preserving cultural heritage. Event Details: 📆 Date: October 3rd - 20th 📍 Marc Steel Company - 600 6th Ave. South Birmingham, Alabama 🎟️ Tickets: Free and open to the public