The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) has announced the appointment of Alexis Assam to the position of Regenia A. Perry Assistant Curator of Global Contemporary Art. Assam comes to VMFA from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where she worked as the Constance E. Clayton Curatorial Fellow in the Contemporary Art department.

“It gives me tremendous pleasure to welcome Alexis to the department of Modern and Contemporary Art,” said Valerie Cassel Oliver, VMFA’s Sydney and Frances Lewis Family Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art. “She will be an invaluable asset in upcoming acquisitions, exhibition developments and future projects for the museum.”

“Alexis will have an important role in continuing to build the museum’s inclusive collections and in developing relevant, meaningful exhibitions that will resonate with our visitors,” said Alex Nyerges, VMFA’s Director and CEO.

While at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Assam played an integral role in the Philadelphia presentation of Senga Nengudi: Topologies. She assisted in other exhibitions and installations including Fault Lines: Contemporary Abstraction by Artists from South Asia and Expanded Painting in the 1960s and 1970s. Assam was also a member of the African American Art Working Group collaborating with peers on initiatives to diversify exhibitions, collections and programming at the museum.

Prior to her time at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Assam worked as the Romare Bearden Graduate Museum Fellow at the Saint Louis Art Museum, where she co-curated The Shape of Abstraction: Selections from the Ollie Collection. Assam earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in art history from Florida State University. 

“I am so proud to be selected for this newly created position named for Regenia A. Perry, an important art historian and curator,” said Assam. “The collection at VMFA and the museum’s commitment, advanced by its strategic plan, to diversify the collection by dedicating one-third of its acquisition funds to African and African American art speaks directly to my curatorial priorities. I look forward to working with the entire curatorial team and colleagues across the museum to present exhibitions that are timely, engaging and accessible to all VMFA visitors.”

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