The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York has named Ashley James as its new associate curator of contemporary art. James most recently served as assistant curator of contemporary art at the Brooklyn Museum, where she was the lead curator for “Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power” (2018–19) and organized “Eric N. Mack: Lemme Walk Across the Room” (2019). She is currently cocurating the forthcoming exhibition “John Edmonds: A Sidelong Glance.”

“Ashley is a curator who has demonstrated incisive and intersectional thinking about contemporary artistic practice,” Nancy Spector, artistic director and chief curator, said. “Her work complements the Guggenheim’s mission to present the art of today, which we understand as a deep and expansive view of art history. We are pleased to welcome her to the Guggenheim and anticipate a strong collaboration with Ashley as part of our excellent and dedicated curatorial team.”

James previously served as a Mellon curatorial fellow in drawing and prints at the Museum of Modern Art, where she worked on the retrospectives of Adrian Piper and Charles White, and has held positions at the Studio Museum in Harlem and at the Yale University Art Gallery, where she co-organized the exhibition “Odd Volumes: Book Art from the Allan Chasanoff Collection.”

Commenting on her new position, which she began on November 12, James said: “It is an honor to be joining the Guggenheim, an institution that advances art and culture through rigor and creativity, distinct vision, and a clear commitment to artists. I am eager to begin work with my colleagues to develop new research, explore new ideas for exhibitions, programs, and publications, and continue to expand and shape such a vital collection.”