Jade Foster

Public Programme Curator

Jade Foster is a British cultural polymath: curator, art historian, artist and cultural strategist of Afro-Caribbean heritage living in Yarm, North Yorkshire, and born in Sandwell. Foster holds positions as a Trustee / Board Member of Nottingham Contemporary and Public Programme Curator at Primary. In their current role, they lead on Studio A4, an artist development residency programme; exhibitions and digital commissions, focusing on brokering international collaborations, most notably, curating Maia Ruth Lee’s solo show Human Life in Motion in 2025 and Imagining Otherwise in 2024, featuring artists Ashley Holmes, Turner Prize 2024 winner Jasleen Kaur, and Jala Wahid.

Jade has a history of working on experimental creative programmes with artists who explore pressing social issues. Through collaboration, they have produced research, residencies, curated exhibitions, and public programmes with different organisations such as Peer Gallery and Arts Catalyst; DASH; Harewood House; Hospital Rooms; Derby QUAD/FORMAT International Photography Festival; Derby Museums; New Art Exchange; UK New Artists (formerly UKYA); Gillian Jason Gallery; Two Queens; and the Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) in Glasgow.

Public scholarship and speaking became pivotal practices within their career. They have been a speaker at Tate Britain (Time Will Tell: Future Museum and Contested Objects, 2024), the British Art Network Conference (Curatorial Reimaginings, 2024), the V&A (It’s all about handing over power, Art Fund and Black Curatorial, 2022), Clore Leadership and the Cultural Governance Alliance (CGA) via Midlands Arts Centre (Governance Now, 2022/23), ACAVA (ACAVA Talks), Wolverhampton Art Gallery (Collectivism, Community and Collaboration, alongside Bolanle Tajudeen - founder of Black Blossoms Online, Blk Art Research Group Project, 2023), Live Art Development Agency and performingbordersLIVE2020 (There is (No) Time, 2020).

Their writing has been featured in publications such as ArtReview, Art Monthly, and Corridor8, and they have written the introductory text for Maia Ruth Lee’s first major monograph, Bondadge Baggage (Radius Books).

Jade completed an MA in History of Art at UCL, where they were the recipient of the Fer-Garb Scholarship 2022/23. With the aspiration to become a successful leader and businessperson, in January 2025, they will begin an MBA in Cultural and Creative Leadership via the Senior Leader Apprenticeship route at Teesside University. After the course, they will pursue Chartered Manager status with the CMI.