Ernestine White-Mifetu Appointed Curator of African Art at Brooklyn Museum

THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM not too long ago welcomed Ernestine White-Mifetu as Sills Foundation Curator of African Artwork. White-Mifetu was working as an unbiased artist and curator when she joined the Brooklyn Museum. She brings two decades of expertise to the position.

Previously, she served as director and main curator of the William Humphreys Art Gallery in Northern Cape, South Africa (2019-20). A historic appointment, she was the very first girl to lead the museum. Set up in 1952, William Humphreys Art Gallery is one particular of three nationwide artwork museums in South Africa.

Her Brooklyn Museum appointment was announced currently, along with Abigail L. Dansiger, who is the museum’s new director of Libraries and Archives. The two officially started at the New York museum on March 1.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Ernestine and Abby to the Brooklyn Museum workforce. Both dynamic experts in their fields, they are becoming a member of the Brooklyn Museum at an unbelievably exciting time as we prepare for the setting up of our new everlasting African Art galleries and for the Museum’s two hundredth anniversary,” Brooklyn Museum Director Anne Pasternak stated in a statement.

The Brooklyn Museum states that it was 1 of the initially U.S. museums to gather and exhibit African artwork and describes its selection of African art as 1 of the largest in the United States, with far more than 6,000 will work made in excess of a time period of 2,500 a long time. The mainly historic as properly as up to date is effective represent a lot more than 100 cultures, mainly sub-Saharan.

“I am deeply appreciative of the opportunity to showcase the huge and varied strategies in which African creatives have, by way of time, expressed their particular, community, and world wide lived realities.” — Ernestine White-Mifetu

White-Mifetu begins her tenure at an energetic time in the department. The museum is building new long-lasting galleries to showcase the Arts of Africa selection. She will lead the reinstallation, develop similar programming and initiatives, oversee new acquisitions, and insert key will work to touring exhibitions, with the aim of bringing the collection “to lifestyle by telling new tales and making connections for today’s audiences and the area Brooklyn local community.”

In prior positions, White-Mifetu was curator of modern day paintings and sculpture at the Iziko South African Nationwide Gallery in Cape City (2014-19) and deputy chairperson of the Creative Committee for South Africa’s National Arts Festival (NAF). At the moment, she serves on the board of the Global Committee for Museums and Collections of Present day Artwork (CIMAM), based in Barcelona, Spain.

White-Mifetu attained an MFA in fine artwork and a BA, with honors specializing in curatorship, from the College of Cape Town in South Africa. She also holds a BA in good artwork from Buy College, Point out College of New York and a learn printer certification from the Tamarind Institute in Albuquerque, N.M.

“I am deeply appreciative of the possibility to showcase the large and diversified techniques in which African creatives have, as a result of time, expressed their particular, community, and worldwide lived realities,” White-Mifetu explained in a statement. “The Arts of Africa assortment, ranging from the historical to the present-day, will serve as a important springboard to produce significant discussions amongst readers of all generations and cultures.” CT

Impression: Ernestine White-Mifetu. | Picture by Raphael Mifetu, Courtesy Brooklyn Museum

Discover A lot more A several a long time back, the Brooklyn Museum employed a white curator of African art and it caused a furor.

BOOKSHELF
“African Artwork: A Century At The Brooklyn Museum” surveys the museum’s collection. Just lately printed, “African Artists: From 1882 to Now” explores the get the job done of more than 300 artists. “The Language of Attractiveness in African Art” is forthcoming in April. “El Anatsui: Art and Life” is a new quantity about the Ghanaian-born, Nigeria-centered artist. “El Anatsui: The Reinvention of Sculpture” is predicted in May. Also take into consideration “Zanele Muholi: Somnyama Ngonyama, Hail the Darkish Lioness” and “Zanele Muholi.”