Lauren Haynes and Teka Selman, curators of the first Tennessee Triennial for Contemporary Art
Tri-Star Arts has announced the curatorial team for the first Tennessee Triennial for Contemporary Art. Lauren Haynes and Teka Selman will co-curate this exhibition featuring nationally-based emerging and established artists, which will occur simultaneously at museums and art venues in Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville and Chattanooga from February 5 – May 2, 2021.
Tri-Star Arts Co-Directors Carolyn Jobe and Brian R. Jobe selected Haynes and Selman after previously inviting them to Nashville as special guests and speakers as a part of their Locate Arts speaker series. The Jobes stated, “We are honored that Lauren and Teka have accepted the roles as curators of the inaugural Tennessee Triennial. They each made a meaningful impression on our community during their participation in our visiting speaker series, and we can only anticipate the major impact they will have on this event.”
Tennessee Triennial Director, Andrea Zieher said “I have admired the work of Lauren and Teka for many years and have previously interacted with them as a gallerist. I am thrilled to now have the opportunity to be on a team producing this innovative state-wide experience, and I am so pleased that the Tennessee Triennial will provide the first opportunity for them to engage in an artistic partnership.”
Lauren Haynes is currently Curator of Contemporary Art at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas where she co-organized the recent exhibition, The Beyond: Georgia O’Keeffe and Contemporary Art. Haynes is also the Curator of Visual Arts at The Momentary, a new contemporary art satellite space opening in Bentonville in 2020. She is currently co-curating the next iteration of State of the Art opening at Crystal Bridges in 2020. Most recently, she curated the 2019 Focus section of the Armory Show, New York. Prior to joining Crystal Bridges in October 2016, Haynes spent nearly a decade at The Studio Museum in Harlem where she was, most recently, the Associate Curator for the permanent collection.
Haynes stated, “I am thrilled to be a part of the inaugural curatorial team for the Tennessee Triennial. Tennessee is near and dear to my heart and I relish this opportunity to continue learning from and working with artists around the state. I’m very excited to partner with Teka on this project; I’m a huge fan of her curatorial work and the perspective she’ll bring. “
Teka Selman is an independent curator based in Durham, North Carolina. Most recently, she curated Heather Hart’s monumental, interactive installation Southern Oracle: We Will Tear the Roof Off (2019) at the North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh. Prior to her work as an independent curator, she was the founding associate director of the MFA in Experimental and Documentary Arts at Duke University. She also has extensive experience as a museum professional, writer, and gallerist at institutions including the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; Gagosian Gallery and Sikkema Jenkins & Co in New York and Branch Gallery in Durham.
Selman said, “I’m so excited to be a part of this new endeavor and have the opportunity to work with the arts community in Tennessee, as well as bring artists from outside the state to collaborate with us. I hope that the Triennial will spark engagement that is long lasting and generative. It is particularly thrilling to be working with Lauren, whose projects and ideas I have long admired.”
