Allison Glenn
Image Credit: Rana Young
Glenn served as the guest curator of Promise, Witness, Remembrance at Louisville’s Speed Art Museum, an exhibition honoring the life of Breonna Taylor. Anchored by a portrait of Taylor by Amy Sherald, the exhibition reflected on Taylor’s life, her killing in 2020, and the local and national protests that ensued in the following year.
The entrance to Promise, Witness, Remembrance. Photo: Bill Roughen
Glenn chose the title from a conversation with Tamika Palmer, Taylor’s mother and—as Glenn describes—the exhibition’s key stakeholder. To develop the exhibition, Glenn convened an advisory panel of artists and filmmakers, arts administrators and historians, and relatives of Alton Sterling and Trayvon Martin. She worked alongside additional members of Taylor’s family, a Steering Committee of Louisville community members, local and national artists, and the Speed Art Museum staff to strike the right tone for this massive undertaking.
Left: Sam Gilliam, Carousel Form II, 1969, acrylic on canvas, 120 x 900 in. Right: Lorna Simpson, Same, 1991, 16 color Polaroids in four frames with 11 plastic plaques. Photo: Bill Roughen
For Glenn, local community involvement was critical. In one of her first meetings with the Louisville Steering Committee, they asked Glenn to incorporate new elements, including a suggestion that the exhibition have more color to reflect Taylor’s spirit. “There were moments of discomfort for me, which absolutely led to complete growth, and moments where I was humbled. But, to actually listen … might mean you have the opportunity to pivot toward ideas that, overall, can have a stronger impact.”
Hank Willis Thomas, Remember Me, 2014, neon, © Hank Willis Thomas. Photo: Bill Roughen
