Kevin Tervala

Kevin Tervala is the Eddie C. and C. Sylvia Brown Chief Curator at the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA). In this role, Kevin works with the BMA’s Dorothy Wagner Wallis Director, Dr. Asma Naeem, to advance the museum’s artistic program and oversees the work of the institution’s 20-person curatorial team, as well its conservators, registrars, librarians, archivists, and image service specialists. A historian of African art and architecture, Kevin arrived at the BMA in 2015 as a Curatorial Fellow and, in 2017, was promoted to Associate Curator of African Art and Department Head of the Arts of Africa, the Americas, Asia, and the Pacific Islands (AAAPI). Between 2017 and 2023, Kevin curated nine exhibitions of historic African and Oceanic art, spearheaded the expansion and reinstallation of AAAPI’s collection galleries, overhauled the museum’s gallery dedicated to art from the ancient Mediterranean world, and chaired the BMA’s Cultural Property Working Group, which was responsible for the reconceptualization of the museum’s cultural property policies and practices.

Kevin received a PhD and MA from Harvard University and a BA from the University of Maryland. He has taught African studies and art history at Georgetown University, Hunter College, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Maryland.

Articles Related to Kevin Tervala

2024-11-25

Center for Curatorial Leadership Announces 2025 Fellows

The Center for Curatorial Leadership (CCL) is pleased to introduce the 2025 cohort of Fellows. Now in its eighteenth year, the CCL Fellowship is the preeminent leadership program for curators, providing them with the skills and tools needed to become visionary leaders of art museums and cultural institutions worldwide. This year, ... Read More >