Feb

Casely-Hayford eager to get to work at African Art

Curator and cultural historian Augustus (Gus) Casely-Hayford begins his tenure as the new director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art today, Feb. 5

Black and white photo of Augustus Casely-Hayford

Augustus (Gus) Casely-Hayford, director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art. (Photo by Jaimie Gramston)

“Gus brings an impressive combination of knowledge, experience, communication skills and passion to the National Museum of African Art,” said Smithsonian Secretary David Skorton. “His presence at the museum will boost its already prestigious programs and compelling exhibitions and inspire more people across the nation and around the world to explore the rich cultural heritage of African art.”

He has collaborated on numerous broadcasts as well as written and lectured extensively on the arts and cultures of Africa. “It is such an exciting time to be joining the team at the National Museum of African Art,” said Casely-Hayford. “African art is at another fascinating juncture as artists reconfigure our understanding of the medium, helping us to chart courses through the big issues of our time while reminding us of the complex and long historical tradition upon which they stand.

“I want to build upon the exemplary institutional history of the National Museum of African Art and continue to deliver the very best of historical and contemporary African art to new and existing audiences alike,” he added. “I cannot wait to get to work.”

Born in London, Casely-Hayford was educated at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London, where he received his doctorate in African history and was later awarded an honorary fellowship. Casely-Hayford succeeds Johnnetta Betsch Cole, who served as director of the National Museum of African Art from March 2009 through March 2017.

Casely-Hayford is a fellow of the Cultural Institute at King’s College London, a trustee of the National Trust (the U.K.’s largest heritage organization), a member of the Blue Plaque Group, and a Clore Fellow. He sits on the board of the Caine Prize for African Writing and has previously sat on the board of London’s National Portrait Gallery. As director of Africa 05, he organized the largest African arts season in Britain, with more than 150 venues hosting 1,000 events. Recently, he developed an exhibition for London’s National Portrait Gallery using 18th- and 19th-century portraits to tell the story of Britain’s abolition of slavery.

A frequent on-air contributor about Africa, Casely-Hayford has presented a six-part television series for Sky Arts called Tate Britain’s Great British Walks and two series of Lost Kingdoms of Africa for the BBC, for which he also wrote the companion book (Bantam Press, Random House, 2012). He has advised on a Royal Shakespeare Company production of Hamlet, worked on a British Library exhibition focused on African intellectual tradition, and consulted on Tate Britain’s exhibition Artist and Empire. Casely-Hayford delivered a recent TEDGlobal Talk on pre-colonial Africa and is the author of an upcoming book on Timbuktu and the rise of the Mali Empire (Ladybird/Penguin, 2018).