Legacy Russell facts for kids

Legacy Russell is an American curator, writer, and author. A curator is someone who organizes art exhibitions. She wrote a book called Glitch Feminism: A Manifesto, which came out in 2020. In 2021, Legacy Russell became the executive director and chief curator at The Kitchen. This is a famous place for performance and experimental art. Before that, from 2018 to 2021, she was a curator at the Studio Museum in Harlem.

Early Life and Education

Legacy Russell was born in New York City. She grew up in an area called the East Village. Her father, Ernest Russell, is a photographer and technologist from Harlem. Her mother, Kamala Mottl, helps older people in the community. Legacy Russell is also the great-granddaughter of Nolle Smith. He was a Black cowboy, engineer, and a statesman in Hawaii.

Russell went to Friends Seminary, a Quaker school in Manhattan. She earned two main degrees from Macalester College. She studied Studio Art and Art History, and also English and Creative Writing. Later, she got an advanced degree with honors from Goldsmiths, University of London. Her special research there looked at how artists "re-perform reality." She studied artists like Devin Kenny, Ann Hirsch, and Awol Erizku.

Career

Legacy Russell has worked at many important art places. She worked at an online art platform called Artsy. There, she helped connect art galleries across Europe with the company. She has also worked at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Whitney Museum of Art, and the Brooklyn Museum. She also worked at CREATIVE TIME, an organization that supports public art. She helps edit a magazine called BOMB Magazine.

Writing About Art and Technology

Legacy Russell writes about art, gender, and race. She also writes about technology, especially how it connects with the history of the internet. In 2012, she came up with the idea of "Glitch Feminism." She says this idea means "seeing mistakes or 'glitches' as a way to challenge traditional ideas about gender." It's about resisting what is considered "normal."

In 2019, Legacy Russell received an award for her writing about digital art. This award also gave her a special fellowship at the Rauschenberg Residency.

Her first book, Glitch Feminism: A Manifesto, was published in September 2020. A review in Forbes magazine said the book is "a rallying cry." It helps bring attention to many queer and non-white voices. These voices show the amazing power of digital feminism. The New York Times said the book is "Grounded in theory... but a fast, percussive read."

Legacy Russell is also writing a second book called Black Meme. This book will explore how Black culture and life have influenced internet trends. Black Meme received a Creative Capital Award in 2021.

Curating Exhibitions

Legacy Russell's work as a curator and researcher focuses on several topics. These include queer histories, Black culture in art, internet culture, feminism, and new media. As a curator, she has organized exhibitions based on her "Glitch Feminism" idea. She has curated projects at the Museum of Modern Art and MoMA PS1. She has also worked at the Institute of Contemporary Art, London. Other places include Performa's Radical Broadcast, Kunsthall Stavanger in Norway, and The Studio Museum in Harlem.

From 2018 to 2021, Russell was an associate curator at the Studio Museum in Harlem. In 2021, The Kitchen announced she would be their new executive director and chief curator. She is the first Black person to hold this top position at The Kitchen since it started in 1971.

Other Activities

In 2023, Legacy Russell was part of a special jury. This group chose ten artists for Chanel's Next Prize. Some of the artists selected included Kantemir Balagov, Moor Mother, and Dalton Paula.