Curator • Cultural Strategist • Art Advisor

About Karen Comer Lowe

Karen Comer Lowe is a curator, art advisor, and cultural strategist with over two decades of experience shaping inclusive narratives in the visual arts. Her curatorial vision amplifies Black voices and engages communities through bold, innovative exhibitions and institutional leadership.

She has held curatorial and leadership positions at The National Portrait Gallery, Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, and the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs in Atlanta. Her work bridges public institutions and private collections, guiding cultural storytelling through exhibitions, advisory services, and education.

Art Advisory

Tailored advising for private collectors, corporate entities, hospitality groups, and public institutions—helping to build meaningful and strategic art collections.

• Institutional Strategy & Curation
  Curatorial development and cultural strategy for museums, galleries, and arts organizations—shaping exhibitions, programs, and collection-building initiatives.

• Speaking & Moderation
  Available for panels, keynotes, and public conversations—bringing insight, context, and dynamic engagement to topics across the art world.

• Advisory for Artists & Collectors
  Consultation services for artists and collectors, including art market insights, collection development, exhibition preparation, and curatorial support.

• Media Commentary
  Available for radio, television, and digital media as a trusted voice on contemporary art, artists, collecting practices, and cultural movements.  

                  

                

SELECTED CURATED EXHIBITIONS

Radcliffe Bailey, Fragments from My Diary, Tubman African American Museum (1998)

Elizabeth Catlett, Works on Paper, Tubman African American Museum (1999)

Habitats and Shotgun Shacks (Beverly Buchanan), City Gallery East, (2000)

African American Abstraction (Mildred Thompson, Frank Bowling, etc). City Gallery East, (2000)

Flash, Rashid Johnson, Sheila Pree Bright, etc., City Gallery East (2000)

Undercover/Performing and Transforming Black Female Identities (Nick Cave, Lorna Simpson, Lyle Ashton Harris, Ellen Gallagher, Cindy Sherman, James Van Der Zee’s, Doris Ulmann’s, Nandipha Mntambo, Sheila Pree Bright, Renee Cox) Spelman College Museum (Co-Curator) (2009) (voted top-10 best exhibit of the year by the Atlanta Journal Constitution-Cathy Fox)

Clay Pigeons- Hebru Brantley, solo exhibition (2017)

Don’t Whistle in the House, Cosmo Whyte, solo exhibition (2017)

The South Got Something to Say - An outdoor digital exhibition celebrating Atlanta’s unique visual culture. Featuring Sheila Pree Bright, Jurelle Cayetano, Alfred Conteh, Ariel Dannielle, Shanequa Gay, Kojo Griffin, Gerald Lovell, Yanique Norman, Fahamu Pecou, and Jamele Wright, (2020)

Silver Linings: Celebrating the Spelman Art Collection - Featuring (Amalia Amaki, Emma Amos, Benny Andrews, Firelei Báez, Herman “Kofi” Bailey, Romare Bearden, Betty Blayton, Beverly Buchanan, Selma Burke, Floyd Coleman, Renée Cox, Myra Greene, Sam Gilliam, Glenn Ligon, Howardena Pindell, Nancy Elizabeth Prophet, Lucille Malkia Roberts, Deborah Roberts, Faith Ringgold, Nellie Mae Rowe, Lorna Simpson, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Lina Iris Viktor, Carrie Mae Weems, and Hale Woodruff.) Originally debuted at the Spelman College Museum in 2022 (Co-Curator), traveling to venues in the USA

Amanda Williams: We Say What Black This Is, Spelman Museum Featuring (Betty Blayton, Sheila Pree Bright, Beverly Buchanan, Beauford Delaney, Sam Gilliam, Maren Hassinger, Jacob Lawrence, Deborah Roberts, Thomas Sills, Alma Thomas, and Ming Washington.) (2025)