Rising Stars: Meet Thomas James

Today we’d like to introduce you to Thomas James. 

Hi Thomas, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My story in Baltimore began in 2018 after working in Washington, DC and Annapolis, MD during my first two years out of college. I came up to Baltimore because I accepted a job as the Visual Arts Director and Curator at one of the major art centers here in Baltimore – Creative Alliance. This was a big opportunity for me, because at the time I had never run an entire arts program, and this was the sort of chance I was looking for. I was provided the opportunity to run both a gallery and an artist residency program, as well as create educational programs for the public. 

I was brought into Creative Alliance to take the visual program to the next level – give it a fresh perspective. My predecessor believed in my ability and my vision, and he gave me an amazing foundation to work from (for which I am still very grateful.) The amount of resources I had access to was something very new to me, as well as the amount of responsibility placed on my shoulders. The growing pains I experienced during my first year cannot be understated. I learned an incredible amount by working with the staff there, receiving critical feedback, and gaining an overall understanding of my role and what it meant to the City of Baltimore and our nation as a whole. There were times I would work 7 days a week in order to keep up with everything, fix mistakes, etc… But it made me buckle down, organize, and move smarter. 

After my first year there I really developed an understanding of expectations, norms, and a clear vision as to what my impact could look like. So once I began showcasing the art that I wanted to show, and working with the artists and organizations I wanted to work with, I really felt like I had hit a stride. It was around that time at the end of 2019 in which, on a chance encounter, I met Derrick Adams (a world renowned, New York-based artist who is originally from Baltimore). He asked me to help him curate an exhibition at Eubie Blake Cultural Center (EBCC), which became another jumping-off point. We created an exhibition entitled “Our World” and it featured some soon-to-be big artists (at the time) such as Jerrell Gibbs, Amani Lewis, and Murjoni Merriweather. From there, the board at EBCC basically gave me the keys and we were off to the races. I became the point person for curating and facilitating the exhibitions there. 

For the next two years, I ran those two galleries! It was an exciting time. We created some amazing memories with the shows that we put on, the relationships we fostered, and the community we built. 

Then, in 2021 I left my position at Creative Alliance to become the Executive Director at The Last Resort Artist Retreat – an artist residency program located in the Waverly neighborhood, founded by Derrick Adams. This is another wonderful opportunity to bring something new to the art world, expand my skill set, and execute my vision of community building here in Baltimore. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has definitely not been a smooth road getting to where I’m at now, but I feel like that’s normal especially for creatives trying to find their way. I think my biggest struggle has been learning my limitations, which has come with maturity. Learning when to say yes vs no, trusting my intuition, being transparent with others, and then being able to admit when I’m wrong are all aspects of my personal and professional life that are constantly evolving.

In 2016-2018 when I was really finding my way, there was a different type of struggle because I was truly naive to the way the art world (and the world-at-large) worked. Trying to get my career to pop off I would work multiple jobs while researching artists, concepts, history, etc. At one point in time, I was working at Maryland Federation of Art (an arts organization and gallery in Annapolis) while also working with The Phillips Collection and Gallery Al-Quds (both in DC) on some big gallery shows. Those are times I look back on and I’m like – man I had so much energy and drive! As my projects get bigger and more impactful, I still feed off of that old energy.

Overall though, after thinking about this question more, a small challenge that comes to my mind is when I was commuting from Prince George’s County Maryland (the area I grew up in) to Baltimore, MD. Before I moved to Baltimore, it took me an hour of driving to get from my home to work in Highlandtown [Baltimore, MD]. Making that hour-long drive was stressful on my mind and my body quite honestly. Staying focused and motivated while making the same drawn-out drive every day was difficult and not something I’d suggest to anyone that can avoid it. An hour commute on a train I can do. Being at the wheel for that long is a no-go. That’s something I had to learn.

I made a lot of mistakes and really had to learn to take critical feedback and/or ignore the criticism in order to ensure my vision came to life. It took a lot of learning and maturity to not internalize criticism and truly believe in myself and my abilities. For example, one struggle that took me by surprise was finding my way as a boss. Through trial and error, I had to learn what it meant to be an impactful leader, how to provide meaningful experiences for others, and at other times having to be critical – I remember being super anxious the first time I had to fire someone.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As an artistic practice, I am a fine arts curator and my at-large profession is acting as an arts facilitator (which means I wear many different hats within the art world). I’m still learning what it means to be a curator, because we are constantly updating what it means to be one – we make up our own rules. Traditionally, a curator creates art exhibitions of all sorts and serves as the point person for a plethora of art experiences.

When I say “arts facilitator,” that is a broad term used to describe the many different positions I may play on any number of art endeavors. For example, I host artist talks and panels, write freelance articles for blogs, frequently serve as a juror for art-focused competitions, and serve as an advisory board member for different art organizations in the area.

One of the things I’m most proud of is being able to travel to different places such as schools and art centers to speak with artists. Most of the time I am called a “guest critic,” but sometimes the word critic has a negative connotation, so I consider it more of a chance for me to engage with artists and learn more about their practices. It’s less critique and more of a question and answer. I’ve learned that one thing that separates me from many curators is that I really like to get to know artists personally when I meet with them and/or work with them. I care about their backgrounds, where they’ve been and where they want to go, and where I may fit into that equation for them. That helps to get me more invested in anything/everything they are doing – and then I show up when they’re doing things. I know how I want to be treated as a creative, so I try to do the same for others.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
I’ve been asked this question before and my answer seems to be ever-changing. My childhood was good to me. I remember crashing my oldest sister’s sleepovers with all of her friends. Listening to the “NOW This is What I Call” music CDs and making music videos with my sisters. I remember walking into a packed gym, playing Friday night basketball games in the Archdiocese of Washington youth league. I remember listening to Prince’s music with my mother and listening to hip hop with curse words with my father. Overall, I adored my childhood because of the care my family and friends had for me. I have an individual memory from everyone that means the world to me, so I can go on and on.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.thomasjamesdc.com
• Instagram: thomasjames.dc

Image Credits
Kei Ito
Adam David Bencomo
Glenford Nunez
Band of Vice Gallery