Kimberly Drew is an American art influencer and writer. She is best known as the former social media manager for the Metropolitan Museum of Art and her use of the social media handle @MuseumMammy. Drew released her first book, This Is What I Know About Art in June 2020,[1][2][3] as part of a children's book series from Penguin, and published an anthology titled Black Futures with New York Times staff writer J Wortham in December 2020.
In March 2011, Drew started the Tumblr blog Black Contemporary Art while still in college.[5] She and others posted about Black artists who were featured on museum websites but had no digital presence on Tumblr, so that they "were part of a recorded history."[8][9] Drew has referred to herself as a "a curator of "black art and experiences" and has been recognized by Artsy for advocating for racial equality in the art world.[10] She has spoken about the importance of tying art to activism and protests, specifically in the immediate aftermath of the high-profile murders of Black Americans such as George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, and the shootings of Breonna Taylor and Tony McDade.[11]
After graduating from Smith College, Drew worked on the communications team at Lehmann Maupin gallery, as well as for Hyperallergic and Creative Time.[10][12] In July 2015, Drew was hired as the Associate Online Community Producer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City,[13] a position that she held until November 2019.[14]
Beginning their connection through Twitter's direct-messaging, Drew co-edited and released the anthology Black Futures with journalist Jenna Wortham.[25] After five years in the making, the anthology encapsulates a multitude of art forms by more than 100 Black creators responding to the question, "What does it mean to be Black and alive, right now?" Their creation stamps a time when the height of Black empowerment coexists with long-term systemic oppression.[26] Drew and Wortham's goal is to bring to light how Black culture surrounds everyday society and how Blackness is limitless.[25]Black Futures was published by Random House's One World imprint in December 2020.[27][28][4]
On June 2, 2020, Drew released her first book, This Is What I Know About Art, a book for young adults under the Penguin Workshop imprint.[29]
Honors and awards
In 2016, Drew received the inaugural Feminist Curator Award from AIR Gallery.[6][30] The same year, she was listed on the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts 100 List, which identifies creative and cultural catalysts of change.[31][30] In 2017, she was named one of Brooklyn Magazine's 100 Influencers of Brooklyn Culture.[32]
In 2020, she was awarded the Smith College Medal, which recognizes outstanding alumnae who contribute to their communities.[33]
