San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) and the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) have announced a groundbreaking collaboration, and at the helm is Cornelia Stokes, the inaugural Assistant Curator of the Art of the African Diaspora. This unique role has Stokes bridging the gap between these two institutions to develop new scholarship on contemporary art from the African diaspora.
Stokes describes her position as a ligature connecting curatorial research, programming, and public discourse across both museums. Her initial draw to the job was its intentionality and collaborative spirit, particularly the idea of being connective tissue and building frameworks that support long-term curatorial thinking, scholarship, and public engagement for both institutions.
The collaboration between SFMOMA and MoAD is envisioned as one of shared influence, knowledge, and resources without flattening difference. While both museums bring unique strengths to the table – MoAD's ability to be responsive in its programming and SFMOMA's scale, resources, and global visibility – Stokes' thinking centers on supporting a range of exhibitions and public programs that reflect the breadth of the African diaspora.
Stokes comes from Emblazon Arts LLC, an independent curatorial and cultural strategy practice she founded. This experience has taught her how to be rigorous and responsive at the same time, allowing for flexibility and fluidity in her work. Prior to this role, Stokes worked as a research assistant for artist Amy Sherald, which reinforced the importance of protecting artists' time and vision.
A crucial aspect of Stokes' job involves working with SFMOMA to help diversify its collection. This task is not just about adding new works but also requires rethinking the frameworks of value, ownership, and art-historical narratives. Stokes acknowledges that she has yet to encounter any challenges in this area, but entering a dialogue already in progress can be daunting.
The three-year tenure of Stokes' position provides ample time for her to make an impact. She plans to know she's done her job if the collaboration between SFMOMA and MoAD has created a framework that allows someone else to continue evolving beyond her tenure. On a personal level, success means supporting artists and colleagues in thoughtful, ethical, and generative ways.
For Stokes, this role represents an opportunity to expand possibilities for institutions, artists, and audiences. By working across both museums, she aims to create meaningful collaborative exhibitions, published scholarship, and public programs that reflect the complexity of the African diaspora without flattening its differences.
Stokes describes her position as a ligature connecting curatorial research, programming, and public discourse across both museums. Her initial draw to the job was its intentionality and collaborative spirit, particularly the idea of being connective tissue and building frameworks that support long-term curatorial thinking, scholarship, and public engagement for both institutions.
The collaboration between SFMOMA and MoAD is envisioned as one of shared influence, knowledge, and resources without flattening difference. While both museums bring unique strengths to the table – MoAD's ability to be responsive in its programming and SFMOMA's scale, resources, and global visibility – Stokes' thinking centers on supporting a range of exhibitions and public programs that reflect the breadth of the African diaspora.
Stokes comes from Emblazon Arts LLC, an independent curatorial and cultural strategy practice she founded. This experience has taught her how to be rigorous and responsive at the same time, allowing for flexibility and fluidity in her work. Prior to this role, Stokes worked as a research assistant for artist Amy Sherald, which reinforced the importance of protecting artists' time and vision.
A crucial aspect of Stokes' job involves working with SFMOMA to help diversify its collection. This task is not just about adding new works but also requires rethinking the frameworks of value, ownership, and art-historical narratives. Stokes acknowledges that she has yet to encounter any challenges in this area, but entering a dialogue already in progress can be daunting.
The three-year tenure of Stokes' position provides ample time for her to make an impact. She plans to know she's done her job if the collaboration between SFMOMA and MoAD has created a framework that allows someone else to continue evolving beyond her tenure. On a personal level, success means supporting artists and colleagues in thoughtful, ethical, and generative ways.
For Stokes, this role represents an opportunity to expand possibilities for institutions, artists, and audiences. By working across both museums, she aims to create meaningful collaborative exhibitions, published scholarship, and public programs that reflect the complexity of the African diaspora without flattening its differences.
. I love how she's all about creating a space for diverse perspectives and voices, especially when it comes to rethinking art historical narratives and frameworks of value 
. It's cool that she's got some real-world experience under her belt too - working with artists like Amy Sherald is no joke 
. The fact that she's focusing on supporting artists & colleagues in a thoughtful & ethical way is what I'm most excited about 
. Three years should give her plenty of time to make some serious waves 
, and if she can create a framework that allows others to continue pushing the boundaries of contemporary art from the African diaspora, then she's gonna be a total rockstar 
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Cornelia Stokes sounds like a total rockstar 
her idea of being the connective tissue btw is so cool lol i mean who wouldn't want to be the glue that holds it all together? 
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... I mean, I love what they're trying to do here, but aren't we just perpetuating the same old cycle of "collaboration" and "diversity" without actually making any real change? 
? And what's with the emphasis on "frameworks of value, ownership, and art-historical narratives"? Sounds like corporate speak to me 
... Can't they just, I don't know, exhibit more actual art instead of trying to redefine the whole concept of it? 
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. It's a big deal! And I'm excited to see what she comes up with over the next three years 
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. That's what it's all about, right? Supporting each other and creating something amazing together 
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. Can't wait to see what kind of impact she makes during her three-year tenure 
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i was watching it for like 10 minutes and now i cant focus on this art news lol anyway back to sfmoma and moad... i think it's cool that cornelia stokes is working on diversifying sfmoma's collection, but like how do they even start that process? 
And I love how she's prioritizing artists' time and vision - that's like the most important thing ever 
it's like there's so much weight on her shoulders. But at the same time I know she's got this 
. And it's not just about adding more diversity to their collections, but also rethinking the way we think about value, ownership, and art history - that's some heavy stuff 
. And let's be real, the fact that MoAD can respond quickly to programming needs while SFMOMA brings global visibility is like, a total win-win