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Tag: Amy Sherald

  • Between MoAD and SFMOMA, Cornelia Stokes Charts a Unique Curatorial Path

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    Stokes describes her position as the ligature connecting curatorial research, programming and public discourse across two distinct museum ecosystems. Portrait by Kelvin Bulluck, museum image © Henrik Kam, courtesy SFMOMA

    Last month the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) and the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) announced that Cornelia Stokes would serve as the inaugural Assistant Curator of the Art of the African Diaspora. The job will have her working “across both institutions to develop new scholarship on contemporary art from the African Diaspora, and support a range of exhibitions and public programs, as well as SFMOMA’s work to diversify its collection.” It’s a huge mandate that promises to delve into some of the thorniest questions facing the art world at a time when galleries and museums are trying to find new ways to engage with audiences. We caught up with Stokes to hear about her new position and its responsibilities.

    Congratulations on the new position! It’s a very unique one. How did you find yourself coming to this job? How was it initially pitched to you?

    I originally discovered the role in 2023 and was instantly captivated by the intentionality and collaborative spirit of the position. As I began to understand more about the role, it was the idea of being connective tissue and building frameworks that could support long-term curatorial thinking, scholarship and public engagement for both institutions that drew me in.

    You’ve been positioned as a bridge between these two unique institutions. I know you’re just starting your job, but could you speak a little about each of their individual strengths, and how you’ve initially envisioned their long-term collaboration?

    MoAD has the ability to be more responsive in its programming. They are unapologetic and unafraid to foreground lived experience and cultural specificity. SFMOMA offers the scale, resources and global visibility of a major modern and contemporary museum, along with a deep commitment to collection-building. My thinking around the collaboration is less about merging identities and more about sharing influence, knowledge and resources without flattening difference.

    You come to this job from Emblazon Arts LLC. What kinds of work did you do there? What lessons did you learn there to prepare you for this position?

    Emblazon Arts is an independent curatorial and cultural strategy practice I founded to support artists and institutions working inside and outside traditional frameworks. Through Emblazon, I curated exhibitions, developed public programs, advised on collections and archival projects and helped build sustainable infrastructures for artists—often with limited resources but expansive vision. That work taught me how to be rigorous and responsive at the same time. To be flexible and fluid.

    You’ve worked previously, too, as a research assistant for the beloved artist Amy Sherald. What did that position entail? What was it like working for her?

    Working as a research assistant for Amy Sherald was and is inexplicable. Amy is a force who approaches her work with extraordinary discipline and care. Being part of that process taught me how deep research, compassion and patience are embedded in strong artistic practice. For me, it also reinforced the importance of protecting artists’ time and vision—something I carry with me into curatorial work.

    Part of this job involves working with SFMOMA to help diversify its collection. What are some of the challenges to that task, historically and currently?

    Diversifying a collection isn’t simply about adding works; it requires rethinking the frameworks of value, ownership and art-historical narratives. I have yet to encounter any challenges, but I think, as a new curator at a new institution, the challenge will always be entering a dialogue already in progress.

    This position has a three-year tenure. How will you know you’ve done your job at the end of that time? What personal benchmarks will you have met?

    I’ll know I’ve done my job if the collaboration between SFMOMA and MoAD provides a framework for someone else to continue evolving beyond my tenure. That can look like meaningful collaborative exhibitions, published scholarship and public programs that reflect the breadth of the African Diaspora without flattening its complexity. On a personal level, success means supporting artists and colleagues in thoughtful, ethical and generative ways. If I can look back and see that the work expanded possibilities—for institutions, for artists and for audiences—then I’ll feel the role has done what it set out to do.

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    Between MoAD and SFMOMA, Cornelia Stokes Charts a Unique Curatorial Path

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    Dan Duray

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  • The Best Holiday Gifts for the Art Lovers and Artists On Your List

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    When it comes to gifts for art lovers, wrapping original art is the ultimate power move. But here’s the catch: collectors pour their hearts—and usually their bank accounts—into curating deeply personal collections. If you know your giftee very, very well, a piece of art can be a very, very good gift. You could also treat the collector in your life to a gallery outing or surprise them with a session with an art advisor. But if adding to their collection feels too ambitious, there are plenty of artsy presents for everyone on your list, from the absolute obsessive to the casually cultured. Whether you’re working with a shoestring budget or aiming for extravagance, there’s no shortage of options that are thoughtful, stylish and primed to impress. Enjoy our guide to the gifts guaranteed to thrill any art enthusiast.

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    Christa Terry

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  • ‘Giants: Art from Alicia Keys & Swizz Beats Collection brings Black artistic legacy to Atlanta

    ‘Giants: Art from Alicia Keys & Swizz Beats Collection brings Black artistic legacy to Atlanta

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    Alicia Keys and Swizz Beats at the opening of Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys, which took place at the High Museum of Art on Friday, Sept. 13.  Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice

    “This collection is your collection. This is everyone in here’s collection. The Dean Collection is your collection” said Kasseem Daoud Dean, record producer, rapper, and DJ, who is more commonly known as Swizz Beatz. The opening of Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys took place at the High Museum of Art on Friday, Sept. 13. 

    Dean’s statement encapsulates the essence of the exhibition—a celebration of Black art, culture, and legacy. Giants, which runs from September 14, 2024, through January 19, 2025, is the first major presentation of the Dean Collection in the south. There is a hope that the collection will leave a lasting mark on the region, according to Dean.

    Friday the 13th, often considered a day of superstition, instead marked a historic moment for Atlanta as Swizz Beatz (whose birthday also fell on this day) and his wife, the Grammy award-winning artist Alicia Augello Cook, or as she is professionally known, Alicia Keys, visited the city to kick off their collection’s first stop on a national tour. The exhibition offers a focused selection of works by Black diasporic artists, ranging from 20th-century icons such as Nick Cave and Gordon Parks to contemporary innovators like Amy Sherald and Deana Lawson.

    Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice

    The collection, curated by the Brooklyn Museum, represents 10 percent of the Deans’ entire holdings, and includes 115 objects, 98 of which are major artworks. Through this exhibition, the Deans seek to trace the evolution of their collection and highlight the social impact of Black artists on the global art scene. Thematically, the artworks tackle issues of societal relevance, monumentality, and the ongoing influence of Black artists on art history.

    In an interview with The Atlanta Voice, Alicia Keys illuminated the deeply personal significance of preserving and promoting Black art. “It’s bigger than transactional. It’s bigger than just one moment,” Keys said, speaking to the sense of purpose that drives their mission. Emphasizing the importance of breaking down institutional barriers, particularly those that historically have excluded Black artists, Keys hopes that the exhibition will spark a sense of empowerment. “We belong everywhere,” Keys declared. “We really created everything. It’s a beautiful celebration of that power. You feel it when you walk in this room.”

    Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice

    This celebration of Black culture and creativity is central to the Dean Collection, which, according to Keys, was built with more than just a collector’s eye. She explained that the relationship between artists, whether musical or visual, is born from shared experiences and emotions. “You feel their pain, their passion, their story, their vision,” Keys said, describing the connection she feels with the art. Drawing parallels between her music-making process and curating the collection, she spoke about the emotional and spiritual resonance that both mediums evoke.

    The exhibition not only features paintings, sculptures, and photographs but also includes non-traditional art objects that offer insight into the Deans’ diverse interests. Visitors will find musical instruments, albums, and even BMX bikes that the couple has collected over the years. This incorporation of personal memorabilia gives the exhibit a unique texture, blending cultural objects with fine art to create a holistic view of the Deans’ lives as collectors and creatives.

    Kimberli Gant, the curator of modern and contemporary art at the Brooklyn Museum. Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice

    Kimberli Gant, the curator of modern and contemporary art at the Brooklyn Museum, emphasized the significance of bringing Giants to Atlanta, a city that has long been a hub for Black culture. She pointed out that while the Dean Collection includes artists from various cultural backgrounds, this exhibition focuses on showcasing Black artists who have been historically underrepresented in major galleries. Gant explained, “This becomes an expansive presentation of art history that often is not taught in the giant catalogs that we get when we’re studying in school.” By presenting works by both established and emerging Black artists, Giants aims to fill gaps in mainstream narratives and offer new perspectives.

    Gant hopes that the exhibition will resonate with local audiences in Atlanta, a city with a rich history of art, music, and activism. She expressed her desire for visitors to feel a sense of recognition and belonging when they see the works on display, regardless of their background. “I want visitors to come in and see themselves,” Gant said. “Whether or not you are Black, this is about human expression.”

    Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice

    The exhibition is as much a cultural statement as it is an artistic one. Swizz Beatz reflected on the challenges of building such a collection, explaining that it wasn’t just about acquiring the pieces. “A lot of works you see there, we had to fight to get those pieces, not because we couldn’t afford them, it’s because they weren’t used to us buying works on this type of level,” Swizz Beatz shared. For the Deans, the collection represents a way to reclaim space within the art world for Black creators. “We felt like, no, what is it going to do? Just sit in storage? Hang on our walls?” Swizz Beatz stated. Instead, they chose to share the collection with the world—and more importantly, their community.

    Whether through the lens of music, visual art, or personal expression, Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of representation and the enduring legacy of Black creativity.

    In Gant’s words, “This is an expansive presentation of art history,” one that invites all who attend to find something meaningful and perhaps even transformative.

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    Noah Washington

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