On Monday, David Zwirner gallery announced the addition of Ebony L. Haynes, currently a guest professor and critic at the Yale School of Art, as a director and leader of a new exhibition space that will open soon in New York City. Haynes, who also runs a monthly free class series called Black Art Sessions, will be creating a gallery space that will be operated by an all-Black staff. Haynes will begin this new venture on October 1 while working out of the 19th Street David Zwirner gallery, as the gallery’s physical space and inaugural exhibition have yet to be decided upon definitively.
Previously, Haynes served as director of both the Martos Gallery and Shoot The Lobster gallery in New York and L.A. She is known for putting together immaculate group exhibitions such as “Invisible Man,” “Epigenetic,” “EBSPLOITATION,” and “The Worst Witch.”
“Ebony and I started talking in January about the possibility of her joining the gallery,” Zwirner said in a statement. “Over the course of our conversations, Ebony introduced me to her much more ambitious idea. Like so many of Ebony’s stellar exhibitions and projects, this space will undoubtedly create a new mold for gallery programming today. I am so excited to work with her on realizing her vision.”
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Haynes’ gallery will launch approximately three or four exhibitions annually accompanied by one-off publications. When completed and opened, the gallery will also host an internship program that will offer training opportunities exclusively to Black students. More specifically, the proposed internship will cater to students interested in learning about curating exhibitions and how galleries function. Additionally, the internship will give students tools for navigating the professional art world after they graduate from college.
