Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis Chief Curator Departs Following Controversy Over Kelley Walker Exhibition

Jeffrey Uslip will step down from his role as chief curator at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis. His exit follows significant local backlash against a solo exhibition by artist Kelley Walker, which featured photographs of Black civil rights activists and Black women altered with whitening toothpaste and chocolate. The presentation was criticized as racially insensitive, prompting calls for a boycott from area artists. Several participants withdrew from the museum's annual open studio program in protest. Artist Damon Davis, who attended a public discussion between Walker and Uslip, publicly criticized Walker's response to questions about the work, describing it as childish and cowardly. Uslip is moving to a new position at an institution that has not yet been publicly identified. The controversy was reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The announcement was made on November 18, 2016.