Jamillah James

Jamillah James (born 1980) is an American curator. She is the Manilow Senior Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

Early life and education

James grew up in New Jersey.[1] Her mother was a musician.[2] James's early interest in music and film provided one way into the world of visual art.[3] James attended Columbia College Chicago, where she was in the first class to study art history.[4] She graduated in 2005.[1][5] While in Chicago for college, James founded a DIY, live/work experimental music venue called Pink Section and later lived at the exhibition space Archer Ballroom, where she organized live music performances.[6]

Career

Before moving to Los Angeles, James was an independent curator and held curatorial fellowships at the Studio Museum in Harlem (2012-2014) and the Queens Museum (2010).[2][7]

James was Assistant Curator at the Hammer Museum.[1] At the Hammer Museum she organized shows by Alex Da Corte, Simone Leigh,[8] and Charles Gaines.[9] She also curated Njideka Akunyili Crosby's first solo museum exhibition,[10] and would later present Crosby at Art + Practice, a space founded by artist Mark Bradford.[3][11]

In 2016 James was named curator at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.[7][9] Upon her arrival she noted her plans to present a mixture of Los Angeles artists and international artists,[9] and later described her goal of harnessing creative energy as a path to address a "turbulent political climate".[12] In 2018 she spoke with The Los Angeles Times about "de-centering" whiteness in the art world.[13] While in Los Angeles James curated exhibitions with artists Sarah Cain,[14] Harold Mendez, Nayland Blake,[15] B. Wurtz, and Nina Chanel Abney.[7] James' 2019 exhibit for Blake was described as a "thrilling iteration of the artist's thoughts...".[15]

In 2018 James and Margot Norton were announced as curators of the New Museum's 2021 Triennial.[16][17]

In 2021 James was named Manilow Senior Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, and began her role in early 2022.[17][4][18]

Other activities

In 2019, James served on the jury that chose Kandis Williams for the Hammer Museum’s $100,000 Mohn Award.[19]

Awards and honors

In 2018, James received a fellowship from the VIA Art Foundation.[6] In 2021, James was awarded the Ellsworth Kelly Award from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts.;[17] the Noah Davis Prize from the Underground Museum; and a curatorial fellowship from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.[6][20]

References
  1. Mast ’00, Audrey Michelle. "Jamillah James '05". www.colum.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-23.
  2. Zappas, Lindsay Preston (February 2020). "Interview with Jamillah James" (PDF). Contemporary Art Review LA. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  3. Stromberg, Matt (2017-02-24). "The Curator of LA's New ICA on Opening Up the Insular Art World". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
  4. Warnecke, Lauren (18 November 2021). "MCA announces new top curators". Chicago Tribune; Chicago, Ill. [Chicago, Ill]. p. 8 – via ProQuest.
  5. "Jamillah James Named Senior Curator at Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago". Contemporary And (in German). Retrieved 2022-06-24.
  6. "MCA - Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago Announces Appointment of New Curatorial Leadership". mcachicago.org. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
  7. Valentine, Victoria L. (2021-11-18). "Jamillah James Appointed Senior Curator at Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago: As a Student 'Visiting the MCA Helped Me Realize the Possibilities of Curating and of Museums'". Culture Type. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
  8. "Ica La Appoints Jamillah James As Curator". Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
  9. Miranda, Carolina A. (2016-08-02). "Hammer Museum's Jamillah James named curator of the new ICA LA". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
  10. "Njideka Akunyili: Making An Art Statement". The Guardian; Lagos [Lagos]. 1 October 2018 – via ProQuest.
  11. Vankin, Deborah (5 November 2017). "Forever painting outside the lines; MacArthur Fellow Njideka Akunyili Crosby pours her Nigerian-American world into her mixed-media art". Los Angeles Times; Los Angeles, Calif. [Los Angeles, Calif]. pp. F1 – via ProQuest.
  12. Vankin, Deborah (September 1, 2017). "ICA LA: A sneak peek inside downtown's new art museum". Los Angeles Times – via ProQuest.
  13. Miranda, Carolina A. (November 9, 2018). "The best of times, the worst of times: art in the age of rising white supremacy". Los Angeles Times (Online), Los Angeles – via ProQuest.
  14. Griffin, Jonathan (2021-09-30). "With Big, Bold Art, Sarah Cain Redefines Seriousness in Painting". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  15. Campbell, Andy (December 2019). "Andy Campbell on Nayland Blake". Artforum International; New York. Vol. 58, no. 4.
  16. Pogrebin, Robin (2018-07-09). "Bicoastal Pairing of Curators for Next New Museum Triennial". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  17. Durón, Maximilíano (2021-11-17). "MCA Chicago Hires New Museum Triennial Curator Jamillah James". ARTnews.com. Retrieved 2022-06-23.
  18. "MCA Chicago Taps René Morales and Jamillah James for Top Curatorial Roles". www.artforum.com. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  19. Alex Greenberger (15 July 2021), Kandis Williams Wins Hammer Museum’s $100,000 Mohn Award ARTnews.
  20. Cascone, Sarah (2021-09-30). "The Underground Museum in Los Angeles Has Awarded Three Curators $25,000 Each With Its Inaugural Noah Davis Prize". Artnet News. Retrieved 2022-06-23.
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