by Jeroslyn JoVonn
February 19, 2025
For the museum veteran, the job is ‘the appointment of a lifetime.’
Anne Collins Smith has officially been appointed chief curator of the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA).
She began the position in September 2024, but NOMA made the official announcement on Feb. 13, Biz New Orleans reports.
“This appointment is the opportunity of a lifetime and a testimony to perseverance and my dedication to curatorial practice. I look forward to advancing NOMA’s mission and shepherding exemplary art experiences with our dynamic team of curators,” Smith said.
“The art historian Mary Ann Calo speaks of how curators serve as interlocutors between art, artists, and the community. This principle continues to guide me through my career.”
Smith oversees NOMA’s collection and exhibition efforts, managing a team of curators, conservators, and collections staff. She is also responsible for the museum’s modern and contemporary art presentations, and brings significant expertise in African American art.
She will also lead innovative strategies for NOMA’s collection and exhibitions to ensure they align with industry best practices while addressing the museum’s needs. Upcoming initiatives include planning the reinstallation of parts of the permanent collection and curating retrospectives of artists Hayward Oubre and Willie Birch.
“The museum’s permanent collection of art spanning 5,000 years is at the center of everything we do,” said Susan M. Taylor, The Montine McDaniel Freeman Director of NOMA. “Anne Collins Smith is an accomplished curator, art historian, and museum leader, and we are thrilled to welcome her to NOMA in this crucial position. Her experience in institutions across the country and her perspective as a native New Orleanian make her an important addition to our staff.”
Smith’s extensive background includes roles as the director of the Xavier University of Louisiana Art Gallery, Curator of Collections at the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art in Atlanta, Andrew W. Mellon Curatorial Fellow at the Davis Museum and Cultural Center at Wellesley College, and serving as a Romare Bearden Fellow at the Saint Louis Art Museum.
In 2021, she was honored with a prestigious Center for Curatorial Leadership fellowship. Smith earned her MA in visual arts administration from New York University and her BA from Spelman College.
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