The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) announced on Monday that Kevin Tervala has been appointed the museum’s Eddie C. and C. Sylvia Brown Chief Curator and Antoinette Roberts will join the museum as Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art, a new position.
A Baltimore native and scholar of African art and material culture, Tervala has served as the BMA’s Interim Chief Curator since February 2023, and previously held the role of Department Head for the Arts of Africa, the Americas, Asia, and the Pacific Islands (AAAPI) since 2017.
Starting immediately, he replaces Asma Naeem, who served as Chief Curator before she was named the museum’s Dorothy Wagner Wallis Director in January.
According to the museum’s announcement, “Tervala has played a critical leadership role at the BMA, supporting the museum’s work to develop a new collections roadmap, to enhance its policies on repatriation and ethical collections growth and management, to engage more directly with college and university partners, and to diversify the voices and experiences represented in the museum’s galleries.”
Tervala holds a Ph.D. in African Studies from Harvard University and a B. A. in art history from the University of Maryland, College Park. He has been responsible for reconceptualizing the installation of the BMA’s African art collection to emphasize historical and socio-political narratives and a broad range of artistic expression — including modern and contemporary artworks — as well as for the creation of the first collection gallery dedicated to Oceanic art at the museum. Among his numerous exhibitions are The Matter of Bark Cloth (2023); A Perfect Power: Motherhood and African Art (2020); and Kuba: Fabric of an Empire (2019).
As Chief Curator, Tervala will work closely with Naeem to drive the BMA’s curatorial objectives, strategies, and approaches, with an emphasis on artistic excellence, diversity, and community engagement.
Under Naeem’s leadership, the BMA is focused on presenting art from across cultures and geographies, in ways that go beyond European and American perspectives. Tervala is committed to presenting a wide spectrum of global human experience and expanding beyond commonly known art histories.
At the same time, the BMA is working to forge new and stronger relationships with its community, by establishing partnerships with local artists, cultural and community leaders, and academic institutions. Tervala’s status as a Baltimore native and previous work at the BMA has established him as a collaborative and open partner and resource and positioned him to continue to ground the BMA in the social and cultural fabric of Baltimore and the surrounding region.
“Kevin has played an essential part in shaping the BMA’s curatorial direction over the past several years, bringing thoughtful perspective to the presentation of our AAAPI holdings as well as to our ongoing and evolving work to diversify the museum’s broader collection and presentations,” Naeem said in a statement.
“As the Interim Chief Curator, he has brought new and exciting vision and been an active supporter to our museum team, creating pathways for colleagues to share their distinct knowledge and be recognized for their important work. Following a long, robust search, we could think of no better person to help lead us into the BMA’s future. His knowledge and experience, especially within non-western art and culture, as well as his commitment to partnership, are critical to our success. “
Roberts holds a Master of Philosophy in History of Art from the University of Cambridge, where she completed a dissertation titled “Carrie Mae Weems and the Reterritorialization of the Home,” and a B. A. in the History of Art from Yale University.
She will join the BMA from the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, where she holds the role of Curatorial Assistant in the Department of Photography. She is currently supporting curatorial work in the development of MoMA’s forthcoming exhibition LaToya Ruby Frazier: Monuments of Solidarity.
Before MoMA, Roberts served as Curatorial Assistant at The Women’s Art Collection at Murray Edwards College, part of the University of Cambridge, with the largest collection of modern and contemporary art by women in Europe. She has held fellowships and internships at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Yale Center for British Art and the Jewish Museum in New York.
At the BMA, Roberts will work closely with Jessica Bell Brown, the museum’s Curator and Department Head of Contemporary Art, on research, exhibitions development, and collections growth and management. Her appointment represents the BMA’s commitment to hiring scholars who have particular expertise in global artistic practices and a keen sense of important emerging voices. She will start her new role in February 2024.
“Annie brings to our team an acumen for historical thinking shaped by the contemporary moment,” said Brown, in a statement. “She is an emerging curatorial mind that will bring a fresh perspective to our collection. With her hire we look forward to continuing to nurture the next generation of talent at the BMA.”
