ANNUAL REPORT 24
Letter from Monetta White
Dear Friends,
2024 has been a transformative year for MoAD (Museum of the African Diaspora). As we reflect on this year, I am proud to present our 2024 Annual Report – a testament to the impact of your generous support. Your belief in our mission has been instrumental in ensuring that MoAD remains a dynamic, vital, and internationally recognized institution that celebrates Black cultures, fosters thought-provoking dialogue, and inspires learning through the global lens of the African Diaspora. We are deeply grateful for your continued partnership in shaping our present and securing our future.
At the core of our mission is the elevation of contemporary Black art and artists. MoAD has continued to expand its artistic and educational reach, showcasing a diverse and powerful array of exhibitions. Our Chief of Curatorial Affairs and Public Programs, Key Jo Lee, expanded her leadership and has positioned MoAD as a frontrunner in the global contemporary art scene by curating nine exhibitions in 2024.
20Since its launch in 2015, MoAD’s Emerging Artist Program (EAP) has become a powerful platform for elevating the voices and visions of Black artists rooted in the Bay Area. What began with just two visionary artists—Tim Roseborough and Cheryl Derricotte—has grown into a thriving initiative that has supported 31 solo exhibitions and 20 jurors to date. In 2024 alone, we proudly curated five groundbreaking solo exhibitions and hosted twelve dynamic public programs that spotlighted the work and stories of outstanding Bay Area artists who are pushing the boundaries of contemporary art.
Interest in the Emerging Artist Program soared in 2024, with nearly 220 artists initiating applications and 113 completing submissions—marking a remarkable 46% increase from the previous year. This surge reflects the program’s notable industry recognition, expansive global visibility, and increasing international reach, as artists from across the globe sought the opportunity to join MoAD’s acclaimed cohort and contribute to the museum’s legacy of innovation in contemporary Black art.
The Emerging Artist Program continues to demonstrate significant impact, with many EAP alumni achieving national recognition and advancing their artistic practices in bold, new directions. Notable former EAP artists include Helina Metaferia, Sydney Cain, Angela Hennessy, Ramekon O’Arwisters, and Mary Graham—each exemplifying the transformative potential of MoAD’s Emerging Artist Program and the profound influence of Black art across the global diaspora.
While the program does not currently support international applicants, we were excited to showcase the work of one of the international applicants, Oluseye Ogunlesi, a Nigerian born artist residing in Cape Town, South Africa, in the exhibition, Unruly Navigations. This growing interest underscores the program’s expanding reach and continued relevance in elevating emerging Black artists on both a local and global scale.
Our commitment to engaging with and uplifting our community remains steadfast. In 2024, we welcomed over 30,000 visitors and hosted nearly 100 dynamic public programs, including artist talks, live performances, literary salons, and educational workshops in collaboration with SFJAZZ. We celebrated the second year of our Cultural Critic-in-Residence program, which explored the birth of Black cinema in the 1970’s and the continued cultural influence Black cinema has made on the decades that followed.
In 2024, MoAD engaged 2,300 youth and educators across 7 school districts through MoAD in the Classroom, the MoAD Teens Summer Program, and numerous events and guided tours.
We also proudly led the launch of Nexus: SF/Bay Area Black Art Week - a groundbreaking new initiative that brought together more than 66 artists and cultural institutions across the Bay Area. This week-long celebration featured a vibrant mix of dynamic artist talks, open studios, film screenings, exhibitions, and major public art unveilings - spotlighting the creative excellence and diverse voices of Black artistry in the SF/Bay Area region. Through these programs and partnerships, MoAD is able to expand its reach beyond museum walls - engaging audiences of all ages and backgrounds. As a leader in the arts and culture community, we are deepening our impact and shaping the regional and global dialogue of Black art and culture across the diaspora.
With Gratitude,
Monetta White CEO and Executive Director
EXHIBITIONS
WE WELCOMED
20,628 VISITORS
Rachel Jones: !!!!!
3.27.24 - 9.1.24
MoAD proudly presented !!!!!, a compelling new body of work by acclaimed British visual artist and painter Rachel Jones. Curated by Erin Jenoa Gilbert, !!!!! debuted a series of vivid oil pastel landscapes that continued Jones’ ongoing exploration of Black interiority and personhood. Following solo museum exhibitions in the U.K. and China, this marked Jones’ first solo museum exhibition in the United States. In !!!!!, Jones reimagined her signature aesthetic, creating complex compositions that oscillated between the figurative and abstract. Drawing inspiration from the poetics of Black writers and the dynamic visual and sonic languages of cartoons, her work showcased masterful mark-making, producing images that were both seen and felt.
Unruly Navigations
3.27.24 - 9.1.24
MoAD unveiled Unruly Navigations, a powerful exhibition curated by Key Jo Lee, Chief of Curatorial Affairs and Public Programs. The exhibition explored the urgent, rebellious, and nonlinear movements of people, cultures, ideas, religions, and aesthetics that define diaspora. Through twenty-two artworks and four site-specific installations, Unruly Navigations illuminated multidimensional trajectories across time, geographies, and spiritual landscapes. From Haitian-born ceramicist and painter Morel Doucet’s delicate porcelain busts to vanessa german’s provocative multimedia sculptures and Jamaican sculptor Nadine Natalie Hall’s hand-molded paving blocks
made of sugar, coconut, water, and peanuts, each work challenged conventional narratives of diasporic experience. The exhibition deepened, augmented, and, at times, completely refuted historical accounts that have misrepresented and mischaracterized the perspectives of the enslaved, the forcibly displaced, and the disenfranchised.
Participating Artists: Nafis M. White, Nadine Natalie Hall, M. Scott Johnson, Samuel Levi Jones, Winfred Rembert, Myrlande Constant, vanessa german, Morel Doucet, Oluseye, Anina Major.
Liberatory Living: Protective Interiors & Radical Black Joy
10.2.24 - 3.2.25
Liberatory Living: Protective Interiors & Radical Black Joy brought together contemporary designers, artists, and creatives whose work explores the necessity of cultivating Black domestic interiors as sites of both revolutionary action and radical joy. The exhibition drew on bell hooks’ concept of “Homeplace”—a space of safety, arrival, and homecoming—as well as Elizabeth Alexander’s notion of the “Black interior,” a realm of limitless imagination that challenges traditional narratives and celebrates unfetishized Black beauty and empowerment.
Through furnishings, wall coverings, lighting, ceramics, and other elements of interior design, Liberatory Living highlighted the ways in which beauty, comfort, and personal sanctuary contribute to a sense of belonging and resilience. Featuring sixteen visionary artists and designers, the exhibition bridged custom and retail objects to present a dynamic spectrum of work that fosters spaces for rest, creativity, and profound relief.
As the first exhibition of its kind at the MoAD, Liberatory Living offered a compelling invitation to explore contemporary interior design as an essential practice in dismantling colonial legacies and embracing Radical Black Joy. The exhibition underscores the power of design in shaping environments that nurture, protect, and celebrate Black life beyond narratives of struggle and resistance.
Featured Artists: Andile Dyalvane, Angela Hennessy, Chantal Hildebrand, Cheryl R. Riley, Chuma Maweni, dach&zephir, Germane D. Barnes, Kapwani Kiwanga, King Houndekpinkou, Lina Iris Viktor, Malene Djenaba Barnett, Michael Bennett,
Nandipha Mntambo, Norman Teague, Sandra Githinji Studio, Sheila Bridges, Traci Johnson, Zanele Muholi, Zizipho Poswa.
This is a museum of joy.
- Visitor “
Helina Metaferia: “What We Carry to Set Ourselves Free”
10.2.24 - 3.2.25
What We Carry to Set Ourselves Free was a solo exhibition by interdisciplinary artist Helina Metaferia that extends beyond the museum walls to engage both interior and exterior spaces. This research-driven project was an evolution of Metaferia’s ongoing By Way of Revolution series, which highlighted the often-overlooked labor of BIPOC women and gender-marginalized individuals in activist movements, both historically and in contemporary social justice efforts.
The exhibition featured a striking handmade collage reproduced as a large-scale vinyl mural, a text-based installation, a wearable sculpture, a video performance, and an interactive live performance at MoAD on October 12. Timed to align with the 2024 national presidential election, the works in this exhibition explore the duality of weight and liberation carried within activist histories—ideas that resonate directly with the exhibition’s title.
Developed through a year-long partnership with several Bay Area museums and libraries, the project employs a communi-
ty-organizing framework and process-based methodology. Metaferia’s research includes an in-depth exploration of Bay Area protest histories, supported by a dedicated local research team. Additionally, she collaborated with BIPOC femme-identifying residents through her signature By Way of Revolution workshop, incorporating their images and words into the final artworks and performances.
Organizational partners for this project included Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Bolinas Museum, and Stanford University, with archival research conducted at San Francisco Public Library, Stanford University Library, and UC Berkeley Library. Further expanding its regional impact, What We Carry to Set Ourselves Free was exhibited simultaneously at Bolinas Museum and Stanford University as an act of solidarity across the Bay Area’s cultural landscape.
“
I absolutely love MoAD. These exhibitions are beautifully curated and thoughtfully done. Everyone here is so kind and welcoming.
- Visitor
EMERGING ARTISTS PROGRAM
Mary Graham: Value Test: Brown Paper
3.27.24 - 5.19.24
MoAD presented Value Test: Brown Paper , an evocative exhibition by Mary Graham that explored the intersections of colorism, classism, and power through a series of oil portraits on brown paper bags. The work referenced the historical “paper bag tests,” once used by the Black upper class to determine access to elite spaces based on skin tone, exposing the lasting impact of these exclusionary practices rooted in white supremacy.
Through her portraits of fictional Black women, Graham examined colorism’s continued presence as both an internalized and systemic phenomenon. The exhibition aimed to foster conversation, reconciliation, and intercommunal healing, inviting viewers to reflect on generational love, collective origins, and the unknown. Grounded in African American spiritual traditions, Graham’s work is deeply personal, beginning with the veneration of her own lineage and expanding to broader cultural themes. Primarily a figurative painter and portraitist, Graham is also a classically trained vocalist, infusing her art with a profound sense of rhythm, emotion, and storytelling.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS TO DATE 31
Corinne Smith: Silene Capensis
5.29.24 - 7.21.24
MoAD showcased Silene Capensis, an introspective exhibition by Corinne Smith that explored the intersection of dreams, ancestral connection, and healing. Since childhood, Smith has experienced night terrors, sleep paralysis, and moments of uncertainty in distinguishing between reality and the unknown. Through the use of Silene Capensis, also known as the African dream root, Smith engaged in guided meditation and dream re-entry, harnessing powerful dreams as a means of accessing knowledge, symbolism, and deeper spiritual connection.
Smith’s work incorporated dream re-entry, intuitive plant medicine, and color as mediums to confront difficult aspects of the self, unveiling personal and collective mythologies within spiritual realms. Through paintings, illustrations, risographs, and animations, the exhibition offered a glimpse into the etheric process of self-discovery and ancestral communion, embracing non-colonial ways of knowledge and storytelling.
Zekarius Musele Thompson:
The Meeting Place
7.24.24 - 9.1.24
MoAD presented The Meeting Place, an immersive exhibition by Zekarias Musele Thompson that explored agency—both individual and collective—across conceptual, physiological, and geographical landscapes. The exhibition featured diptychs of photographic landscapes enhanced with oil paint, accompanied by eight continuously playing musical compositions. These compositions were visually translated into oil on canvas, creating a unique intersection
of sound and image. Sculptural seating arrangements further encouraged communal listening and observation, fostering an interactive experience for visitors.
By layering disparate artistic gestures, The Meeting Place challenged entrenched ideas about art objects, authorship, and viewership. Thompson’s multidisciplinary practice—incorporating sonic composition, spatial facilitation, photography, performance, writing, and mark-making—disrupted historical narratives surrounding individual and collective self-deception and embodied trauma. The exhibition continued Thompson’s ongoing interrogation of perception and memory, offering a space for reflection and engagement with the complexities of identity and history.
Jessica Monette: Unveiling Histories: A Fabricated Archive
10.2.24 - 12.15.24
This exhibition was a deeply personal exploration of Jessica Monette’s lineage, disrupted not only by the Middle Passage but also by ongoing challenges in preserving a familial archive. The devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 further underscored the fragility of this preservation. From ancient to recent pasts, this collection amalgamates items and information, forming a fabricated archive that documents a colonial and ancestral past reshaped by historical turbulence.
A New Orleans native, Monette intricately wove the tangible and the elusive, transforming inherited, found, and fabricated materials into a richly layered narrative. Her multidisciplinary practice—encompassing painting, sculpture, and installation—seamlessly intertwined these themes, creating a dynamic meditation on ancestry, memory, and cultural resilience.
Soleé Darrell: Cosmic Ceremony
12.18.24 - 2.2.25
Soleé Darrell designed this exhibition to create an environment that compelled introspection through abstraction and color. Featuring six masterful silk velvet paintings, a triptych, a soundscape, and an offering altar, the show invited viewers into a sensory, ethereal experience, where distant galaxies and celestial phenomena mirrored the depths of our inner worlds. The expansive triptych fully enveloped the viewer in rich color and texture, while the soundscape wove together recordings from moments in Darrell’s life when she felt most profoundly alive. A flower arrangement and candle stood as offerings to the universe, and a designated seating area encouraged deep reflection.
Through Cosmic Ceremony, Darrell offered a space for clarity, presence, and gratitude—guiding viewers in a reflective dialogue between their inner landscapes and the vast cosmos.
A Bermudian-born artist based in Northern California, Darrell (b. 1989) is entirely selftaught, relying on intuition to guide her practice. Her work delved into the depths of human existence, forging connections between this world and others through meditation and creative exploration. Each brushstroke carried intensity—layering color, vulnerability, passion, and unwavering trust in the universe. Through this exhibition, she sought to inspire optimism and dissolve the barriers between the physical and intuitive realms.
Malene Djenaba Barnett, Illusions of Softness, 2024. Embossed Earthenware. Courtesy of the artist, Commissioned by MoAD.
7,334 ATTENDEES
Chef-in-Residence
MoAD’s Chef-in-Residence program—the first of its kind at a contemporary art museum—has been instrumental in creating space for people of color to explore and amplify critical conversations around food justice, climate justice, and social equity, while also fostering a deep appreciation for healthy food, creativity, and community. From its inaugural offering, a panel discussion titled Black Women, Food, and Power, to the widely acclaimed Black Food Summit in September 2022, the program has convened hundreds of leading Black chefs, writers, scholars, activists, artists, and cultural workers to advance the health and well-being of the African Diaspora. In 2024, MoAD was honored to welcome Jocelyn Jackson as Chef-in-Residence, continuing the program’s tradition of visionary leadership and cultural nourishment.
Poets-in-Residence
Founded in 2018, the MoAD Poets-inResidence program provides writers with opportunities to respond to contemporary art of the African Diaspora and extend the reach of the museum through public programs and school-based writing workshops. This annual four-month paid residency provides two poets of African descent the opportunity to pursue their own writing projects, in addition to responding to MoAD’s current exhibitions. Over the course of the program, the selected residents develop and host poetry workshops for the high school students in the Spoken Arts Department of Ruth Asawa School of the Arts in San Francisco. The 2024 Poets-in-Residence were Reggie Edmonds-Vasquez and reelaviolette botts-ward.
African Literary Award
Presented by MoAD, the African Literary Award recognizes an African author who has produced a work of literary excellence and taken a leadership role in promoting writing and literacy in their local communities. The award is granted to an author whose work has been read by the Museum’s African Book Club. In September 2022, author Rémy Ngamije was selected as the inaugural African Literary Award recipient for his book An Eternal Audience of One and his community literary initiatives in his home country of Namibia. In 2023 Nigerian writer Eloghosa Osunde, author of Vagabonds!, was selected as the African Literary Award finalist.
Cultural Critic-in-Residence
Launched in January 2023, MoAD’s Cultural Critic-in-Residence program connects film, scholarship, visual and pop culture in an exciting and novel approach. The museum’s inaugural Cultural Critic-in-Residence is acclaimed filmmaker, author, and scholar Dr. Artel Great. Dr. Great is an intellectual and creative force who transcends boundaries and defies conventional categorization. His publically-engaged scholarship contributes to the production of knowledge in Black cinema and visual culture and Black cultural theory. Through this residency, Dr. Artel Great engages filmmakers, historians, scholars, media experts, artists, and cultural producers and local, national, and international audiences through virtual and in-person programming.
Chef-in-Residence
Jocelyn Jackson presents Diaspora Dinner 2024
The Diaspora Dinner is an immersive dining experience that celebrates the ingredients, cooking techniques, and flavor profiles of the African Diaspora. Last year, MoAD Chef-in-Residence Jocelyn Jackson invited Dr. Jessica B. Harris to join her as we honored the iconic contributions made to the canon of African foodways. The evening was be filled with melodic music, delicious drinks, exquisite food, and inspiring conversation that reflect Dr. Harris’s culinary scholarship and remarkable life. The evening was filled with melodic music, delicious drinks, exquisite food, and inspiring conversation that reflected Dr. Harris’s culinary scholarship and remarkable industry achievements.
Curator & Artist Talk |
Liberatory Living
MoAD presented “On Leather & Lace,” a Curator & Artist Talk featuring Liberatory Living artists Michael Bennett and Malene Barnett in conversation with Curator Key Jo Lee. This program was part of Nexus: SF/Bay Area Black Art Week. Liberatory Living centered on creating spaces that allowed us to imagine the world otherwise.
Exceeded expectations. [Keisha] was an incredible and thoughtful guide, giving space for us to ask questions and share answers.
Pacing was wonderful.
- Program Attendee “
In this conversation, moderated by Lee, the audience was invited to reflect alongside Barnett and Bennett on how leather and lace inspired them to create new forms.
Curator & Artist Talk | !!!!!
MoAD hosted a curator and artist talk celebrating the opening of the exhibition !!!!!, curated by Erin Jenoa Gilbert. !!!!! was a new body of work by acclaimed British visual artist and painter Rachel Jones, continuing her ongoing exploration into Black interiority and personhood.
Curator & Artist Talk | Unruly Navigations
MoAD hosted a curator and artist talk celebrating the opening of the exhibition Unruly Navigations, curated by Key Jo Lee, Chief of Curatorial Affairs and Public Programs at MoAD. Artists Nafis M. White, Nadine Natalie Hall, and Oluseye joined Key Jo Lee in conversation to discuss how the artists in this exhibition augmented and deepened—and at times, completely refuted—conventional accounts of diasporic experience.
Demographic Breakdown of Program Attendees
Data from our Online Program Surveys indicated the ethnic demographics of last year’s program attendees were as follows: 47% African Descendant; 31% White; 14% Asian or Pacific Islander; 9% Latinx; 5% Other; and 2% Prefer Not to Say.
Program Feedback
The feedback we received from participants and community partners was extremely positive and demonstrated the effectiveness of our programming.
According to the feedback we received from our Online Program Surveys in 2024:
• 98% either Strongly Agree or Agree with the statement: “I enjoyed this program.”
• 96% either Strongly Agree or Agree with the statement: “I learned something new from this program.”
• 97% either Strongly Agree or Agree with the statement: “I would recommend this program to a friend.”
PARTICIPATED IN TOURS 1,536
Program Themes and Content
In 2024, Public and Academic Engagement deepened its impact by curating dynamic, interdisciplinary programming that amplified the museum’s exhibitions and expanded community engagement. Key initiatives included:
Exhibition-Inspired Artist Talks and Performances – Showcasing thought-provoking discussions and live presentations that brought exhibitions to life.
Residencies – Inviting visionary creatives to engage with MoAD’s exhibitions and audiences through:
Chef-in-Residence – Exploring the intersections of food, culture, and identity.
Cultural Critic-in-Residence – Providing critical perspectives on contemporary and historical themes.
Poets-in-Residence – Creating original works that responded directly to the exhibitions.
Community Free Days – Breaking barriers to access by welcoming all visitors to experience MoAD’s offerings at no cost. Whenever possible, Residency programs and Community Free Days were intentionally designed to align with the exhibitions on view. By featuring artists whose work was displayed in the galleries—or, in the case of Poets-in-Residence, commissioning new poetry that directly engaged with the art—MoAD fostered deeper connections between audiences, creators, and the museum’s mission.
Interdisciplinary Engagement
Interdisciplinary approaches were central to MoAD’s 2024 programming, ensuring multiple entry points for audiences to connect with the museum’s mission.
Public and Academic Engagement intentionally showcased diasporic cultural expression across diverse disciplines, creating immersive and thought-provoking experiences. This approach was reflected in programming that engaged:
Literature and Poetry – Elevating voices through spoken word, readings, and literary discussions.
Music – Showcasing the sonic landscapes of the African Diaspora through live performances and explorations of musical heritage.
Dance – Highlighting movement as a form of storytelling, resistance, and celebration.
Social Justice – Addressing critical issues through dialogue, activism, and artistic expression.
Food Justice – Examining the intersections of culinary traditions, sustainability, and equity.
Film – Presenting cinematic works that reflect diasporic histories, narratives, and contemporary realities.
“
This was the first time I’ve enjoyed a tour at a museum. I loved how Gustavo engaged his audience and asked us what we thought and what we saw versus just telling us. It gave me an opportunity to really look at the piece on my own and try to decipher.
- Visitor
Cultural Politics – Exploring the impact of historical and contemporary socio-political movements on Black art and identity.
By embracing an interdisciplinary framework, MoAD fostered deeper engagement, inspiring audiences to explore the rich and evolving narratives of the African Diaspora from multiple perspectives.
99 PUBLIC PROGRAMS
Diaspora Dinner, St. Regis San Francisco
ARTIST COLLABORATIONS
Public and Academic Engagement engages many exhibition artists, curators and scholars throughout the year. These include the following artists:
Joe Sam
Dewey Crumpler
Oliver Lee Jackson
Tawny Chatmon
Delita Martin
Nafis White
Nadine Natalie Hall
Oluseye
Lishan AZ
Rachel Jones
Mary Graham
Corinne Smith
Morel Doucet
M. Scott Johnson
Anina Major
Zekarias Musele
Michael Bennett
Malene Barnett
Helina Metaferia
Titus Kaphar
Jessica Monette
CURATORS / SCHOLARS
Erin Gilbert
Louisa Gloger
Jheanelle Brown
Ashara Ekundayo
Jacqueline Francis
James Gordon Williams
Nikole Hannah-Jones
PARTNERSHIPS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
MoAD’s Public Programs and Academic Engagement division had the honor of forging long-term partnerships with many community and cultural institutions. Our main school collaboration was with the Ruth Asawa School for the Arts in San Francisco. This is an integral part of the Poets-in-Residence program. Here are the organizations and institutions we collaborated with in 2024:
Noise Pop Festival
Lorraine Hansberry Theater
4Color Books
SFJAZZ
Yerba Buena Gardens Festival
CubaCaribe Festival of Dance & Music
City Arts & Lectures
Quiet Lightning
African Book Club
Hospitality for Humanity
SFMOMA
Litquake
Berkeley Repertory Theater
Mechanic’s Institute Library
Downtown First Thursdays
Frameline
St. Regis San Francisco
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Stanford Institute for the Diversity in Arts
The Bolinas Museum
Black Freighter Press
The SF/Bay Area’s first ever Black-Art Week led by MoAD!
MoAD proudly led the way for SF/Bay Area’s first ever Black art week. Nexus: SF/Bay Area Black Art Week – a landmark celebration of Black artistic expression and creativity, hosted a vibrant lineup of artist talks, open studios, film screenings, exhibitions, and a major unveiling of public art hosted by more than 66 artists and cultural institutions around the Bay Area.
Nexus: SF/Bay Area Black Art Week is a unique initiative introduced by the MoAD, serving as a landmark event that brings together artists, cultural institutions, and art lovers to celebrate and support Black art and culture.
Nexus illuminates the richness of the Black artist community in the San Francisco Bay Area by offering opportunities to connect with diverse participants, including art museums, galleries, non-profit organizations, and creative spaces. This event fosters new and meaningful connections within the arts community and beyond.
• 66+ Artists and Arts Organizations
• 16 Exhibitions
• 2 Film Screenings
• 6 Open Studios
• 5 Artist Talks
• 1 Unveiling of Public Art
• 2 Public Art Walks
• 3 Opening Receptions
EDUCATION PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
2,300 YOUTH & TEACHERS SERVED
2024
MoAD in the Classroom
MoAD in the Classroom is a dynamic arts-based program that brings visual literacy and cultural studies to third-grade classrooms across the San Francisco Bay Area. Designed to foster a deeper connection to art and museum experiences, the program includes 8 in-class visits from a MoAD Teaching Artist and one museum visit, per session from each participating school to the museum.
While in the classroom, MoAD Teaching Artists introduce students to museum themes, current exhibitions, and key visual arts concepts. During their museum visits, students explore exhibitions, develop skills in viewing and discussing art, and engage in hands-on creative activities.
Through project-based learning, they create artwork that reflects and reinforces their understanding of the program’s themes. The program culminates in a special showcase, where students proudly present their work to classmates and the broader school community.
MoAD Teens
MoAD Teens is a transformative fiveweek program that combines structured learning with hands-on, paid work experience, equipping young artists with the skills and confidence to pursue careers in the arts.
A highlight of MoAD’s 2024 Teen Summer Program was the “Art Careers Apprenticeship” - an intensive 5-week program focused on helping students build pathways toward career opportunities in the professional art industry.
Last summer, MoAD welcomed 25 wonderfully talented teens from all corners of the San Francisco Bay Area to participate in “Art Careers Apprenticeship.”
Each teen apprentice participated in workshops, seminars, and site visits to learn directly from our arts partners. In a final culminating event, teen apprentices shared projects they created in the program and hosted a talkback discussing their experience working in the arts field.
Our docents were superb in working with our 8th graders from Berkeley. Super patient, engaging, and welcoming.
- Teacher
EDUCATION PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS (continued)
SCHOOL PARTNERS
Manzanita Seed Elementary
Meadows Livingstone School
Olinda Elementary
Cornell Elementary
Malcolm X Academy
Rosa Parks Elementary - Berkeley
Buri Buri Elementary
St. Leo’s the Great Joaquin Miller Elementary
Rosa Parks Elementary - San Francisco
Sylvia Mendez
Bella Vista Elementary
Ocean View Elementary
Aspire Berkley Maynard Academy
George Washington Carver Elementary
Markham Elementary
Greenleaf Elementary
Dr. William L. Cobb Elementary
Berkeley Arts Magnet
Kipp Bayview Elementary
Northern Light School
John Muir Elementary
Rooftop Elementary
PARTNERING DISTRICTS
Berkeley Unified School District
Oakland Unified School District
Alameda Unified School District
Albany Unified School District
West Contra Costa Unified School District
San Francisco Unified School District
South San Francisco Unified School District
Oakland Diocese
PARTNERING COUNTIES
Alameda County
Contra Costa County
San Francisco County
San Mateo County
56 CLASSROOMS SERVED
CURRICULUM AND THEMES
MoAD in the Classroom
MIC serves schools and educational institutions by providing curriculum-based art programming designed to be engaging, inclusive, and culturally reflective. The program includes classroom visits, interactive activities, and exhibitions that allow students to explore themes related to the African Diaspora while enhancing their visual literacy skills.
This year’s curriculum focuses on exploring Radical Black Joy, freedom, and the role of design in creating spaces of belonging. Inspired by Lee’s exhibition, which showcases contemporary furnishings and atmospherics that foster safety and beauty, the curriculum introduces these ideas in a way that is accessible to our 3rd and 4th-grade participants.
Activities and Programming are built around three essential questions:
1. What does freedom mean to you?
2. What is “Radical Joy” and how can we create it in the world around us?
3. How can design and architecture be a form of artistic expression?
With gentrification impacting many of the neighborhoods our students call home, we were mindful of creating programming that invites them to reimagine their surroundings in ways that reflect their experiences and needs. Through hands-on activities and thoughtful discussions, students are encouraged to design spaces that offer joy, safety, and a sense of belonging.
69 SCHOOL TOURS
VIRTUAL PROGRAMS
In the Artist’s Studio
Each month, MoAD staff visited some of our favorite artists in their studios for an intimate look at their creative process. These visits provided a rare opportunity to hear directly from artists about their current work and how their practice has evolved since the onset of COVID-19. Each conversation concluded with an audience Q&A, fostering meaningful dialogue between artists and the community.
Art As We See It
This unique docent-led series explores the deep connections between visual art and music across the African Diaspora. Through careful research in online archives, MoAD docents curate compelling pairings of artworks and musical compositions, creating a multisensory dialogue that highlights shared themes of style, inspiration, and cultural expression. Participants are invited to engage in lively discussions via chat, examining the political and historical contexts that shape these artistic forms while immersing themselves in the rich textures and rhythms of both art and music.
- School Teacher “
The program is fabulous and it has been fun watching it grow and improve over the years. We feel very fortunate to be able to participate every year.
RICHARD MAYHEW EXHIBITION FUND
The Richard Mayhew Exhibitions Fund was inaugurated in commemoration of the celebrated artist’s 100th birthday on April 3, 2024. MoAD is deeply honored to be able to recognize Richard Mayhew for his great achievements as an artist and creative. The Exhibitions Fund aims to inspire contributions from donors who want to honor Richard Mayhew while ensuring MoAD’s exhibitions are generously funded.
Richard Mayhew (April 3, 1924–September 26, 2024) was an American painter known for his vivid landscapes.
100th Birthday Photos by Chloe Jackman Photography
2024 ART AUCTION
2024
In 2024, the Museum of the African Diaspora proudly presented its third Benefit Art Auction, held in partnership with Artsy. This highly anticipated online event, which took place from May 16 through May 30, advanced MoAD’s mission to celebrate and elevate contemporary art of the African Diaspora—both within the Bay Area and across the globe.
The auction convened a dynamic community of artists, collectors, and patrons united in their commitment to supporting the creative voices of the Diaspora. Showcasing a thoughtfully curated selection of works by both established and emerging artists, the event illuminated the power of narrative and identity in Black art, while fostering global dialogue and connection.
Additionally, last year’s auction further underscored MoAD’s role as a cultural leader dedicated to amplifying Black artists and their diverse perspectives. Proceeds directly supported the museum’s acclaimed exhibitions and transformative educational programs, reinforcing our investment in a thriving, expansive Black arts ecosystem.
Through this meaningful initiative, MoAD deepened its impact—broadening access, strengthening artistic networks, and reaffirming its unwavering dedication to honoring and advancing the art of the African Diaspora worldwide.
Participating Artists: Annan Affotey, Alanna Airitam, Alex Anderson, Simone Bailey, Ebitenyefa Baralaye, Laylah Amatullah Barrayn, Gavin Benjamin, Leonardo Benzant, Lili Bernard, Amoako Boafo, Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo, Shenequa Brooks, Nyame Brown, Adrian Burrell, Elan Cadiz, Sydney Cain, Albert Chong, Dewey Crumpler, Kenturah Davis, Erica Deeman, Cheryl Derricotte, Conrad Egyir, Rodney Ewing, Adama Delphine Fawundu, Jerrell Gibbs, Adler Guerrier, Angela Hennessy, David Huffman, Wadsworth Jarrell, Basil Kincaid, Dionne Lee, Kija Lucas, Nelson Makamo, Demond Melancon, Ian Micheal, Lavar Munroe, Ed Ntiri, Ramekon O’Arwisters, Angel Otero, Woody De Othello, Dr. Fahamu Pecou, Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe, Enrico Riley, Muzae Sesay, Ferrari Sheppard, Nyugen E. Smith, Chanell Stone, Barbara Earl Thomas, Autumn Wallace, Nate Watson, Ricky Weaver, Bri Williams, Andrew Wilson.
FINANCIALS
REVENUES
are reported prior to our annual audit.
Liberatory Living: Protective Interiors & Radical Black Joy
THANK YOU TO OUR GENEROUS SUPPORTERS
This list reflects gifts received between January 1, 2024 and December 31, 2024. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy. If you have any questions or concerns, please email development@moadsf.org.
VISIONARY
KHR McNeely Family Fund
San Francisco Grants for the Arts
INNOVATOR
CommonSpirit Health
Kaiser Permanente
Jill Cowan and Stephen Davis
Crankstart Foundation
Ford Foundation
Salesforce
CHAMPION
CSAA Insurance Group
Gilead Sciences
Jackson Family Fund
National Endowment for the Arts
Westridge Foundation
Robin and Carl Washington
BENEFACTOR
Benefit Cosmetics
Wayee Chu and Ethan Beard
HK Charitable Fund
Karen Jenkins-Johnson and Kevin Johnson
Kimball Foundation
David Neequaye and Deepa Chatterjee
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Beryl and James Potter
Siebert Williams Shank & Co., LLC
ADVOCATE
Backstrom McCarley Berry & Co., LLC
Bloomberg Philanthropies
Ken and Caretha Coleman
Karen Clopton
Quinn Delaney and Wayne Jordan
Corinne Dixon
Dodge and Cox
Elisa Durrette and Ruth McFarlane
Michele and Harry Elam
FivePoint Holdings, LLC
Footlocker LISC
Peggy W. Forbes and Harry Bremond
Greenberg Traurig
Melinda Hightower
Akieva and Martin Jacobs
Schatzie Allen Jefferson and Family
Kim and Daniel Johnson
Dorothy Lathan
Shannon and William Nash
Orrick, Herrington and Sutcliffe LLP
LSP Family Foundation
Anonymous
THANK YOU TO OUR GENEROUS SUPPORTERS (continued)
Tiffany Stevenson
Susan Swig
Cheryl and Charles Ward
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati Foundation
Denise Vohra
CURATOR
Victor Baker
Lawrence Bancroft
Anna E. Banks and Gregory Hunter
Suzette and Jeff Clarke
Brook Dooley
Empire Records
Randi and Bob Fisher
Golden State Warriors
Julie Goldman and Robert Rosner
Gordon and Tameka Greenwood
Pamela and David Hornik
Vimbayi Kajese and Tawanda Sibanda
Tonia and Adam Karr
Lisa Kim and Eunu Chun
Miyoung Lee and Neil Simpkins
Kimberly Marshall
Vincent McCarley and Patrice Mallory-McCarley
Eric McDonnell and Hydra Mendoza
McKesson Corp.
Pam Moore
Kerry and David Morgan
Diana Nelson and John Atwater
Wayne H. Perry
The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation
Gregory and Sonjia Redmond
L. Wade and Madalene Rose
Jacqueline Sellers
Jessica Silverman
Lava Thomas and Peter B. Danzig
Marie Washington
Jay West and Aphriekah DuHaney-West
Barry Williams and Lalita Tademy
Monique Woodard
Robin Wright
Yerba Buena Community Benefit District
COLLECTOR
Brenda Berlin
Jacqueline Bradley
Rena Bransten
CBIZ
Charles M. Collins and Paula Collins
Julia Collins
Gail Covington
Michele Crumes
Debra Flores
Andrew Lindsay and Otilia Mirambeaux
Toni Morgan
Chandru Murthi
Sherri Pittman
Jennifer Roberts
Thurman and Eileen White
Breanna Zwart-Matthews and Samuel Kuntz Matthews
DOCENT
Nicole and Gene Alston
Anonymous
Francine and Thomas Anthony
Peggy Aquino
Pamela Bolen
M Lucey Bowen
Denise Bradley-Tyson
Lynn Brinton and Daniel E. Cohn
Philanthropic Fund
Zoë Brizzolara
Valerie and Lamont Brown
Darrianne Christian
Rosemarie and Ronald Clark
Danny and Mia Conway
Michael Coppock
Brenda and Michael Drake
Matthew Finney
China Forbes
Monte and Ingrid Ford
Keith Golden
Thelma Golden
Bob Goodman and Jayne Lipman
Linda Harrison and Ellen Anderson
Rebecca Henderson
David Howse
LaToya Jackson
Jodi Jahic
Susan Karp and Paul Haahr
Kitsaun King
Thane Kreiner
Marvin and Kathryn Larbi-Yeboa
Valerie D. Lewis
Jamie and Marc Lunder
Pringl Miller
Catherine S. Muther
Ramekon O’Arwisters
Stan Onyewuchi
Ed Penniman
Mauree and Mark Perry
Theresa Power and Ken Seeger
Rodney and Vernell Reed
Mack Roach
Angela Rodriguez
Sandy and Joe Samberg
Andre Scott
Emily Scott
Francine O. Shakir
Shana and Christ Simmons
Farae Strickland
Deborah Telman
Gerald Vurek
Harold Wallace
Stasia and Michael Washington
Joan S. Webster and Giovana Giscome
Travis Weddington
Carla and Tony Wicks
Erica Williams
Jasper Williams
Diane B. Wilsey
IN-KIND
Adobe Systems Inc
Black Studies Collaboratory
Brown Estate Vineyards
Cadogan Tate
Common Ground Spirits
Daou Vineyards
Diaspora & Co
Earthseed
Encore
Saint Flora
The St. Regis Hotel
Uncle Nearest
Whetstone
ESTATE & TRUSTS GIFTS
The Estate of Frankie J and Maxwell Gillette
MATCHING GIFTS
Flourish Ventures
Gilead Sciences
Honeywell International Inc
Microsoft
COLLABORATORS & PARTNERS
Kaiser Permanente
The Battery
Jonathan Carver Moore
Karen Jenkins Johnson
Joyce Gordon Gallery
Grand Nationxl / HiiWav
PUSHDANCE
Litquake
Lorraine Hansberry Theater
4Color Books
Black Freighter Press
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
de Young and Legion of Honor
Institute of Contemporary Art
SFMOMA
SFJazz
SF Travel
Yerba Buena Partnerships
Yerba Buena Gardens Festival
Yerba Buena Community Gardens
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Berkeley Repertory Theater
Bay Area Registry
Ariel Mei
Senay Alkebu-Lan
Darrin Baldridge
Trina Robinson and Charles H. Lee
(Space Residency)
Russell Gatewood
African Book Club
City Arts and Lectures
CubaCaribe Festival of Dance & Music
Downtown First Thursdays
Frameline
Hospitality for Humanity
Mechanic’s Institute Library
Noise Pop Festival
Public Profit
Ruth Asawa School for the Arts
Stanford Institute for the Diversity in Arts
The Bolinas Museum
The St. Regis Hotel
BOARD MEMBERS
Eric McDonnell – Board Chair
Peggy Woodford Forbes – Vice Chair
Julius Robinson – Treasurer
Jill Cowan
Elisa Durrette
Vimbayi Kajese
Beryl Potter
Tiffany Stevenson
Ammanuel Zegeye
David Neequaye
Debra Flores
STAFF
TEACHING ARTISTS
Aja Johnson
Jamiah King
Sheleia Brooks
Amelian Hamilton
Asual Aswad
Ramona Soto
Viviana Carlos
Feyi Ajayi-Dopemu
Aambr Newsome
Monetta White – CEO and Executive Director
Sheeka Arbuthnot – Chief Development Officer
Philip Broadus – Chief Operating Officer
Key Jo Lee – Chief of Curatorial Affairs
Genesis A. Emery-Foley – Chief Marketing Officer
Linda Spain de Bruin – Chief Financial Officer
Demetri Broxton – Senior Director of Education
Dariane Beamon – Education Program Coordinator
Si Mon’ Emmett-Salah – Senior Education Manager
Elizabeth Gessell – Curator of Public and Academic Engagement
Nia McCallister – Senior Public Programs Manager
Tinashe Chidarikire – Digital Content Manager
Paul Plale – Brand Design Manager
Maiyio Taylor-Jackson – Digital Marketing and Community Manager
Danyn Oakes – Marketing Project Coordinator
Alex Jenney – Events Manager
Alicia Chow – Administrative Support Specialist
Eden Tolico – Visitor Experience Supervisor
Gabriela Myers-Lipton – Visitor Experience Associate
Guadalupe Pacheco-Gomez – Visitor Experience Associate
Mary Powers – Exhibitions Manager
Kitsaun King – Development Manager
Elyse Singleton – Database and Operations Manager
Keisha Jones – Tour Guide
Gustavo Fierros – Tour Guide
INTERNS
Hannah Hearn
Michi Wong
CONTRIBUTING PARTNERS
EXHIBITION PARTNERS
Cadogan Tate Installers:
Brad Bourhan
Gabe
Jon Orlando
Jeff Gio
Jess Ben Pablo
Jose Cammy
Freelance:
River Black – Art Handler
Keith Evans – Art Handler
Devon Armstrong – Art Handler
Anthony Russell – Art Handler & Fabricator
Andy Zevallos – Fabricator
Alicia Goode – Art Handler
Amy Anderson – Wallpaper Installer
Kerwin Dudley – Painter
Nelio N. – Painter
Task Rabbit Freelance:
Mourad C.
Skander S.
Aziz M.
Mohamed Aziz B.
Bedr D.
SPECIAL PROJECTS, MARKETING, & PR PARTNERS
Third Eye PR – PR Agency
McCalman Co. – Creative Design Agency
Joan Rosenberg – Nexus Project Manager, Grants Manager
Fox Nakai – Videographer
Zac Westbrook – Photographer, Videographer
Andrew Wong – Photographer
Chloe Jackman – Event Photographer
Josef Jacques – Exhibition Install Photographer
Najee Tobin – Photographer
Jose Cancio – Graphic Designer
Marie-Christine Gervais – Graphic Designer
Devon Moore – Email Marketing Specialist
Danyn Oakes – Project Marketing Manager
