Lauren Haynes facts for kids

Lauren Haynes is an American art expert. She is currently the head curator for Governors Island in New York City. A curator is someone who chooses and organizes artworks for museum shows.

Before her job at Governors Island, Lauren Haynes held many important roles. She worked at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Momentary in Arkansas. She was also a senior curator at the Nasher Museum of Art. Plus, she led programs at the Queens Museum.

Her Early Life and Education

Lauren Haynes was born in Tennessee. When she was about twelve, her family moved to the Bronx, New York City. She went to Oberlin College. There, she earned a bachelor's degree in art history. This means she studied the history of art.

At Oberlin, she worked at the Allen Memorial Art Museum. The museum was led by Sharon Patton. Sharon Patton was an African-American art historian. Seeing Ms. Patton inspired Lauren Haynes. It made her want to study art history too.

Her Career in Art

After college, Lauren Haynes worked in temporary office jobs. She even thought about a job in real estate. But then, she got an offer from the Brooklyn Museum. She became a departmental assistant there.

Less than a year later, she joined the Studio Museum in Harlem. This was in 2006. She worked there for ten years. She started as a curatorial assistant. Later, she became an associate curator. She helped manage the museum's art collection.

Exhibitions and Impact

Lauren Haynes organized many art shows. She curated dozens of exhibitions. Some were at the Studio Museum. Others were at different places in New York City. She created shows about artists like Romare Bearden and Carrie Mae Weems.

She also worked on the museum's artist-in-residence program. This program helps artists grow their careers. Her work helped many artists become successful worldwide.

In 2016, she moved to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. She also became the visual arts curator at the Momentary. At Crystal Bridges, she curated shows like The Beyond: Georgia O'Keeffe and Contemporary Art (2018). She also worked on Crystals in Art: Ancient to Today (2019).

She helped bring Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power (2018) to the United States. She also led the team for State of the Art (2020).

New Leadership Roles

In 2020, Lauren Haynes became a director at Crystal Bridges and the Momentary. She led programs for artists. In 2021, she joined the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. She became a senior curator there.

In 2022, she became director of programs at the Queens Museum. Then, in 2024, she became the head curator at Governors Island. She also became vice-president for arts and culture there.

Other Activities

In 2018, Lauren Haynes was part of a special jury. This jury chose Rodney McMillian for the first Suzanne Deal Booth Art Prize. This prize honors important artists.