B Lin is a ceramicist and art historian who bridges scholarly research with creative practice. She is passionate about exploring the profound contributions of Black women to contemporary art culture through the lens of ceramics, particularly the historical significance of hand-building techniques passed down through generations of women.
Rooted in the understanding of ceramics as both a domestic art and a craft, B Lin examines how this medium has shaped the livelihoods and agency of women throughout history. This perspective drew her to the field, recognizing the resilience, innovation, and storytelling embedded in ceramic traditions.
As a ceramicist, she works on the wheel, embracing this practice as a gesture of acknowledgment and dialogue with the rich history of hand-building and its cultural relevance. Her creative process is deeply informed by archival research and the narratives of contemporary artists who preserve and amplify these stories within their work.
By intertwining historical context with personal practice, B Lin seeks to illuminate the language of ceramics as a medium of utility and profound expression. Her work honors the legacy of women who have shaped this art form while contributing to its evolving narrative in contemporary culture.
Through her dual roles as scholar and maker, she celebrates ceramics as a vessel of memory, identity, and empowerment.
Born and raised in California. B became a New Yorker in 2021 as she started her MA Modern Art: Critical and Curatorial Studies program at Clumbia University (2023)
Her longstanding career in non-profit visual art space has given her opportunities in curatorial, art handling, and asset development for exhibitions, socials, and project management.
Scholar | Creator of The URBN Sloth
Research Focus | Black Feminist Practicum
Focusing on the Black Feminist Pedagogies that have created intersectional feminism and exemplified social justice that has measurable effects on community engagement, what happens when we use Black Feminism as a way to view art is that autonomy, sexuality, social structures and concepts can be applied more readily that is critical of perception and understanding.
I challenge us viewers and artists to complicate how we know what we know to allow the nuance, the subtlety, and ambiguity that takes place with true appreciation of expression.
Method
Studio-informed work as a ceramicist
Museum, gallery, university visual art spaces and programming
public program administrative organization and production
Professional Summary
Curator, researcher, and writer with a focus on Black feminist theory, contemporary craft, and community memory. Experienced in developing exhibitions, public programs, and research projects that center marginalized voices. Skilled in public pedagogy, oral history, and cultural production.
Curatorial Experience
Program Coordinator, New Arts Public Art Studio at Express Newark — Newark, NJ | 2023–Present
Produce public art programming connecting Rutgers-Newark with the Newark community
Night of Ideas (2025)
Organized Blues People, a multimedia exhibition and poetry engagement exploring the legacy of Amiri Baraka
Collaborated with poet Jasmine Mans on digital poetry series with 2M+ views across platforms
Support artist partnerships, gallery installations, and public workshops
Curatorial Fellow, The Frick Collection — New York, NY | 2021–2022
Assisted with Barkley L. Hendricks: Portraits at the Frick
Contributed provenance research and catalog writing
Supported integration of the exhibition within the museum’s permanent collection
Strategist Fellow, ICA San José — San José, CA | 2021
Supported curatorial development and outreach for exhibitions centering artists of color
Produced Gala marketing materials to drive support and interest to the gallery and auction. Highest grossing year to date
Selected Exhibitions & Projects
Burnished Earth: The Black Women’s Archive, Weeksville Heritage Center (proposed), 2026
A multidisciplinary exhibition and oral history project centering Black women ceramicists
Blues People, Express Newark, 2023
A group exhibition and public program series revisiting Amiri Baraka’s legacy through visual art and poetry
Barkley L. Hendricks: Portraits at the Frick, The Frick Collection, 2022
Research and curatorial support
Writing & Research
“Blues People and the Black Arts Movement,” Express Newark Catalog, 2023
Provenance researcher and catalog contributor, Barkley L. Hendricks at the Frick, 2022
Fellowships & Residencies
Arrowmont: School of Arts and Crafts (invited to participate) Curatorial Residency, 2025
Curatorial Fellow, The Frick Collection, 2021–2022
Strategist Fellow, ICA San José, 2021
Selected Public Programs & Talks
“Jasmine Mans: Blues People Poetry Nights,” Curator/Producer, Express Newark, 2023
“Black Memory & Materiality,” Symposium Co-Organizer, Express Newark, 2022
“Ceramics as Archive,” Guest Talk, proposed for the exhibition Burnished Earth: The Black Women’s Archvie (TBA)
Education
Master’s Degree, MODA: Modern Art: Critical and Curatorial Studies - Columbia University of the City of New York, 2023
Bachelor’s Degree, Art History and Visual Culture, minor in journalism - San Jose State University, 2020
Current Project
Oral History Project | Black Women Ceramicsts
Calling all Black Femme Ceramicists
This oral history project serves as a directory as I plan to interview artists about their approach to work, the archival process of their practice, and the ways they market and grow their career