Dallas, TX—December 7, 2023—Today, The Eugene McDermott Director of the Dallas Museum of Art Dr. Agustín Arteaga announced that Roslyn Adele Walker, PhD, Senior Curator of the Arts of Africa, the Americas, and the Pacific and The Margaret McDermott Curator of African Art, has been named Curator Emerita in great appreciation of her 55 years of Museum work, including 20 years of service to the DMA. The Dallas Museum of Art congratulates Dr. Walker on her retirement after decades of celebrated contribution to the field and looks forward to continued collaboration in her new role as Curator Emerita and consultant to the DMA.
Dr. Walker has been with the DMA since 2003. During her tenure, the DMA has accessioned nearly 400 works of African art. Some of her most significant acquisitions include Kneeling female figure with bowl by Yoruba artist Olowe of Ise (Nigeria) 2004.16.McD, Janus reliquary guardian figure by a Kota artist (Gabon), Four horn community power figure (nkishi) by a Songye artist (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Mask with chin extension by a Pende artist (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Je face mask by a Baule artist (Ivory Coast).
In addition to organizing over 38 exhibitions throughout the course of her career, Dr. Walker oversaw the complete renovation and reinstallation of the DMA’s African Art Galleries in 2016. In November 2009, the Museum published the book The Arts of Africa at the Dallas Museum of Art, the first catalogue devoted solely to the Museum’s now nearly 55-year-old collection of African art authored by Dr. Walker.
Dr. Walker curated Variations on a Theme: Three Olumeye by Olowe of Ise, a revelatory 2005 focus exhibition that refuted the idea that African art is anonymous and that tradition-based artists do not innovate or challenge convention. She served as organizing curator for the popular African Masks: The Art of Disguise (2010), an exhibition of 70 works from the DMA’s collection and important loans from museum and private collections; African Headwear: Beyond Fashion (2011), which showcased 50 works celebrating the artistry and history of African headwear; and The Power of Gold: Asante Royal Regalia from Ghana (2018), the first exhibition dedicated to the royal regalia of the Asante people in nearly 30 years, which featured over 200 stunning objects. In 2019 Dr. Walker worked in collaboration with the DMA Conservation department and radiologists from UT Southwestern Medical Center to co-curate with Fran Baas, Object Conservator, Not Visible to the Naked Eye: Inside a Senufo Helmet Mask, which provides an in-depth look at the components of the ceremonial mask in the DMA’s collection. Dr. Walker also curated numerous exhibitions of textiles drawn from the permanent collection throughout her tenure, including Souvenir: A 19th-Century Carved Tusk from the Loango Coast of Africa (2012); Saturated: Dye-decorated Cloths from North and West Africa (2013–2014); Take Away: Artistry and Innovation in African Textiles (2014) and Waxed: Batik from Java (2016-2017); and most recently Backs in Fashion: Mangbetu Women’s Egbe.
“Working with Dr. Roslyn Walker has been a delight. Her expertise has largely benefited the museum, expanding the collection through great acquisitions; her creative, surprising exhibitions have advanced the scholarship of the field and seduced our audiences,” said Eugene McDermott Director Dr. Agustín Arteaga. "She is loved and will be missed. Her legacy and impact on our institution will be felt for years to come. We look forward to continued collaboration in this new capacity.”
Prior to her time at the DMA, Dr. Walker was director of the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution from January 1997 until June 2002 and previously served in curatorial positions since 1981. Prior to that appointment, she was director of the University Museums, Illinois State University at Normal and curator of its ethnographic art collection (1975–1981). She was also curator of collections for the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, in Nigeria (1973–1975). In addition to museum work, Dr. Walker has taught African art at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Indiana University, Bloomington; Illinois State University, Normal; and the University of Maryland, College Park campus. A graduate of Southern University Laboratory High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Roslyn Walker was awarded a Master of Arts degree (1969) and Doctor of Philosophy degree (1991) in Art History, specializing in African Art, by Indiana University. In 1999 Dr. Walker served as a USIA (United States Information Agency/Department of State) American Cultural Specialist in Nigeria, where she conducted workshops on museum administration. Dr. Walker is a member of the Arts Council of the African Studies Association and has served on its Board. She has also served on the Visual Arts and Crafts Advisory Panel of the Washington, DC, Commission on the Arts and as a trustee of the Association of Art Museum Directors. She has served on the Public Art Committee, Dallas Office of Arts & Culture.
“Working with Roz over the past 20 years on all of her engaging and groundbreaking exhibitions, acquisitions, installations and publications has been a pleasure and an honor," said The Marcus-Rose Family Deputy Director Tamara Wootton Forsyth. “She is not only a well-respected scholar and curator, she is a wonderful, warm person who is beloved by staff across the Museum. She will be missed, but we are so happy to see her continue as the Museum’s Emerita Curator.”