Allison Glenn Appointed as Curator for the 2026 Toronto Biennial of Art

The Toronto Biennial of Art has selected Allison Glenn to curate its fourth edition, which will run from September to December 2026.

Glenn has over 15 years of experience curating exhibitions and public art projects in museums and biennials.

She curated “Promise, Witness, Remembrance” (2021) at the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Kentucky, which centered on Breonna Taylor, a Black medical worker killed by police in 2020.

The exhibition featured works by over 20 artists, including Amy Sherald, Nari Ward, Bethany Collins, and Glenn Ligon.

Glenn co-curated the 2023 Counterpublic Triennial in St. Louis and was a curatorial associate for Prospect.4 (2018) in New Orleans.

She has held roles as senior curator at the Public Art Fund in New York and associate curator of contemporary art at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, where she developed exhibitions and outdoor sculpture installations on the museum’s 120-acre campus.

She is currently the artistic director of The Shepherd, a Detroit-based cultural arts center housed in a Romanesque-style church from the early 20th century.

A Carefully Considered Selection by a Team of Experts

Glenn’s appointment as curator for the 2026 Toronto Biennial was the result of a careful selection process carried out by a six-person committee composed of some of the most influential figures in contemporary art.

This committee included Candice Hopkins, Dominique Fontaine, and Miguel A. López, all of whom have previously curated past Toronto Biennials, as well as Elvira Dyangani Ose, director of the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona, and artists Camille Usher and Léuli Eshrāghi.

In her official statement regarding her appointment, Glenn expressed both excitement and reverence for the opportunity to work in Toronto.

She noted the city’s reputation as one of the most diverse urban centers in the world and pointed out how its geographical position on the Great Lakes waterway, which holds 20% of the world’s freshwater, would inevitably influence the curatorial framework she develops for the Biennial.

“I am honored to be invited to consider a city so close to home and to learn from the vast histories of the region while working closely with the brilliant members of the National Curatorial Advisory, the enthusiastic TBA team, and dedicated partners of the 2026 Toronto Biennial of Art,” Glenn said.

National Curatorial Advisory

To support Allison Glenn in curating the 2026 Toronto Biennial of Art, a National Curatorial Advisory has been formed with five curators from Canadian institutions.

• David Diviney, chief curator at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in Halifax, specializes in exhibition development and collections.
• Eva Respini, deputy director and director of curatorial programs at the Vancouver Art Gallery, is an expert in contemporary curatorial practices.
• Heather Igloliorte, an independent curator and professor of visual arts at the University of Victoria, focuses on Indigenous art and research.
• Léuli Eshrāghi, curator of Indigenous practices at the Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, specializes in Indigenous visual and material culture.
• Michelle Jacques, director of exhibitions and collections and chief curator at Remai Modern in Saskatoon, has experience in curatorial leadership and museum programming.

Glenn’s Academic and Professional Background

Allison Glenn has contributed extensively to art through her writing and curatorial work.

Her essays have been featured in exhibition catalogs for major institutions, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Studio Museum in Harlem, Prospect New Orleans, and the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

Her critical writing has also appeared in respected publications such as Artforum, ART PAPERS, Brooklyn Rail, Hyperallergic, and ART21 Magazine.

Aside from her curatorial projects, Glenn is actively involved in shaping opportunities for artists and curators on a global scale.

She is a member of the Board of Directors for ARCAthens, an international residency program dedicated to supporting artistic and curatorial exchange.

Her academic background is just as impressive—she earned a BFA in Photography and Urban Studies from Wayne State University in Detroit before completing two master’s degrees at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, specializing in Modern Art History, Theory, and Criticism and Arts Administration and Policy.