ANN ARBOR, MICH.- The University of Michigan Museum of Art has appointed Vera Grant to deputy director of curatorial affairs and curator of modern and contemporary art.

In this newly created role, she will develop and lead a dynamic program of contemporary and historic exhibitions and provide strategic vision and managerial oversight for the museum’s exhibitions, collections, publications and conservation.

“Vera Grant has exceptional experience, intellectual range, an immersive approach to visual culture and commitment to broad public dialogue, and underrepresented voices and perspectives,” said Christina Olsen, UMMA director. “She is the perfect creative partner to join us in shaping the museum’s future, and I look forward to working with her to develop exciting new ways to engage the entire university and our broader public.”

Since 2012, Grant has been the director of the Ethelbert Cooper Gallery of African & African American Art at the Hutchins Center at Harvard University. Previously, she was executive director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute at Harvard and the associate director of the African and African American Studies Program at Stanford University (2001-2007).

Grant has curated numerous exhibitions, including most recently “Harlem: Found Ways” (summer 2017). She holds an M.A. in modern European history from Stanford and a B.A. in history from the City College of New York, CUNY. She was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Hamburg in Germany, a fellow at the Center for Curatorial Leadership, a fellow at the Studio Museum in Harlem, and a Sheila Biddle Ford Foundation Fellow.

She has lectured and published widely on race and visuality, in 20th century American and German culture.

“I am excited to come to UMMA and to activate the museum’s remarkable collections and develop an ambitious slate of exhibitions, programs and publications that engage the defining issues and ideas of our time,” said Grant, who begins at UMMA Sept. 4, 2018.