Studio Museum in Harlem

Thelma Golden

Director and Chief Curator

Thelma Golden is the Director and Chief Curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem, the world’s leading institution devoted to visual arts by artists of African descent. Born and raised in New York City, Golden began her impressive career as an apprentice at the Metropolitan Museum of Art while still in high school. She began working at the Studio Museum while an undergraduate student of art history and African American studies at Smith College—first as an intern, then as a curatorial fellow after her graduation. 

In 1988, Golden joined the Whitney Museum of American Art as a Curatorial Assistant. After a brief leave to work for art historian and curator Dr. Kellie Jones as the Visual Arts Director at the Jamaica Arts Center, Golden returned to the Whitney in 1991 as the Director of the Whitney museum's Philip Morris branch and was appointed Curator in 1996. In her curatorial positions there, she organized numerous innovative exhibitions, including the groundbreaking 1993 Whitney Biennial and a landmark exhibition titled Black Male: Representations of Masculinity in American Art in 1994. 

In 2000, Golden returned to the Studio Museum as the Deputy Director for Exhibitions and Programs and was named Director and Chief Curator in 2005, succeeding Dr. Lowery Stokes Sims. Under Golden’s leadership, the Museum has gained increased renown as a global leader in the exhibition of contemporary art, a center for innovative education, and a cultural anchor in the Harlem community. Golden’s curation at the Studio Museum includes a multitude of exhibitions, including a five-part series starting with Freestyle in 2001 that highlighted emerging Black artists. Other exhibitions include Chris Ofili: Afro Muses 1995–2005 and Black Romantic: The Figurative in Contemporary African-American Art.

In 2019, Golden kicked off a multi-year collaborative partnership between the Studio Museum and the Museum of Modern Art that encompasses exhibitions and programming at both MoMA and MoMA PS1 as a way to maintain presence and community engagement while the Studio Museum ushers in a new era. Golden spearheaded the construction of the first-ever purpose-built facility in the Studio Museum’s history. This monumental building project demonstrates Golden’s commitment to advancing both the Museum’s global future and firm place within the Harlem community. 

Golden holds a B.A. from Smith College. She has received honorary doctorates from the New School (2022), Columbia University (2018), Barnard College (2010), the City College of New York (2009), San Francisco Art Institute (2008), and Smith College (2004). In 2024, Golden was listed in Time’s TIME100 list of the one hundred most influential people in the world; in 2023, Golden was awarded the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal from the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University and was the first curator to win the Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize. She received the J. Paul Getty Medal in 2018 and the Audrey Irmas Award for Curatorial Excellence from the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College in 2010. Golden has been the recipient of various fellowships and was named a Ford Foundation Fellow in 2015 and a Henry Crown Fellow in 2008. President Barack Obama appointed her to the Committee for the Preservation of the White House, on which she served from 2010 to 2016. Golden currently serves on the boards of directors for the Barack Obama Foundation, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. She is also a member of the Advisory Committee for the Goldman Sachs "One Million Black Women" initiative and the Advisory Board for the Black Trustee Alliance for Art Museums. Recently, she served on the International Jury for the Venice Architecture Biennale (2023). Golden is a recognized authority on Black art and an active lecturer and panelist who speaks about contemporary art and culture at national and international institutions.

Thelma Golden is the Director and Chief Curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem, the world’s leading institution devoted to visual arts by artists of African descent. Born and raised in New York City, Golden began her impressive career as an apprentice at the Metropolitan Museum of Art while still in high school. She began working at the Studio Museum while an undergraduate student of art history and African American studies at Smith College—first as an intern, then as a curatorial fellow after her graduation. 

In 1988, Golden joined the Whitney Museum of American Art as a Curatorial Assistant. After a brief leave to work for art historian and curator Dr. Kellie Jones as the Visual Arts Director at the Jamaica Arts Center, Golden returned to the Whitney in 1991 as the Director of the Whitney museum's Philip Morris branch and was appointed Curator in 1996. In her curatorial positions there, she organized numerous innovative exhibitions, including the groundbreaking 1993 Whitney Biennial and a landmark exhibition titled Black Male: Representations of Masculinity in American Art in 1994. 

In 2000, Golden returned to the Studio Museum as the Deputy Director for Exhibitions and Programs and was named Director and Chief Curator in 2005, succeeding Dr. Lowery Stokes Sims. Under Golden’s leadership, the Museum has gained increased renown as a global leader in the exhibition of contemporary art, a center for innovative education, and a cultural anchor in the Harlem community. Golden’s curation at the Studio Museum includes a multitude of exhibitions, including a five-part series starting with Freestyle in 2001 that highlighted emerging Black artists. Other exhibitions include Chris Ofili: Afro Muses 1995–2005 and Black Romantic: The Figurative in Contemporary African-American Art.

In 2019, Golden kicked off a multi-year collaborative partnership between the Studio Museum and the Museum of Modern Art that encompasses exhibitions and programming at both MoMA and MoMA PS1 as a way to maintain presence and community engagement while the Studio Museum ushers in a new era. Golden spearheaded the construction of the first-ever purpose-built facility in the Studio Museum’s history. This monumental building project demonstrates Golden’s commitment to advancing both the Museum’s global future and firm place within the Harlem community. 

Golden holds a B.A. from Smith College. She has received honorary doctorates from the New School (2022), Columbia University (2018), Barnard College (2010), the City College of New York (2009), San Francisco Art Institute (2008), and Smith College (2004). In 2024, Golden was listed in Time’s TIME100 list of the one hundred most influential people in the world; in 2023, Golden was awarded the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal from the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University and was the first curator to win the Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize. She received the J. Paul Getty Medal in 2018 and the Audrey Irmas Award for Curatorial Excellence from the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College in 2010. Golden has been the recipient of various fellowships and was named a Ford Foundation Fellow in 2015 and a Henry Crown Fellow in 2008. President Barack Obama appointed her to the Committee for the Preservation of the White House, on which she served from 2010 to 2016. Golden currently serves on the boards of directors for the Barack Obama Foundation, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. She is also a member of the Advisory Committee for the Goldman Sachs "One Million Black Women" initiative and the Advisory Board for the Black Trustee Alliance for Art Museums. Recently, she served on the International Jury for the Venice Architecture Biennale (2023). Golden is a recognized authority on Black art and an active lecturer and panelist who speaks about contemporary art and culture at national and international institutions.

Natasha L. Logan

Chief Program Officer

Natasha Logan is the Chief Program Officer at the Studio Museum in Harlem providing strategic direction for the comprehensive realization of Museum programs such as exhibitions, learning and engagement, and the permanent collection. Logan is a cultural producer and arts worker. Most recently, she was the Deputy Director at Creative Time, where she played a critical role in producing major commissions and securing new partnerships. Logan has produced more than a dozen large- scale public commissions, including Charles Gaines’s Moving Chains, Rashid Johnson’s Red Stage, Kamala Sankaram’s The Last Stand, Duke Riley’s Fly by Night, and Jenny Holzer's’ VIGIL, and realized projects by many others, including Pedro Reyes, Allison Janae Hamilton, Jill Magid, Sophie Calle, and Phil Collins. Working in tandem with curators, she also developed a constellation of initiatives focused on transforming the art and culture fields, including the Creative Time Think Tank, R&D Fellowship, and CTHQ, a gathering space for art and politics.

Prior to joining Creative Time, Logan managed projects for respected artists across film, art, and interactive technology, facilitating their emergent ideas and practices. Notably, she led Hank Willis Thomas’s studio for five years, developing collaborative initiatives including Question Bridge: Black Males and In Search of The Truth (The Truth Booth).

Logan obtained a degree in English and African American studies from the University of Virginia before starting her career at NYU. She eventually assumed the role of Assistant Director of Career Development at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she supported hundreds of emerging artists and solidified a deep commitment to cultivating and elevating artists' voices.

Natasha Logan is the Chief Program Officer at the Studio Museum in Harlem providing strategic direction for the comprehensive realization of Museum programs such as exhibitions, learning and engagement, and the permanent collection. Logan is a cultural producer and arts worker. Most recently, she was the Deputy Director at Creative Time, where she played a critical role in producing major commissions and securing new partnerships. Logan has produced more than a dozen large- scale public commissions, including Charles Gaines’s Moving Chains, Rashid Johnson’s Red Stage, Kamala Sankaram’s The Last Stand, Duke Riley’s Fly by Night, and Jenny Holzer's’ VIGIL, and realized projects by many others, including Pedro Reyes, Allison Janae Hamilton, Jill Magid, Sophie Calle, and Phil Collins. Working in tandem with curators, she also developed a constellation of initiatives focused on transforming the art and culture fields, including the Creative Time Think Tank, R&D Fellowship, and CTHQ, a gathering space for art and politics.

Prior to joining Creative Time, Logan managed projects for respected artists across film, art, and interactive technology, facilitating their emergent ideas and practices. Notably, she led Hank Willis Thomas’s studio for five years, developing collaborative initiatives including Question Bridge: Black Males and In Search of The Truth (The Truth Booth).

Logan obtained a degree in English and African American studies from the University of Virginia before starting her career at NYU. She eventually assumed the role of Assistant Director of Career Development at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she supported hundreds of emerging artists and solidified a deep commitment to cultivating and elevating artists' voices.

Chakshu Patel

Chief Advancement and External Affairs Officer

Chakshu Patel is the Chief Advancement and External Affairs Officer at the Studio Museum in Harlem. She oversees the Development, Marketing and Communications, Visitor Experience, and Retail departments at the Museum. Alongside Director and Chief Curator Thelma Golden, Patel also leads the Studio Museum’s capital campaign to build a new purpose-built museum in the heart of Harlem and to expand the groundbreaking and innovative exhibitions and programming for which the Studio Museum is known.

Prior to joining the Studio Museum, Patel worked at Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She began her professional career as a practicing attorney, working at the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project and in private practice. She holds a JD from New York University School of Law, where she graduated magna cum laude and Order of the Coif, and a BA in women’s studies from Drew University.

Chakshu Patel is the Chief Advancement and External Affairs Officer at the Studio Museum in Harlem. She oversees the Development, Marketing and Communications, Visitor Experience, and Retail departments at the Museum. Alongside Director and Chief Curator Thelma Golden, Patel also leads the Studio Museum’s capital campaign to build a new purpose-built museum in the heart of Harlem and to expand the groundbreaking and innovative exhibitions and programming for which the Studio Museum is known.

Prior to joining the Studio Museum, Patel worked at Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She began her professional career as a practicing attorney, working at the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project and in private practice. She holds a JD from New York University School of Law, where she graduated magna cum laude and Order of the Coif, and a BA in women’s studies from Drew University.

Terrence Phearse

Chief of Staff

Terrence Phearse is the Chief of Staff at the Studio Museum in Harlem. In this role, Phearse oversees special projects, external and governmental affairs, and the governance of Board activities at the Museum, and supports the Museum's internal culture. Phearse comes to the Studio Museum with editorial, administrative, curatorial, and directorial expertise that spans enterprises and divisions. Over his career, Phearse has held leadership positions wherein he has curated exhibitions, organized educational programming, given university lectures, and secured funding for various institutional initiatives. Most recently, Phearse served as Exhibitions Manager at Fotografiska New York and Editor-at-Large of Musée Magazine. Phearse began his career at Condé Nast, working at Vogue and Glamour. He has also worked in public relations and communications at Ralph Lauren and Louis Vuitton North America.

Phearse is pursuing a PhD in Philosophy, Aesthetics, and Art Theory at the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts, where he is a David C. Driskell Academic Fellow. He was named an inaugural Archives Research Fellow at the Driskell Center, University of Maryland College Park, 2023–24. Phearse earned two international Master of Arts degrees, both with distinction, first from the University of Westminster, London, in photography, followed by Central Saint Martins in culture, criticism, and curation. Phearse has served on panels and juries and has presented lectures at Columbia University, Central Saint Martins, University of Westminster, and Wimbledon College of Arts. He has a BSc in Marketing from the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Terrence Phearse is the Chief of Staff at the Studio Museum in Harlem. In this role, Phearse oversees special projects, external and governmental affairs, and the governance of Board activities at the Museum, and supports the Museum's internal culture. Phearse comes to the Studio Museum with editorial, administrative, curatorial, and directorial expertise that spans enterprises and divisions. Over his career, Phearse has held leadership positions wherein he has curated exhibitions, organized educational programming, given university lectures, and secured funding for various institutional initiatives. Most recently, Phearse served as Exhibitions Manager at Fotografiska New York and Editor-at-Large of Musée Magazine. Phearse began his career at Condé Nast, working at Vogue and Glamour. He has also worked in public relations and communications at Ralph Lauren and Louis Vuitton North America.

Phearse is pursuing a PhD in Philosophy, Aesthetics, and Art Theory at the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts, where he is a David C. Driskell Academic Fellow. He was named an inaugural Archives Research Fellow at the Driskell Center, University of Maryland College Park, 2023–24. Phearse earned two international Master of Arts degrees, both with distinction, first from the University of Westminster, London, in photography, followed by Central Saint Martins in culture, criticism, and curation. Phearse has served on panels and juries and has presented lectures at Columbia University, Central Saint Martins, University of Westminster, and Wimbledon College of Arts. He has a BSc in Marketing from the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Debra White

General Counsel & Chief Operating Officer

Debra White is the General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer at the Studio Museum in Harlem. In this role, she oversees the operational and legal capacities of the Museum. She works closely with the Director, staff, and Trustees on Museum-wide planning and operations. White comes to the Studio Museum with extensive legal and strategic experience that spans multi-sectoral enterprises. Over her career, White has held numerous executive leadership positions in which she has supported organizational redesign and provided strategic guidance to a wide range of stakeholders. Most recently, White worked as Deputy Secretary in the Civil Rights and Workforce division of the New York State Executive Chamber, overseeing policy and operations management for state agencies including the Department of Labor, the Division of Human Rights, the Division of Veteran Services, and the Worker’s Compensation Board. White previously served as Chief of Staff/Chief Administrative Officer for the Democratic National Convention Committee and Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. White spent the first two decades of her career in private practice representing clients across diverse industries in negotiating complex commercial and financial transactions.

Debra holds a JD from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, and an AB from Radcliffe College/Harvard University.

Debra White is the General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer at the Studio Museum in Harlem. In this role, she oversees the operational and legal capacities of the Museum. She works closely with the Director, staff, and Trustees on Museum-wide planning and operations. White comes to the Studio Museum with extensive legal and strategic experience that spans multi-sectoral enterprises. Over her career, White has held numerous executive leadership positions in which she has supported organizational redesign and provided strategic guidance to a wide range of stakeholders. Most recently, White worked as Deputy Secretary in the Civil Rights and Workforce division of the New York State Executive Chamber, overseeing policy and operations management for state agencies including the Department of Labor, the Division of Human Rights, the Division of Veteran Services, and the Worker’s Compensation Board. White previously served as Chief of Staff/Chief Administrative Officer for the Democratic National Convention Committee and Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. White spent the first two decades of her career in private practice representing clients across diverse industries in negotiating complex commercial and financial transactions.