Rhea L. Combs

📣✨BIG NEWS ANNOUNCEMENT✨ 📣 I am excited to share that beginning February 17, I will be joining the @baltimoremuseumofart as a Senior Curatorial Fellow in Contemporary and Global Art. After 13 years with the Smithsonian, including creating numerous exhibitions, presentations, conducting countless tours, publications, public programs, significant acquisitions, commissions, and more—as well as 4+ years with the National Portrait Gallery as the Director of Curatorial Affairs—I am embarking on a wonderful new chapter, one where I will have the honor of working closely with an institution dedicated to the power of art, community and creativity. In this new capacity, I will have two years to be unencumbered; to engage with contemporary artists—locally, nationally, and internationally—and to explore the unique qualities of contemporary art practice, all the while considering ways to amplify the voices of artists, cultural producers, and institutions of various sizes during an inflection point in the nation’s history—as well as globally. Who knows what this may result in—a book, a convening, a series of exhibits: the possibilities are endless! Huge thanks to @darrenwalker and everyone at the Ford Foundation who were instrumental in making this unique, unrestricted fellowship possible, along with @kate.fowle , the director of the arts program at The Hearthland Foundation for bestowing me their inaugural Curatorial Arts Fellow! ✨ Added kudos to all the dedicated staff and Board members at Baltimore Museum of Art. And always, tremendous gratitude to my colleagues, staff and team members at the Smithsonian. Onward! 🤎 Photo: 📷—Kelvin Bulluck (@kelbpics ) // one of Baltimore’s finest! 🩶

Please join us for a conversation with curator Rhea L. Combs, PhD @rhea_combs , and artist Imar Lyman [Hutchins] @imarhutchins on Saturday, May 30 from 3:00pm-4:00pm in the Terrace Gallery to discuss the exhibition "Imar Lyman Echo/Location: Exploring the Extra-Sensory" Before the conversation, join the Artist in the gallery to view the exhibition from 2:30-3:00pm. Catalogues will be available for sale and signing. Museum and grounds close at 4:00pm. Parking will be available at The Field School, located at 2301 Foxhall Road NW. Please note: viewing the exhibition before the conversation requires the use of about 30 stairs. A video walkthrough is available on the Bloomberg Connects app. Photography by Vivian Marie Doering @vivianmariephoto

My shining star. 🌟 Thank you for choosing me. You make things fun, funny and beautiful—just like you. Happy Mother’s Day to all, in its many forms.

Birthday love 🎂is in the air! In Venice and truly grateful —to so many and for so so much. Here’s to abundance and blessings all year around. ✨🥳✨

Please join us for a conversation with curator Rhea L. Combs, PhD, @rhea_combs and artist Imar Lyman [Hutchins] @imarhutchins from 3:00pm-4:00pm Sat May 30 in the Terrace Gallery at @kreegermuseum to discuss the exhibition Imar Lyman Echo/Location: Exploring the Extra-Sensory Before the conversation, join the Artist in the gallery to view the exhibition from 2:30-3:00pm. Catalogues will be available for sale and signing. Museum and grounds close at 4:00pm. RSVP is required. Link in bio. This exhibition is presented under The Collaborative, a partnership between The Kreeger Museum and @pyramidatlantic to support Washington-area artists. Parking will be available at The Field School, located at 2301 Foxhall Road NW. Photography by Vivian Marie Doering @vivianmariephoto Please note: viewing the exhibition before the conversation requires the use of about 30 stairs. A video walkthrough is available on the Bloomberg Connects app. #collage #screenprint #art #dmv #painting #fabric #pyramid #printmaking #abstract #samgilliam #frankstella

It’s May Day…and my birthday month! Hey hey hey hey! 🎉🥂 Admittedly, lurking and (doom) scrolling—coupled with a desire to “get off this wretched platform”— has been more of the M.O. lately. Posting for the grid less so; thankfully, I have been living in the moment, communing with wonderful people. On the whole, it’s felt great, reflective—even restorative. Some of the most precious moments haven’t necessarily included a snapshot, but they have been important all the same. Here’s but a sampling of the myriad ways joy, art, community and nature are showing up for me in these (wild, narly) days. Trips to Boston and the Harvard Art Museum; curating an exhibition at The Kreeger Museum of Imar Lyman’s new body of abstract work; visits to Philly and the great “Freedom Dreams” exhibition at The Barnes Museum, co-curated by Maori Holmes and James Claiborne. The moving exhibition of Noah Davis at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. And more. Plus walks. And flowers. Nature and springtime. And while Lego has been getting a lot of shine lately, I should add that they’ve brought me much delight, too. There’s nothing like completing Expert Level masterpieces. 😘 Art shown by: Gail Anderson, Rashid Johnson, Jusepe de Ribera, Sarah Miriam Peale, Auguste Renoir; Sam Gilliam; Imar Lyman [Hutchins]; Noah Davis.

Over the next few weeks, we will be highlighting the works on view in Imar Lyman Echo/Location: Exploring the Extra-Sensory a Collaborative exhibition with Pyramid Atlantic Art Center featuring the work of Imar Lyman [Hutchins] @imarhutchins and curated by Rhea L. Combs, PhD @rhea_combs This painting, "Brother Ah and the Collectors’ Arkestra" (2025), and tape recorder are a requiem for Robert Northern (1934-2020), jazz legend and French horn player professionally known as Brother Ah. Northern performed with many musicians, including John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, and for nearly two decades, played with the avant-garde jazz group The Sun Ra Arkestra. The neon colors used here also honor the late 20th century DC-based Go-Go music flyers. In this imaginary poster, Brother Ah serves as bandleader for an interstellar concert. The vintage 1960s reel-to-reel accompanying the painting was originally owned by Robert Northern, a mentor and friend of the Artist. Brother Ah was a fixture on Washington, DC, community supported radio station WPFW, where he produced a program called “The Jazz Collectors.” For over twenty years, he played jazz tunes and interviewed many well-known musicians, often recorded on this device. -Rhea L. Combs, PhD. The exhibition is on view now through July 11, 2026. The Kreeger Museum is open 10am-4pm Tuesday-Saturday. Pictured: 1) Imar Lyman, Brother Ah and the Collectors’ Arkestra, 2025, acrylic on canvas. Courtesy of the Artist. Photography by Vivian Marie Doering @vivianmariephoto 2) 1960’s reel-to-reel originally owned by Robert Northern. Courtesy of the Artist. Photography by Vivian Marie Doering @vivianmariephoto

Take a flip through the digital exhibition catalogue of Imar Lyman Echo/Location: Exploring the Extra-Sensory now available on The Kreeger Museum’s website and on Issuu! The catalogue features an in-depth essay by Guest Curator Rhea L. Combs, PhD about Imar Lyman’s work in the show. Visit kreegermuseum.org/exhibitions/view/current or issuu.com/thekreegermuseum to access the catalogue. The Kreeger Museum is open 10am-4pm, Tuesday-Saturday. Photography by Vivian Marie Doering @vivianmariephoto

It was a decade ago that the world shifted and Prince “punched a higher floor.” 🕊️💜🕯️This concert booklet remains a cherished object of mine. Reflecting and listening to Prince’s music today has been a great walk down memory lane. He was one of the most incredible performers to walk this earth. The number of friends and loved ones who I have been able to commiserate, then and now, about this incomparable artist — and his life — has been a source of joy. Thinking about the number of times I had a chance to see him live reminds me how lucky I’ve been; his artistry remains an absolute inspiration. 💜💜

Opening tomorrow, Friday, April 17! The Kreeger Museum and Pyramid Atlantic Art Center are pleased to present Imar Lyman Echo/Location: Exploring the Extra-Sensory, a solo exhibition featuring the work of Imar Lyman [Hutchins] @imarhutchins and curated by Rhea L. Combs @rhea_combs , on view at The Kreeger Museum from April 17 through July 11, 2026. This exhibition is presented under The Collaborative, a program developed by The Kreeger Museum to support Washington-area artists. Photography by Vivian Marie Doering @vivianmariephoto

A great tree has fallen. The incomparable sculptor and abstract artist, Melvin “Mel” Edward’s has left the physical realm. For 88 years, the Houston-born creative walked this plane. His work and dynamism will live on—and for that we are all the better for it. I will never forget when my dear friend @casseloliver (another native Houstonian) and I met up to see an art exhibition in DC; and to our great delight, we ran into Mel. Oh how we laughed and shared stories and had a front row seat to his thoughts on life, the art world and his practice. The why and how of it all. And most importantly: I will remember his infectious energy, generous spirit, and how much we laughed. He offered sage wisdom and insights and reminded us to revel in life’s simple pleasures. When it all is said and done, “just have a Coke and a smile.” Fly on, and thank you for leaving such a lasting legacy. 🕊️🕯️✨

Springtime! She’s arrived. Remember, go outside and touch grass. 🍃🌼