Carre Adams has been named Lead Curator/Culture & Arts Manager of the George Washington Carver Museum, Cultural and Genealogy Center, the city of Austin Parks and Recreation department announced today.
The position is the museum’s leadership role. For the past four years Adams has served as the center’s Associate Curator and Coordinator of Exhibitions. He replaces Bamidele Demerson who in May left the top post to be curator of the African Museum and Library in Oakland, Calif.
“Adams brings with him a wealth of experience in a wide variety of positions that relate to the Manager position including community development, arts and marketing,” said Laura Esparza, PARD’s Museum and Cultural Programs division manager.Among the exhibitions Adams has coordinated at the Carver are “Juntos/Together,” which brought together photographs of old East Austin selected by Rachel Winston, UT’s black Diaspora Archivist and ATX Barrio Archive creator Alan Garcia, and “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” an exhibition of Black artists selected by celebrated Austin artist Deborah
“This is a position of tremendous responsibility because the Carver Museum is a cultural home for the African American community, people from the African Continent, artists, and folks who understand that Black history is American history,” Adams told Sightlines. “I am looking forward to building authentic and meaningful partnerships with local, regional, and national institutions that work to preserve the history, culture, and art of the African and African Diaspora.”
For the last 15 years, Adams has worked with a variety of arts and justice organizations that prioritize underserved and underrepresented communities. A mixed media artist, creative consultant, and filmmaker, Adams received his BA from Sarah Lawrence College in Visual Arts and African and African Diaspora Studies. His past projects and collaborations have been featured on KLRU’s “Arts in Context,” Feministing, Art in America, and Forbes.
A former co-director at allgo, a statewide queer people of color arts and advocacy organizations, Adams has repeatedly sought professional opportunities that allow him to merge his creative pursuits with movements for racial and economic justice. He is a former “We Shall Overcome” fellow whose work has been supported by Alternate ROOTS and The Highlander Research and Education Center.
Adams is currently a member of Big Medium’s 2019 Studio Tour Review Committee.
“I am excited about helping to build the capacity of the Carver Museum, both the institution and the staff, and strengthen existing partnerships with long-term community stakeholders,” said Adams. “This will require creativity, persistence, and a whole lot of kitchen table conversations — but I am here to do the work. The space in between failure and success is process.”
