Sylvia H. Williams (née Sylvia Louise Hill; February 10, 1936 – February 28, 1996), was an American

museum director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

, art historian, and scholar of

African art African art describes the modern and historical paintings, sculptures, installations, and other visual culture from native or indigenous Ethnic groups of Africa, Africans and the African continent. The definition may also include the art of the ...

. She helped develop the study and appreciation of African art as a significant aesthetic and intellectual pursuit in the United States.

Life and work

Williams was born and grew up in

Lincoln, Pennsylvania Lincoln is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 932 at the 2020 United States Census. Lincoln does not have its own post office. Three ZIP codes are used in the borough: 15133 for the northern portion of ...

. Her father was a professor of English and dean at Lincoln University. She married Charlton Williams, and the couple never had children. Williams held art history degrees from Oberlin College in 1957 and

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

's Institute of Fine Arts in 1975. Williams served as a curator in the Department of African, Oceanic and New World Cultures at the Brooklyn Museum in 1973. In February 1983, Williams joined the

National Museum of African Art The National Museum of African Art is the Smithsonian Institution's African art museum, located on the National Mall of the United States capital. Its collections include 9,000 works of traditional and contemporary African art from both Sub-S ...

at the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

and in 1987 oversaw the move of the museum to its current location at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. During her time at this museum, she was dedicated to elevating the museum's reputation, whereby she helped the museum acquire more than 845 works of both traditional and modern African art for exhibition, including sculpture, photography, and textiles. She emphasized the importance of

connoisseur A connoisseur (French traditional, pre-1835, spelling of , from Middle-French , then meaning 'to be acquainted with' or 'to know somebody/something') is a person who has a great deal of knowledge about the fine arts; who is a keen appreciator o ...

ship in the appreciation and display of African art. In 1983, Williams received a

Candace Award The Candace Award is an award that was given from 1982 to 1992 by the National Coalition of 100 Black Women (NCBW) to "Black role models of uncommon distinction who have set a standard of excellence for young people of all races". Candace (pronou ...

for History from the

National Coalition of 100 Black Women The National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. (NCBW) is a non-profit volunteer organization for African American women. Its members address common issues in their communities, families and personal lives, promoting gender and racial equity. Hi ...

. In 1989, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by Amherst College, and the following year (1990), she received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts by Oberlin College. She served as president of the

Association of Art Museum Directors The Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) is an organization of art museum directors from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The AAMD was established in 1916 by the directors of twelve American museums and was formally incorporated in 1969 ...

(AAMD) from 1994 to 1995. She died in

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

at age 60 from complications with a

brain aneurysm An intracranial aneurysm, also known as a brain aneurysm, is a cerebrovascular disorder in which weakness in the wall of a cerebral artery or vein causes a localized dilation or ballooning of the blood vessel. Aneurysms in the posterior circ ...

. In October 1997, the National Museum of African Art of the Smithsonian Institution launched the exhibition ''The Poetics of the Line: Seven Artists of the

Nsukka group The Nsukka group is the name given to a group of Nigerian artists associated with the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Description The Nsukka group was known for working to revive the practice of ''uli'' and incorporate its designs into contempo ...

'', which was also the inaugural exhibition of the Sylvia H. Williams Gallery named in her honor.

Exhibitions

* 1973: African Art of the Dogon * 1976: Black South Africa, Contemporary Graphics * 1981: African Furniture and Household Objects * 1981: Art of the Archaic Indonesians * 1989: Icons, Ideals and Power in the Art of Africa * 1991: The Art of the Personal Object (aesthetic value of utilitarian objects in African cultures) * 1993: Astonishment and Power: the Eyes of Understanding Kongo Minkisi

Publications

* 1974: ''Contemporary Graphics''; an essay for African Art as Philosophy * 1976: ''Black South Africa''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Sylvia American art curators American women curators American art historians Historians of African art Oberlin College alumni New York University Institute of Fine Arts alumni 1936 births 1996 deaths Women art historians 20th-century American historians People from Lincoln, Pennsylvania Deaths from intracranial aneurysm Smithsonian Institution people Directors of the National Museum of African Art Curators of African art African-American museum directors Women museum directors Historians from Pennsylvania 20th-century American women writers American women historians Friends' Central School alumni 20th-century African-American women

Life and work

Exhibitions

Publications

See also

References