Lowery Stokes Sims facts for kids

Lowery Stokes Sims (born 1949) is an American art historian and curator. She is an expert in modern and contemporary art. She is especially known for her knowledge of artists from African, African American, Latinx, Native, and Asian American backgrounds. Some artists she has studied include Wifredo Lam, Fritz Scholder, and Romare Bearden.

Sims has worked at several famous museums. These include the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Studio Museum in Harlem, and the Museum of Arts and Design. She often works as a guest curator for other shows. She has also given many talks around the world and written many books and articles. In 2010, she was even featured in a movie called !Women Art Revolution.

Becoming an Art Expert

Lowery Stokes Sims was born in 1949 in Washington, D.C.. She grew up in New York City, in the Bronx and Queens. She went to Bishop Reilly High School, graduating in 1966.

She studied art history in college. She earned her first degree, a Bachelor of Arts (BA), from Queens College, City University of New York. Then, she got her Master of Arts (MA) degree from Johns Hopkins University.

Later, in 1995, Sims earned her highest degree, a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), from the City University of New York. For her PhD, she wrote about the artist Wifredo Lam. He was an Afro-Cuban Chinese artist known for his Surrealist art. Her work on Lam was later published as a book.

Working in Museums

At the Metropolitan Museum of Art

From 1972 to 1999, Lowery Stokes Sims worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. This is one of the biggest art museums in the world! Her main goal there was to make sure that art by artists of color and other overlooked artists was shown in the museum's collection.

She helped organize many art shows. For example, she worked on exhibitions for artists like Ellsworth Kelly and Henry Moore. In 1991, she curated a show about the American painter Stuart Davis. She also helped bring the exhibition I Tell My Heart: The Art of Horace Pippin to the Met.

Sims also helped create traveling exhibitions from the Met's collection. These shows helped share art with people in other cities. For many years, she was also in charge of the art installations on the museum's famous roof garden.

Leading the Studio Museum in Harlem

From 2000 to 2007, Sims became the executive director and then president of the Studio Museum in Harlem. This museum focuses on art by artists of African descent. She also helped manage the museum's permanent art collection.

While there, she helped organize important exhibitions. One show was Challenge of the Modern: African American Artists, 1925–1945. She also curated a show about Fred Brown called Icons and Heroes.

In 2004, she was a curator for an exhibition in Jamaica. This show focused on modern installation art. She also helped curate a show called Legacies: Contemporary Artists Reflect on Slavery in 2006.

At the Museum of Arts and Design

After the Studio Museum, Sims worked at the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) from 2007 to 2015. She was the chief curator there. This museum explores art, craft, and design.

At MAD, she helped create several interesting exhibitions. These included "Second Lives: Remixing the Ordinary" (2008) and "Dead or Alive: Artists Respond to Nature" (2010). She also came up with and helped curate "The Global Africa Project" (2010–11). This project looked at art and design from Africa and the African diaspora. In 2014, she curated shows featuring artist Joyce J. Scott and art from Latin America.

Awards and Honors

Lowery Stokes Sims has received many awards for her work. In 1991, she won the Frank Jewett Mather Award for her excellent art criticism. This award comes from the College Art Association. In 2018, she also received the association's Distinguished Feminist Award.

She has also been given honorary degrees from several colleges and universities. These include the Maryland Institute College of Art, Parsons School of Design, and Brown University. An honorary degree means a school recognizes someone's important achievements.

Teaching and Sharing Knowledge

Sims loves to share her knowledge about art. She has been a visiting professor at Queens College and Hunter College in New York City. She has also taught at the University of Minnesota.

Today, she is an adjunct professor at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. She is also a distinguished professor at the University of California, Irvine.

Guest Curator and Juror

Lowery Stokes Sims is often asked to be a guest curator for art shows. She also serves as a juror for art competitions. This means she helps choose the best art for shows or awards.

She has worked with many different art institutions. These include the National Gallery of Jamaica, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and the New Museum of Contemporary Art. Her work as a guest curator helps bring new and exciting art to many different places.

Public Service

Sims has also held many important public positions. While at the Studio Museum, she led a group of cultural organizations in New York City. She also served on panels for different arts councils and foundations. These groups help decide how to support art and culture.

In 1981, she was chosen to be on the Commission on the Status of Women for New York City. She also served on the New York State Council on the Arts. She has been on the boards of several art organizations, like Art Matters and The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation. In 2003 and 2004, she was part of the jury that chose the memorial design for the World Trade Center Site Memorial Competition.