Smithsonian names Ngaire Blankenberg Director of the National Museum of African Art
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Friday, October 4, 2024


Smithsonian names Ngaire Blankenberg Director of the National Museum of African Art
As a consultant, Blankenberg has advised clients on strategies for decolonization, concept development, operations and business planning, programming, stakeholder and public engagement and more.



WASHINGTON, DC.- Ngaire Blankenberg has been named director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art, effective July 6. A consultant for museums and cultural destinations around the world, Blankenberg brings rich experience finding innovative ways to connect cultural resources to new audiences and a deep commitment to co-reimagining the museums of the future.

Blankenberg, a member of the African diaspora, has a proven track record in the systemic transformation of museums and cultural spaces to become more inclusive and more engaged in the community and society around them.

“The National Museum of African Art embodies the Smithsonian’s mission to foster understanding, inspire dialogue and bring people together irrespective of language, culture or border,” said Lonnie Bunch, the Secretary of the Smithsonian. “Ngaire’s leadership and experience will be invaluable in using the museum’s unparalleled collections and scholarship of African Art to further our reach, diversify our audiences and have a more profound impact on the nation and world.”

“Museums are institutions that carry a lot of systemic baggage from their colonial origins, but they are vital public spaces to reconsider how we connect and contend with one another and the planet, and where we can redefine, heal and reconcile,” Blankenberg said. “The National Museum of African Art sits physically in a city with one of the biggest populations of African peoples in the U.S. Digitally it reaches far into the diaspora. I am so grateful for the trust being placed in me to continue to care for, build, interpret and share NMAfA’s fantastic collection, particularly in this new era of U.S.-African relations.”

As a consultant, Blankenberg has advised clients on strategies for decolonization, concept development, operations and business planning, programming, stakeholder and public engagement and more. Her recent consulting clients include the National Gallery of Canada, Superblue , Museum and Archive of the Constitution at the Hill (Johannesburg), the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, MEG—Musée d’ethnographie de Genève, Olympique de Marseille football club and other global and local institutions.

In 2017, Blankenberg served as the head of content and strategy for Kossmanndejong, an Amsterdam-based design agency where she helped museum clients shape their interpretive approach to exhibitions, strategic planning, new business development and content development. Previously, she spent eight years (2008–2016) at Lord Cultural Resources as a principal consultant. From 2015 to 2016, she served as the director of Lord Cultural Resources in Europe.

In addition to her extensive work consulting for museums and cultural heritage sites, Blankenberg is a TV and documentary producer, public speaker and a published author.

Blankenberg holds a Master of Arts in media and cultural studies from the University of Natal, in Durban, South Africa, and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

She succeeds Augustus Casely-Hayford, who was director of the museum until March 2020. Deborah Mack from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture has served as the interim director of the museum.










Today's News

July 8, 2021

The Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art presents Changing Tides: Gifts from Gordon W. Bailey

MAM Shanghai presents the first exhibition of Zaha Hadid Architects in mainland China

Ten objects by Joseph Beuys exhibited at different locations in Munich

Sale of rare da Vinci drawing triggers legal battle in France

Major exhibition of Joan Miró's work opens at the Museum of Art Pudong in Shanghai

Exhibition at Xavier Hufkens explores how artists use systems and structures to free expression

'Will I be alive tomorrow?': Afghan woman photographer under threat

Exhibition presents a comprehensive picture of the role of art during The Thirty Years' War

Dilip Kumar, Bollywood's 'tragedy king', dies aged 98

UK's first new cultural space since coronavirus pandemic opens in Edinburgh

Christie's Paris to offer the Monsieur et Madame Jean-Marc Forneri Collection

A blossoming of trust: miart and Milano Art Week will be back in September

Smithsonian names Ngaire Blankenberg Director of the National Museum of African Art

With venues reopening across New York, life is a cabaret once again

Exhibition reveals young people's insights into life at home during lockdown

Freedom 50: New outdoor exhibition on view in Birmingham's Centenary Square

One of Birmingham's most iconic buildings now welcoming visitors

Pinakothek der Moderne opens 'Taiwan Acts! Architecture in Social Dialogue'

First UK solo exhibition by art collective Fehras Publishing Practices opens at The Mosaic Rooms

The Art Institute presents Mimi Cherono Ng'ok: Closer to the Earth, Closer to my Own Body

Kristina D. Palmer takes on role of chief development officer at the Columbia Museum of Art

How are game developers faring on the stock market?

Unusual Museum Collections From Around The World

5 Ways to Maintain your YouTube Channel like a Pro

Best sports bra for exercise

Why is vacuum casting beneficial?

45 Common Adjectives That Start with C

Email Safe Fonts vs. Custom Fonts: Which is Better to Choose?




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful