About

I am a Lebanese American from the Deep South delta region who specializes in American and African American art and history.

I process, catalog, and preserve ephemera and objects belonging to arts and cultural institutions as a way to make vital information useful and accessible. This includes having strong project management, data analysis, and systems processing skills, along with a passion for research, writing, and curation.

As an academic, I study works of art, music, photographs, and documents to illustrate a more nuanced and detailed story about historical events and individuals. I create lectures, social projects and exhibitions centered around the counter-narrative and the underrepresented subject.

As a leader, I work in support of institutions and individuals with transparency, honesty, respectability, and follow-through. I am able to multitask with precision, direct operations, and build lasting relationships with both operational and creative perspectives.

• Instagram
• Bob’s songs selected, arranged

My name is Leila, which is pronounced “Layla.” It is an Arabic name that translates to “night” or “dark” in English.

I am an artist and art historian with more than fifteen years of experience in archiving, curating, and preserving works, and serving as a vital channel in educating the public about those works. My knowledge and curiosity have helped nationally recognized cultural institutions, such as the National Civil Rights Museum and Penland School of Craft, to preserve priceless American artifacts. A lifelong steward of art and material culture, my dedication to its research, record and care has been rewarded with a breadth of opportunity to share the stories told by both visual and audio pieces and their creators.

What I do:

Education

(A few highlights)

Leaders of Color National Fellowship, WESTAF & South Arts Regional Service Organizations, 2022

Master of Arts, Arts of Africa and African Diaspora, University of Memphis, 2014

Graduate Certificate, Museum Studies, University of Memphis, 2014

Bachelor of Fine Arts, Painting and Metalsmithing, Memphis College of Art, 2005

Experience

Memphis Public Libraries, Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library Memphis, TN (2024 – Current)

STAX Museum of American Soul Music, Collections Manager + Archivist, Memphis, TN (2021 – 2023)
Improving collections management and exhibition preparation. Responsible for acquisition, documentation, maintenance and care of artifacts and manuscripts. Oversee the Bob Abrahamian Collection of 36,000 items mostly 45RPM singles related to sweet soul and group soul music.

Penland School of Craft, Project Archivist Penland, NC (2020 – 2022)
Project director + manager for a National Endowment for the Humanities grant-supported project focusing on preservation of at-risk audio-visual materials through digitization; implement a digital asset management system; manage the Jane Kessler Memorial Archives; write metadata, process materials; provide technical service; inventory collections; prepare annual reports.

National Civil Rights Museum, Collections Manager Memphis, TN (2014 – 2015)
Collections Manager for closeout of multimillion-dollar museum renovation; implement climate control system for museum collection and exhibitions; supervise exhibition staff and volunteers; conduct research related to museum collection; manage installation and repair of exhibitions; assure the preservation and advancement of the collections; catalog material for the staff resource library.

Metal Museum, Collections Manager and Registrar, Memphis, TN (2006 – 2012)
Develop and maintain system to archive and digitize 6,000 books and 10,000 photographs and documents; curate and prepare exhibitions such as the annual Master Metalsmith and Tributaries series; write facility reports; establish Collections Committee; research history of museum collections and mission; manage Artist Residency program; establish Research Residency program; inventory and process library and museum collections in OCLC-MARC records.

Sloss Furnaces, Chair of Exhibitions, Birmingham, AL (2011 – 2015)
Serve on steering committee; Curate and prepare exhibition for biannual National Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art.

National Endowment for the Humanities, Panelist, Washington, D.C. (2015 and 2021)
Panelist for the National Endowment for the Humanities, Museums, Libraries, and Cultural Organizations; Art History Exhibitions in both 2015 and 2021.

William Eggleston, Paid Companion, Memphis, TN (2012 – 2021)
Companion care for William Eggleston.

Writing Memphis, Contributing Author, Memphis, TN (2020)
“Culture and Resistance: Civil Rights Photography- Memphis 1968.” Plymouth: Hayden McNeil, pp 243-276.

Lamplighter Lounge, Barmaid, Memphis, TN (2012 – 2020)
Pulling PBR’s into frosty mugs for cash-only at one of Memphis’s oldest neighborhood operations of its kind. RIP Ms. Shirley.