The Phillips Collection Announces Tie Jojima as New Curator of Global Contemporary Art
WASHINGTON, DC—The Phillips Collection is pleased to announce Tie Jojima (she/her) as the museum’s new Curator of Global Contemporary Art. Jojima will play a vital role in advancing the museum’s curatorial initiatives through new acquisitions, art commissions, exhibitions, and programs that broaden the canon of contemporary art to tell more inclusive narratives. Jojima begins her new position on July 15.
“As the Phillips embarks on its next chapter, we are thrilled to welcome Tie, whose scholarship and innovative curatorial practice will bring fresh perspectives to how the museum builds its collection, presents, and advances understanding of modern and contemporary art through a global lens,” says Vradenburg Director & CEO Jonathan P. Binstock. “With her expertise in Latin American and deep knowledge of Asian and African diasporic art, Tie will play a crucial role in furthering the museum’s longstanding commitment to pioneering contemporary artists.”
Born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil, Jojima is a respected Asian-Latin American curator, art historian, and educator, specializing in modern and contemporary Latin American art, with additional training in the history of photography. “I am excited Tie is joining the Phillips team; she brings a unique global perspective and creative vision that will invigorate the museum’s curatorial program. We look forward to her leadership in elevating transnational, interdisciplinary voices in contemporary art of the 21st century,” says Phillips Chief Curator Elsa Smithgall.
Jojima joins the Phillips’ curatorial team to broaden and diversify the museum’s collections and projects and will partner with all departments to further illuminate global contemporary artists and perspectives throughout the institution’s programming. “I am honored to join The Phillips Collection and have the opportunity to engage with and activate the museum’s local, national, and international communities while contributing to the dynamic, intellectual, and artistic fabric of the institution,” says Jojima.
Jojima comes to the Phillips from the Americas Society in New York, where she served as an associate curator and exhibitions manager. Since joining the Americas Society in 2021, Jojima co-curated the exhibitions The Appearance: Art of the Asian Diaspora in Latin America & the Caribbean (forthcoming, September 2024), the critically acclaimed El Dorado: Myths of Gold (2023–24), Deep Marajó (2023), and Geles Cabrera: Museo Escultórico (2022), and she worked as associate curator of Bispo do Rosario: All Existing Materials on Earth (2023), the first presentation of the Afro-Brazilian artist in the United States. Jojima has worked on the organization of several publications, exhibitions, and public events, including Tropical is Political: Caribbean Art under the Visitor Economy Regime and This Must Be the Place: Latin American Artists in New York, 1965–75.
Previously, Jojima taught art history at Baruch College and San Francisco State University, and served as a curatorial assistant at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. She has also published academic and curatorial texts for Vistas: Critical Approaches to Latin American Art (ISLAA), Arte & Ensaios, Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP), and El Museo del Barrio, among others.
With a background in law and economics, Jojima holds dual Master of Arts degrees in Art History and Arts Administration from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is finishing her PhD in Art History from the Graduate Center, City University of New York where her research largely focuses on postwar Latin American art and its dialogues with queer, decolonial, and diasporic issues.
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IMAGE: Tie Jojima, Photo by Elizabeth Leitzel
ABOUT THE PHILLIPS COLLECTION
The Phillips Collection, America’s first museum of modern art, was founded in 1921. The museum houses one of the world’s most celebrated Impressionist and American modern art collections and continues to grow its collection with important contemporary voices. Its distinctive building combines extensive new galleries with the former home of its founder, Duncan Phillips. The Phillips’s impact spreads nationally and internationally through its diverse and experimental special exhibitions and events, including its award-winning education programs for educators, students, and adults; renowned Phillips Music series; and dynamic art and wellness and Phillips after 5 events. The museum contributes to global dialogues with events like Conversations with Artists and Artists of Conscience. The Phillips Collection values its community partnership with THEARC—the museum’s satellite campus in Southeast DC. The Phillips Collection is a private, non-government museum, supported primarily by donations.