Bio | Hesse McGraw is Executive Director of Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH), one of the oldest non-collecting contemporary Museums in the United States. Hesse is a curator, writer, and cultural leader who most recently served as Partner of the cross-disciplinary practice el dorado inc, and as Vice President for Exhibitions and Public Programs at San Francisco Art Institute. His curatorial practice and arts organization leadership are internationally acclaimed for shifting organizations into springboards that expand the agency of artists beyond the gallery, reach new audiences, and embrace unexpected contexts.

Currently, CAMH and Hesse are engaged in multiple cross-disciplinary projects and public realm design initiatives that position artists as catalysts for cultural and public realm transformation by directly engaging issues such as water recycling, health and wellness, social justice, and equity.

Bio | Seba Suber has been a trusted thought partner and creative financial/business professional with over 15 years’ experience between nonprofit, government, and corporate sectors, with an emphasis in Black art and culture. Her diverse background spans business and strategic planning pursuits alongside a passion for community development, Black studies, social justice and performing and visual arts. As a former nonprofit consultant, Seba provides professional development for nonprofit leadership and joined faculty at John Hopkins University in the Museum Studies Master’s program. She is deeply committed to social change work and innovation from its simplest form. She has personally maintained a practice as a dance educator and jewelry designer alongside her professional life. She is the wife of artist and educator Anthony Suber, and mother of two daughters.

Bio | Felice Cleveland has served as the Director of Education and Public Programs at CAMH since 2016. She is passionate about sharing the work of contemporary artists with the community, challenging the role of Museums in civic life, creating dynamic programs, and working to build sustainable partnerships. Prior to her current position she served at the Mattress Factory (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) and the American Visionary Art Museum (Baltimore, Maryland). Cleveland is also the co-founder and co-chair of the Houston Museum Education Roundtable (HMER). Originally from Washington state, she spent two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer teaching English in a rural Cameroonian village and earned her Masters of Art + Design Education with a focus in Community Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design (Providence). In the moments between work and sleep she draws, makes zines, writes letters to friends around the globe, experiments with dye, supports her husband’s house plant habit, reads, walks around the East End, and plays with her sweet son, Milo.

713.284.8278

Bio | Allison Glenn is a curator and writer deeply invested in working closely with artists to develop ideas, artworks, and exhibitions that respond to and transform our understanding of the world. Glenn is Senior Curator and Director of Public Art at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. Recently, she received substantial critical and community praise for her curatorial work in the groundbreaking exhibition at the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Kentucky titled Promise, Witness, Remembrance. an exhibition that reflected on the life of Breonna Taylor, centered on her portrait painted by Amy Sherald, and was listed on the 2021 Observer Arts Power 50 List.

Previously, Glenn was Associate Curator, Contemporary Art, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, where she shaped how outdoor sculpture activates and engages Crystal Bridges’ 120-acre campus. Connecting the impact that color has on perception and the body Glenn organized Color Field (2019), an outdoor sculpture exhibition that activated a contemporary gallery and the lush North Forest.

Glenn has over a decade of experience in the field. Prior to working at Crystal Bridges, she was the Manager of Publications and Curatorial Associate for Prospect New Orleans’ international art triennial Prospect.4: The Lotus in Spite of the Swamp. Previous exhibitions include Out of Easy Reach, which was on view simultaneously at DePaul Art Museum, Stony Island Arts Bank and Gallery 400, which traveled to Grunwald Gallery at Indiana University. In 2015, Glenn was a Curatorial Fellow with the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

Bio | Cheryl Newcomb joined Contemporary Arts Museum Houston in January 2020 as the Director of Development, working with CAMH’s leadership, Board of Trustees, and a dynamic team to create and implement short and long-term fundraising plans and strategies. In her role, Cheryl oversees all aspects of the museum’s comprehensive development and membership programs. Prior to joining CAMH, Cheryl served as Director of Development and, later, Deputy Director at the ACLU of Texas. As Director of Development, Newcomb crafted and led the state’s affiliate’s major gift and grant writing efforts, more than tripling contributed revenue in a 5-year period. As Deputy Director, Newcomb oversaw the expansion of the state affiliate from three locations in Texas to five, and managed the affiliate’s interdisciplinary project teams toward strategic program goals. Newcomb also serves on the Stewardship Committee and as Chair of the Law Enforcement Committee of the Houston Against Hate, a group formed in 2017 to address and prevent hate crimes and incidents in the Houston region. Newcomb holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Houston, and has 25 years of experience in fundraising and non-profit leadership.

713.284.8277

Bio | Kent Michael Smith has been Director of Communications and Marketing at Contemporary Arts Museum Houston since 2017. In this role, he manages the organization’s advertising, public relations, social media, design, website, publications, outreach for awareness, and attendance-building initiatives.

Smith comes to CAMH from Kansas City, Missouri where he most recently was Director of Marketing and Communications at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art and the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art. As an artist (painter), Smith’s work can be found in numerous public and private collections across the midwest. He holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts from Emporia State University (Kansas) and a Masters of Fine Arts from Ohio University (Athens) and has more than 20 years of museum leadership experience. When not engaged in the arts, Smith and his wife can be found cheering on their daughter at soccer games and tournaments across Texas and beyond.

713.824.8255