Renowned curator Jessica Bell Brown has been tapped to lead the Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University as its new executive director. 

Since 2022, Brown has served as curator and head of contemporary art at the Baltimore Museum of Art. She joined the museum as associate curator in 2019.

In her new role, which she will assume Oct. 28, Brown will lead efforts to enhance the ICA’s impact and visibility at regional, national and international levels. 

As a prominent university-wide resource now integrated within the School of the Arts, the ICA serves as a link between the campus and the contemporary art world. It fulfills this role by nurturing local creative communities, fostering connections with a global network of artists and organizations and promoting collaborations across VCU departments and the community, according to press release from the school.

“I am beyond thrilled to lead the Institute for Contemporay Art at VCU, an institution that I have admired as a leading voice in the field of contemporary art today,” Brown said. “The ICA is a beacon for artistic excellence and freedom, grounded in the potency of ideas, collaboration and exchange.”

Brown’s enthusiasm for her new role is matched by the anticipation of VCU leadership.

“I am excited to welcome Jessica to this vital role,” said Carmenita Higginbotham, Ph.D., dean of VCUarts. “Jessica will bring significant expertise as well as a unique vision to the ICA. I am so looking forward to working with Jessica to grow the ICA’s reputation and to generate new and innovative opportunities for our students, our faculty and staff and the broader arts communities.”

In addition to overseeing the curatorial and programmatic vision for the ICA, Brown will increase an emphasis on cross-disciplinary studies and foster an environment for the most gifted artists and scholars from around the world to explore new terrain in artistic expression.

Brown holds a master’s in modern and contemporary art from Princeton University, and a bachelor’s in art history from Northwestern University, and has published widely on contemporary artists including Senga Nengudi, Theaster Gates, Nari Ward, Lubaina Himid, Meleko Mokgosi, Firelei Báez and Baldwin Lee.

She is the recipient of the 2020 Andy Warhol Foundation Curatorial Research Fellowship, a member of the 2023 class of the Villa Albertine Museums Next Generation Incubator and a recipient of the 2024 VIA Art Fund Curatorial Fellowship. She is currently researching for a major exhibition that examines global contemporary artists who mine industrial, agricultural and maritime histories through materiality.

Asma Naeem, Dorothy Wagner Wallis Director of the Baltimore Museum of Art, said Brown had left an indelible mark on the museum and would be missed.

“Jessica has been pivotal in shaping the Baltimore Museum of Art’s acclaimed contemporary program, emphasizing a steadfast responsibility to the historical underpinnings of the art of today and to an astonishing array of artists, many of whom are just now getting the attention they deserve,” Naeem said.