Andrea Barnwell Brownlee facts for kids

Andrea Barnwell Brownlee is an American art expert and writer. She helps museums show amazing art. She is currently the CEO of the Cummer Museum. Before that, she was the director of the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art. Andrea is known for helping people discover talented African-American women artists. She has also written four books about different artists.

Growing Up and School

Andrea Brownlee was born in Alexandria, Virginia. Her father was an Army officer. In 1989, she started college at Spelman College. There, she studied English and art. During her third year, she even studied abroad at the University of Essex. She later earned two advanced degrees in art history from Duke University. She got her master's degree in 1997 and her Ph.D. in 2001.

Her Career in Art

After finishing her studies, Andrea Brownlee worked at The Art Institute of Chicago. She was a special helper there, called a MacArthur Curatorial Fellow. During this time, Spelman College asked her to lead their new Museum of Fine Art. She first said no, but later decided to take the job in 2001.

In December 2020, Andrea became the CEO of the Cummer Museum of Art. This is a big job where she leads the whole museum.

Books She Has Written

Andrea Brownlee has written four books about art. Her first book was about a famous 20th-century African-American artist named Charles White. The book was called Charles White: The David C. Driskell Series of African American Art, Volume I.

In 2005, she wrote another book with the title Amalia Amaki: Boxes, Buttons, and the Blues. This book was about an artist named Amalia Amaki. It also looked at modern African-American art.

Later, in 2008, she wrote a book called Cinema Remixed & Reloaded: Black Women Artists and the Moving Image Since 1970. This book explored how African-American women artists use film. It was also based on one of her art shows.

Art Shows She Has Curated

Andrea Brownlee loves to work with artists to create exciting art shows. She focuses on showing new artists to a wider audience.

In 2009, she worked with Karen Comer Lowe on a show called Undercover: Performing and Transforming Black Female Identities. This show was at the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art. It looked at why Black women artists sometimes hide or change how they show themselves in art.

Another show she helped create was AFRICA FORECAST: Fashioning Contemporary Life. This show opened in 2016. It focused on art that showed the history and feelings of African women about clothes and fashion.

Her show Cinema Remixed and Reloaded was even shown at the Havana Biennial. This was a special event because it was the first time a team from the United States was asked to bring a show there.

Awards and Special Honors

Andrea Brownlee has received many awards for her work.

• In 2005, she won the Women's Caucus for Art Lifetime Achievement Award.
• In 2013, she received the David C. Driskell Prize. This award recognized her great work in promoting African-American art and its history.
• In 2015, she won the James A. Porter Award for her efforts in the same field.
• In 2018, Atlanta Magazine named her the "Best Curator of the Year."

Selected Works

• Charles White: The David C. Driskell Series of African American Art, Volume I
• Amalia Amaki: Boxes, Buttons, and the Blues
• Cinema Remixed & Reloaded: Black Women Artists and the Moving Image Since 1970