Jodi Minnis-Rolle Named Curatorial Director at NAGB

Curator, artist, and cultural worker Jodi Minnis-Rolle has been appointed Curatorial Director at the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas. She joins the team from TERN Gallery, where she spent four years as gallery manager and curated notable exhibitions including Inherited Values, To All Who Come to This Happy Place: Welcome, and FIVE, an exhibition of emerging artists. 

This appointment comes as NAGB enters a new chapter under the leadership of Maelynn Ford, who took the helm as Executive Director in January 2025. Minnis-Rolle steps in at a moment of growth for both the museum and broader creative community. 

“Hiring Jodi is a strategic move not just for NAGB, but for The Bahamas. She brings the momentum we need right now. She is exceedingly knowledgeable about Bahamian art and has a clear vision for the museum’s future,” Director Ford shared. “Jodi understands how to navigate the Bahamian cultural landscape while opening conversations that connect us to the region and beyond.” 

For Minnis-Rolle, the appointment represents an opportunity to serve an institution that shaped her own artistic development. “Curating for a national institution is a great honour and responsibility,” she said. “At its core, it is about serving our people, stewarding our history, telling our stories, and creating pathways for all people to interact with their museum.” 

Minnis-Rolle has a longstanding relationship with NAGB and the creative arts community, having previously worked with the institution as a gallery assistant, guest curator, and contributing writer. She co-authored From Columbus to Junkanoo: Bahamian History Through Art with Averia Wright, a 2016 NAGB exhibition and catalogue that examined Bahamian history through visual culture. 

Her writing has also appeared in April Bey: The Opulent Blerd (Lancaster Museum of Art and History, 2023) and The Whimsical Collector (National Art Gallery of The Bahamas, 2023). Most recently, she contributed to Poetics of Architecture, the seventh volume of Forgotten Lands, an independent publication dedicated to Caribbean art and cultural dialogue. Her work has connected Bahamian art and visual culture to key regional Caribbean networks and international art platforms. 

On her curatorial approach, Minnis-Rolle said, “My practice is grounded in stewardship, care, and collaboration. NAGB has a history of critical, engaging, and innovative exhibitions, and I look forward to stewarding that legacy while bolstering the educational and social undercurrent that sustains the museum.” 

Minnis-Rolle received the Popop Junior Residency Prize in 2014 and participated in the Caribbean Linked III residency programme in 2015. In 2020, she received the Prime Minister’s Cup award from the Ministry of Youth, Sports, and Culture. She holds an Associate of Arts degree in art from the University of The Bahamas and studied towards a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Tampa. 

As a multidisciplinary artist with an active practice, she has been reviewed by leading arts publications like Hyperallergic and Burnaway and has exhibited locally and internationally, including here at NAGB. Her career reflects asustained engagement with contemporary culture, spanning curatorial practice, arts writing, cultural consultation, and community-based work. 

“NAGB was where I first realised I could be an artist, where I began my training as an arts administrator, where I was introduced to critical Caribbean literature, and where I gathered with friends at openings,” Minnis-Rolle said. “Stepping into this role now is an opportunity to be expansive about programming, partnerships, and community while staying rooted in the history of this institution.” 

Minnis-Rolle assumes her role as Curatorial Director effective immediately.