BAIA Talks | A Post Exhibit Role for Black Museums and Black Artists

BAIA Talks Lecture| A Post Exhibit Role for Black Museums & Black Artists

For people of color, the attraction to PWIs (Predominantly White Institutions) lies in those institutions' promise of inclusion in a network that offers potentially greater access to economic and marketing opportunities. Such incentives have traditionally been the case with mainstream American society, be it the realm of politics, sports, entertainment, or the cultural sector. Given this stark reality, how can historically Black cultural assets, particularly museums, compete with better funded and networked institutions to establish more impactful relationships with Black artists?


John Guess, Jr. is the voice and architect behind the resurgence of the Houston Museum of African American Culture, where he currently serves as Chief Executive Officer. John has organized and managed HMAAC's exhibitions schedules since 2014, and has curated well received and reviewed exhibitions that have included Sandra Bland, The Abolitionists, Revelation of Goddesses: Retrospective of Eleanor Merritt, The Art of Malick Sidibe, Indifference, Riding The Tiger: The Art of Berg Long, Jr., Kingdom of Gold: The Photography of Ellen Kaplowitz, Close to Home: Latinx Art and Identity 2.0, etc. John also organized two national symposia.in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins Center for Africana Studies; The African Presence in Mexico and Afropolitans (see Wikipedia reference).

Guess has served on the boards of Contemporary Art Museum Houston, the MFAH Glassell School and Core Committee, the Houston Arts Alliance, the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts, and the Smithsonian Regional Council. He currently serves on the boards of the Gulf Coast Journal, the Homewood Museums of Johns Hopkins University and the national board of Artadia. John also serves on the McKinsey & Company Executive Online Panel. He has given presentations on strategy and planning at the University of Florida, Inc. Magazine Regional Conference, the Alliance of American Museums, MuseumNext, and the Charlotte NC Chamber of Commerce, among others, and written on business, strategy and culture for numerous publications.


   Featured Articles



   Collections & Shows




Landscapes for Richard Mayhew

April 4th - May 4th

Our Image is Our Message

March 1st - 30th