The Black Curator: Activists for Representation, and Decolonization of Museums (1) (Museums in Focus)

By: Kemuel Benyehudah

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Synopsis: The Black Curator highlights the role that Black curators have long played in advocating for black artists and social changes and argues that they made a significant contribution to the democratization of museums over the last 150 years.Drawing on oral testimonies and archival research, this book examines how black curatorial activist practices emerged as a social and imaginative response to racism across various museum contexts. Exploring the work of black curators at three different museums, Benyehudah traces a lineage from black curators in the 19th century to those currently working in curatorial roles. Analysis of these case studies and the use of ideas from museum studies, critical race theory, and art history also enable the author to demonstrate how black curatorial practice was and is distinct from Eurocentric forms of curating black art. Explaining that the black curatorial lens was used in the process of establishing counter‑archives, the author also demonstrates that it has played – and continues to play – a vital role in the decolonization of museums.Offering compelling ways to look at the relationship between black curators and legacies of colonialism in museums, The Black Curator will be essential reading for scholars, students, and museum practitioners.