Sylvia Williams facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sylvia Williams
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Sylvia Hill Williams stands in front of two objects from the collection of the National Museum of African Art
|
|
| Born |
Sylvia Louise Hill
February 10, 1936 Lincoln, Pennsylvania, U.S.
|
| Died | February 28, 1996 (aged 60) Washington, DC, U.S.
|
| Alma mater | Oberlin College, New York University Institute of Fine Arts |
| Occupation | Museum director, curator, art historian, and scholar of African art |
| Spouse(s) | Charlton Williams |
Sylvia H. Williams (born Sylvia Louise Hill; February 10, 1936 – February 28, 1996) was an important American museum director and expert on African art. She helped people in the United States learn about and appreciate African art. She showed that African art is a very important and beautiful part of history and culture.
Contents
Sylvia Williams' Life and Work
Sylvia Williams grew up in Lincoln, Pennsylvania. Her father was a professor and dean at Lincoln University. She married Charlton Williams.
Sylvia studied art history. She earned degrees from Oberlin College in 1957 and New York University in 1975. In 1973, she worked as a curator at the Brooklyn Museum. A curator is someone who manages and organizes collections in a museum.
Leading the National Museum of African Art
In 1983, Sylvia Williams joined the National Museum of African Art. This museum is part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. She helped move the museum to its current spot on the National Mall in 1987.
As director, she worked hard to make the museum well-known. She helped the museum get over 845 new pieces of African art. These included sculptures, photographs, and textiles. She believed it was important to truly understand and appreciate African art.
Awards and Recognition
Sylvia Williams received several awards for her work. In 1983, she won a Candace Award for History. This award came from the National Coalition of 100 Black Women.
She also received honorary degrees. Amherst College gave her an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in 1989. The next year, Oberlin College gave her an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts.
From 1994 to 1995, she was the president of the Association of Art Museum Directors. This group includes leaders from art museums.
Her Legacy
Sylvia Williams passed away in Washington, D.C. at age 60. She had a health issue called a brain aneurysm.
After her death, the National Museum of African Art honored her. In 1997, they opened an exhibition called The Poetics of the Line: Seven Artists of the Nsukka group. This show was held in the Sylvia H. Williams Gallery, which was named in her honor.
Exhibitions She Organized
Sylvia Williams helped organize many important art shows. Here are some of them:
- 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 (This show looked at the beauty of everyday objects in African cultures.)
- 1993: Astonishment and Power: the Eyes of Understanding Kongo Minkisi
See also
- Women in the art history field
