Dear Everyone,

I’m very pleased to announce that Dr. Julie Crooks has been promoted to the position of Curator, Global Africa and the Diaspora, effective Monday, September 21, 2020.

Julie joined the AGO in 2017 and most recently held the position of Associate Curator of Photography. She holds a PhD from the Department of History of Art and Archaeology at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, UK. Since joining the AGO, she has curated a number of significant exhibitions, including Free Black North (2017), Mickalene Thomas: Femmes Noires (2018), and presentations from the AGO Collection such as Photography, 1920s–1940s: Women in Focus (2019–2020). She has actively participated in bringing works by Black artists into the collection, including Dawoud Bey, Paul Kodjo, Ming Smith, Malick Sidibé, and David Zapparoli, and most notably the Montgomery Collection of Caribbean Photographs, acquired in 2019 — which was made possible by Julie’s work to bring together an unprecedented group of supporters primarily from Toronto’s Black and Caribbean communities. This collection will form the core of a major exhibition, Fragments of Epic Memory, to be presented next summer.

Prior to joining the AGO, Julie consulted on the Frum African galleries (2007–2008) and the exhibition Jean-Michel Basquiat: Now’s the Time (2015). 
 

Julie has maintained an active presence in the cultural community outside the AGO. She co-curated Here We Are Here: Black Canadian Contemporary Art at the Royal Ontario Museum in 2018. She is also a founding Board member of Black Artists Network in Dialogue (BAND) where she also curated many exhibitions including, Ears, Eyes, Voices: Black Canadian Photojournalists, 1970s–1990s (2017), and she is a founding member of the Black Curators Forum which launched in 2019 to advocate for and support Black curators working in Canada.

In her new position, Julie will plan, build and present a collection of art that affirms the interconnectedness of the art of Global Africa within the wider diaspora, both past and present. She will play a leading role in connecting our visitors with extraordinary art and ideas as we work together to lead global conversations while reflecting the people who live here. She will work closely and collaboratively with the other curators and colleagues across all departments to ensure that her vision is realized.

Julie will report to me and receive administrative and planning support from Jill Offenbeck, Executive Coordinator for Curatorial Affairs. Her appointment also coincides with the formation of a new donor support group, Friends of Global Africa and the Diaspora (FGAD), which will help raise awareness and appreciation for the artistic legacy of Global Africa and the Diaspora and its centrality to the Gallery’s mission.

Please join me in congratulating Julie on her well-deserved promotion, which represents an exciting and important new chapter for her and for the AGO.

Sincerely,

Julian Cox

Deputy Director & Chief Curator