Since 2009, Khalil Kinsey has been COO and chief curator for the Kinsey African American Art & History Collection, an international traveling exhibition that has been viewed by more than 16 million visitors in 40 venues to date.
Kinsey oversees all operations for the collection, which grew organically from the personal acquisitions of his parents, Bernard and Shirley Kinsey, made during their world travels. Dedicated to amplifying the importance of African American history, racial equity, and cultural preservation, Kinsey also serves as director of the nonprofit Kinsey Foundation for Arts & Education.
1. How did you experience art while you were growing up?
Khalil Kinsey: Our home was filled with art everywhere. As art patrons, my parents would host receptions and exhibitions introducing their collector friends to artists they supported. I was fortunate to grow up in a home that was not only filled with art, but also with many of the artists who created it.
2. Did you always know you wanted be involved with the collection?
KK: Not exactly, but I always knew I wanted to be involved in creative endeavors where art was central. There was no [conversation] about the collection becoming a public exhibition—or a business and foundation—when I was growing up. That began to take shape when I was in my late 20s [by which time] I had businesses in the apparel and music industries and was carving my path as an entrepreneur. It wasn’t until the first public showings of the collection that we began to understand its potential. My first curatorial endeavor was with the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, which taught me I not only had the knowledge and instincts for museum services, but that I was good at it, too.
A view of the Kinsey Collection exhibition at LA’s SoFi Stadium
3. What inspired the exhibition at SoFi Stadium, home to the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams, in Inglewood, California?
KK: It was a powerful example of how to utilize and activate space for storytelling, education, and beauty. The NFL has struggled with race matters and how players are treated, so in a small way, we could shine a light on the humanity of the athletes and provide a more nuanced and robust view that empowered them. Inglewood is largely a Black and Hispanic city, and its evolution signifies progress and growth for some, but erasure and displacement for others. [It] debuted for Super Bowl LVI [in 2021] and was open to the public for 26 months and seen by hundreds of thousands of people.
4. What unifies the collection’s art, objects, and artifacts?
KK: You can’t remove Black culture and contribution from the context of history. The conversation between art and history is consistent in every presentation of the Kinsey Collection. It’s about telling the story of a people and the human experience [and] the historical record of America—from early African literature, 16th-century North American records, and major legal rulings, to the explosion of Black thought that was the Harlem Renaissance, and contemporary activism and art movements. African Americans have always created and achieved despite the social climates and conditions.
5. What’s your vision for the collection’s future?
KK: I want to continue to create exhibitions and innovative experiences that today’s generations can locate themselves in and find their power and agency. We’re currently working on projects that leverage the stories within the collection through tech, content, educational materials, and merchandise.
This article originally appeared in HD’s August 2024 issue.
