The Newark Museum of Art, the largest art and education institution in New Jersey and one of the most influential museums in the United States, welcomes Henone K. Girma as its new Associate Curator of the Arts of Global Africa.
Ethiopian-born Girma comes to the Museum from The Africa Center in Harlem, where she served as Programs Manager in a wide range of roles. In addition, she has worked with Art in FLUX Harlem, the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance, and as the Associate Curator for ReSignifications—an exhibition organized by NYU Florence as part of Manifesta 12 art biennial in Palermo, Italy. From 2017 to 2019, Girma was the Andrew W. Mellon Research Associate at the Museum and contributed to the comprehensive publication, The Newark Museum Collection: Arts of Global Africa.
“After a national search to fill this key curatorial position, we are thrilled that Henone is joining our team. She brings tremendous experience and inclusive perspectives to the Museum, building on her breadth of projects,” said Catherine Evans, Deputy Director of Collections and Curatorial Strategies at The Newark Museum of Art.
“I am delighted to return to The Newark Museum of Art and honored to be entrusted with the stewardship of its esteemed Arts of Global Africa collection,” said Girma. “The opportunity to carry on the remarkable work of my predecessors is both a great privilege and a personal challenge. My goal is to create dynamic modes of presenting the Museum’s expansive holdings of arts of the complex continent I come from to engage visitors from Newark and beyond.”
Girma holds an International Business degree with a minor in French from University of Texas at Arlington and a Master’s in Visual Arts Administration, with a nonprofit concentration, from New York University.
