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Jamillah James

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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

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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

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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

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

Awards and honors

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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

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  1. ^ a b c Mast ’00, Audrey Michelle. "Jamillah James '05". www.colum.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ a b Zappas, Lindsay Preston (February 2020). "Interview with Jamillah James" (PDF). Contemporary Art Review LA. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  3. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c "MCA - Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago Announces Appointment of New Curatorial Leadership". mcachicago.org. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
  7. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c 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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