Ebony L. Haynes has joined David Zwirner as a director and will lead a new exhibition program and commercial gallery space in New York. Haynes takes up her new role on 1 October and will launch this new project with an all-Black staff in spring 2021.

There will be three to four exhibitions per year, each accompanied by a small publication. The program will be reflective of Haynes’s curatorial practice and will host critically engaging content, including satellite programming of panel discussions and relevant online content.

As former Martos Gallery director, Haynes organized exhibitions, including the group shows “Invisible Man” (2017), titled after Ralph Ellison’s novel, and “Ebsploitation” (2019), a Blaxploitation-inspired endeavor featuring the work of Arthur Jafa, Cauleen Smith, Carolyn Lazard, and Jessica Vaughn, among others. During her tenure there, Haynes also oversaw Shoot the Lobster, a spinoff of Martos Gallery with locations in New York and Los Angeles. This year, she spearheaded an independent initiative called Black Art Sessions, which offers free talks to Black students interested in the inner workings of exhibiting and selling contemporary art. At her new gallery, she will develop a paid internship program for Black students.

According to The New York Times, “The gallery’s name, location and initial exhibitions have yet to be determined. Reflective of her curatorial practice and interests, Ms. Haynes will show not only Black artists, but also those from other backgrounds. Among the artists she mentioned are Nora Turato as well as Nikita Gale, Kandis Williams and Cameron Rowland, who are Black…. The gallery will also have a paid internship program for Black students.”