[1] At the Hammer Museum she organized shows by Alex Da Corte, Simone Leigh,[8] and Charles Gaines.
[13] While in Los Angeles James curated exhibitions with artists Sarah Cain,[14] Harold Mendez, Nayland Blake,[15] B. Wurtz, and Nina Chanel Abney.
[16][17] In 2021 James was named Manilow Senior Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, and began her role in early 2022.
[17][4][18] In 2019, James served on the jury that chose Kandis Williams for the Hammer Museum’s $100,000 Mohn Award.
;[17] the Noah Davis Prize from the Underground Museum; and a curatorial fellowship from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.