The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) has announced the appointment of Asma Naeem as Chief Curator; Andaleeb Badiee Banta as Senior Curator of Prints, Drawings & Photographs; and Virginia Anderson as Curator of American Art. Naeem, Banta, and Anderson are joining the BMA at a time of rapid and systematic change throughout the museum, including the adoption of a new mission that places diversity, equity, and inclusion as central to the BMA’s vision.

“We are committed to taking intentional steps towards evolving into an institution that emphasizes equity,
excellence, and relevance in all phases of the work we do as a museum, not only for our Baltimore community, but to serve as a model for best museum practices nationwide,” said BMA Dorothy Wagner Wallis Director Christopher Bedford. “Asma, Andaleeb, and Virginia will be instrumental in carrying out the museum’s new vision and we are thrilled to add their energy, ideas, and expertise to our curatorial team.”

Naeem brings both curatorial and academic experience as well as a local perspective as a former Baltimore resident and graduate of the Johns Hopkins University. As chief curator, she will lead the museum’s curators, registrars, and conservators; oversee the internationally renowned collection of 95,000 objects; and advance the museum’s goals of artistic excellence, historical accuracy, and social equity. Naeem will work closely with Bedford to continue the BMA’s ongoing effort to reconceptualize the role of the museum within today’s society. Prior to joining the BMA, Naeem served as the Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Media Arts at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.

Banta, the new Senior Curator and Department Head of Prints, Drawings & Photographs, joins the BMA from the
Allen Memorial Art Museum at Oberlin College, where she was the curator of European and American Art. She will lead the institution’s efforts to enhance the role and prominence of the BMA’s preeminent collection of 65,000 prints, drawings, and photographs from the 15th century to the present. She will also forge institutional partnerships across Baltimore to amplify conservation and scholarly study of the museum’s collection.

Anderson previously served as an adjunct faculty member at the Johns Hopkins University and the Maryland Institute College of Art. As the BMA’s new Curator and Department Head of American Art, she will oversee an outstanding collection of American painting, sculpture, and decorative arts that dates from the colonial era to the late 20th century. In collaboration with Bedford and other curators, Anderson will play a key role in the BMA’s efforts to undo historical stereotypes and biases and revise how American history is told through art.