Cornelia Stokes is set to take on a first-of-its-kind role across two of San Francisco’s flagship arts institutions. On January 5, 2026, she will step in as the inaugural Assistant Curator of the Art of the African Diaspora, a full-time, three-year position shared by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Museum of the African Diaspora. The joint curatorship will embed one curator inside both Yerba Buena institutions to shape scholarship, exhibitions and public programs focused on contemporary art from the African Diaspora.
A cross-institutional curatorship
The two museums announced the appointment in a joint release that frames the job as part of a broader, ongoing partnership between SFMOMA and MoAD. The first three-year term is backed by the KHR McNeely Family Foundation, according to SFMOMA. In the role, Stokes is expected to drive new research and help ensure that artists of the African Diaspora are more fully woven into each museum’s collections and public programming.
Her track record
Stokes arrives with a resume that moves between independent work and major institutions. She most recently served as an independent curatorial consultant with Emblazon Arts, and earlier worked as a research assistant to artist Amy Sherald. Her experience also includes competitive fellowships at NXTHVN in New Haven and at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta.
What she will do
Once in the post, Stokes will be tasked with building scholarship around African Diaspora art, supporting exhibitions and public programs, and assisting SFMOMA as it works to diversify its collection. The role also comes with built-in collaboration: she will work alongside SFMOMA curator Jenny Gheith and MoAD Chief of Curatorial Affairs and Public Programs Key Jo Lee on joint initiatives, as reported by KQED.
Local context and timing
The timing is notable. MoAD is celebrating its 20th anniversary and this fall reopened refreshed gallery spaces after several months of upgrades, according to MoAD. At the same time, large downtown museums have been navigating financial pressures, with SFMOMA previously cutting staff in response to budget concerns, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. Bringing on a new curator in a multi-year role signals a strategic bet that deeper collaboration can pay off even in leaner times.
Leaders hail the collaboration
Museum leadership is casting the hire as more than a symbolic gesture. In the joint announcement, MoAD Executive Director Monetta White said, “Welcoming Cornelia Stokes into this new role strengthens our commitment to placing the African Diaspora at the center of artistic conversations,” according to SFMOMA. SFMOMA Director Christopher Bedford described the partnership as “a monumental step” toward telling a more expansive art history.
What to watch next
In the early stretch of her tenure, Stokes is expected to concentrate on research and on building out joint programs between the two museums. Curators and local arts watchers will be looking for signs of concrete change, from co-organized exhibitions to acquisitions that more prominently feature artists of the African Diaspora. If the experiment works, this cross-institution approach could become a Bay Area template for how museums share curatorial talent while pushing for greater diversity in the stories they tell.
