The Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) in San Francisco has named Essence Harden as senior curator. She will begin in the role on May 18. Harden currently serves as curator of the Expo Chicago art fair. Since 2024, they have also organized the Focus section of Frieze Los Angeles. They will continue in those roles with YBCA’s support. As an independent curator, Harden most recently co-curated the 2025 edition of the Made in L.A. biennial at the Hammer Museum. They previously served as visual arts curator at the California African American Museum in Los Angeles and have also organized exhibitions at the Orange County Museum of Art, Art + Practice in Los Angeles, the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco, and the Oakland Museum of California. Related Articles A Bay Area native, Harden’s hiring represents a homecoming. In an emailed interview, Harden said they were drawn to YBCA because of its “history of experimentation and its understanding of contemporary art as part of a larger civic and cultural conversation.” The role …