Prominent Black Women Curators in the U.S.
| Name | Location | Institution & Role |
|---|---|---|
| Kanitra Fletcher, PhD | Washington, D.C. | Associate Curator of African American & Afro‑Diasporic Art, National Gallery of Art Studio Museum in Harlem+12National Gallery of Art+12Wikipedia+12 |
| Dr. Adrienne Edwards | New York, NY | Senior Curator & Director of Curatorial Affairs, Whitney Museum of American Art |
| Thelma Golden | New York, NY | Director & Chief Curator, Studio Museum in Harlem |
| Ashley James, PhD | New York, NY | Senior Curator, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (first Black full‑time curator) |
| Andrea Barnwell Brownlee | Jacksonville, FL | CEO & Director, Cummer Museum of Art; former Director, Spelman College Museum |
| Anne Collins Smith | New Orleans, LA | Chief Curator, New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) |
| Erin Christovale | Los Angeles, CA | Curator (Film & Media Arts), Hammer Museum, UCLA |
| Oluremi C. Onabanjo | New York, NY | Peter Schub Curator, Photography Department, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) |
| Legacy Russell | New York, NY | Executive Director & Chief Curator, The Kitchen (new media & experimental art) |
| Monica O. Montgomery | Washington, D.C. | Co‑founder & Curator, Museum Hue (community‑focused art and social justice) (Not found: confirm if current institutional role available — limited online sources) |
Short Professional Bios
Kanitra Fletcher, PhD — As the first Associate Curator dedicated to African American & Afro‑Diasporic art at the National Gallery of Art (appointed 2021), she guided major exhibitions including Spirit & Strength: Modern Art from Haiti. Fletcher holds a PhD from Cornell University.
Dr. Adrienne Edwards — Joining the Whitney Museum in 2018, she curated immersive exhibitions like Edges of Ailey, a sweeping narrative honoring Alvin Ailey’s legacy. Edwards combines performance studies with visual culture to bridge disciplines. Holds a PhD from NYU.
Thelma Golden — Since 2005, Golden has led the Studio Museum in Harlem as Director & Chief Curator. She launched the influential Freestyle exhibition, defined the post‑Black era, and elevated the museum as a global nexus for artists of African descent.
Ashley James, PhD — In 2019, James became the first full-time Black curator at the Guggenheim Museum. Previously affiliated with MoMA, Studio Museum, and Brooklyn Museum; she earned her PhD from Yale.
Andrea Barnwell Brownlee, PhD — An award‑winning author and curator, she leads Jacksonville’s Cummer Museum as CEO & Director. Formerly a longtime director of Spelman College Museum, she has published critical texts on African American women artists.
Anne Collins Smith — Appointed Chief Curator at NOMA in 2024, Smith oversees modern and contemporary exhibitions, while previously serving as Director at Xavier University Art Gallery and curator roles at Spelman College Museum.
Erin Christovale — At the Hammer Museum, she curates film, media, and performance-based exhibitions. Co-founder of Black Radical Imagination, she co-curated Made in L.A. 2018 and focuses on identity and historical memory in art.
Oluremi C. Onabanjo, PhD — Since 2024, Onabanjo is MoMA’s Peter Schub Curator of Photography. Her prior roles include overseeing major photography exhibitions like New Photography 2023 and receiving the Vilcek Prize for Curatorial Work in 2025.
Legacy Russell — Since 2021, Russell has served as Executive Director & Chief Curator of The Kitchen in NYC, championing experimental performance and new media. Author of Glitch Feminism and Black Meme, she previously curated at the Studio Museum in Harlem.
Monica O. Montgomery — Co-founder of Museum Hue, Montgomery leads community-oriented curatorial and programming initiatives focused on social justice and uplifting Black, Indigenous, and Latinx artists in Washington, D.C., though northern institutional affiliation details are not publicly centralized.
