Asma Naeem: The Baltimore Museum of Art announces first person of colour in director role
The Baltimore Museum of Art has announced Asma Naeem as the institution’s new co-director alongside Christine Dietze. Naeem is the first person of colour to ever lead the esteemed establishment. The appointment has been hailed as a progressive step towards greater inclusivity in the modern art world.
Naeem has become the first to take the position in the museum’s 109-year history after their former director left the role to become a director at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Prior to this switch, many Baltimore Museum staff had expressed the need for greater diversity within the organisation.
In a public statement, Naeem announced: “As we move forward, there is an incredible opportunity to bring a greater depth of local and global voices into the dialogues about the history and evolution of art, about museums as community spaces, and about the relationship between internal culture to external experience—and in doing so create meaningful change in the field.”
Adding: “I am looking forward to working with the exceptional team here and with our many current and future collaborators.” Given the public stance of the Museum’s staff in recent years, her message was met warmly both within the organisation and by the wider art world.
The museum’s chair, James D. Thornton, showed his support in a statement. “The BMA is committed to bringing diversity and equity into every aspect of its work, from the exhibitions and programs we develop to the works we acquire to our internal working culture,” he announced.
Continuing: “Since she joined the museum in 2018, Dr. Naeem has been integral to shaping this vision and to the strides we have made to realize it.”
Naeem has worked at the institution as a curator since 2018. While she moves on to the director role, she will continue to work on forthcoming exhibits. Her latest curation is titled ‘The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century’. This exhibition is set to open in April.
