ABOUT THE CURATOR

Artist, arts administrator, curator, and librarian Tracie D. Hall founded the small, but influential Rootwork Gallery in Chicago in 2016 and four years later, became the tenth Executive Director of the American Library Association, the oldest and largest library association in the world.

Prior to that appointment Hall served as Director of the Joyce Foundation’s Culture Program where she originated the Arts Leader of Color Fellowship in association with Americans for the Arts; Retool 21, an early-career development program for aspiring arts preparators in partnership with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago; the Artist as Problem Solver summits which convened artists and organizers working on arts based community development initiatives in the Midwest; and the Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project with the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts.

Hall also served as Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) for the City of Chicago, where she oversaw the Arts and Creative Industries Division which included the visual and performing arts, arts-based small business, and the Chicago Film Office.

Hall has curated several breakout exhibitions including: ICONIC: Black Panther Chicago commemorating the 50th anniversary of the formation of the Black Panther Party in Illinois; Everyday Rituals: Bridging the Black Secular and the Divine; and Altar Call: The Architecture of Black Sacred Space. In 2019, she was listed among Chicago’s 50 Visual Vanguards by New City. Hall is currently at work developing a residency program for artists and writers in the South.

Twitter: @TracieDHall1