The Bronx Museum of the Arts has appointed Shamim M. Momin as its new director and chief curator. She will assume the role in early September 2025, as the museum prepares for the completion of a $42.9 million renovation project. Momin brings more than two decades of curatorial and leadership experience to the position. Most recently, from 2018 to 2024, she served as director of curatorial affairs at the Henry Art Gallery in Seattle, where she curated projects by Diana Al-Hadid and Kelly Akashi. She will succeed interim co-directors Shirley Solomon and Yvonne Garcia.
“I’m humbled to join an organization that not only champions diverse artists but is deeply embedded in the communities it serves,” Momin said in a statement. “The Bronx Museum’s commitment to amplifying diverse voices and upholding social justice aligns strongly with my own practice and values.”
To assume the directorship, Momin will return to New York, where she previously served as an associate curator of contemporary art at the Whitney Museum of American Art for 12 years. During that time, she co-curated the 2004 and 2008 Whitney Biennials.
She also co-founded LAND (Los Angeles Nomadic Division), a nonprofit dedicated to site-specific public art. At LAND, she worked with more than 300 artists across 100 projects, including installations presented throughout the U.S. and abroad.
Momin’s appointment coincides with the Bronx Museum’s planned unveiling of a new South Wing, designed by the architecture firm Marvel, in 2026. The renovation will include a new multi-story lobby at Grand Concourse and 165th Street, and is being funded with public money.
“I have been proud to support the Museum’s growth and expansion over the years, and I am excited to welcome Shamim M. Momin as its new director and chief curator,” said Bronx borough president Vanessa L. Gibson. “With her experience and expertise, I am confident she will usher in an exciting new chapter for The Bronx Museum and continue its legacy as a cornerstone of arts and culture in our borough.”
The museum’s North Wing has continued to operate with ongoing exhibitions and public programming. Currently on view through August 17th is “WORKING KNOWLEDGE: Shared Imaginings, New Futures,” an interactive group show focused on community-driven artmaking. This September, the museum will open “Ministry: Reverend Joyce McDonald,” the first institutional survey of sculptor Joyce McDonald, presented in collaboration with Visual AIDS.
