Roslyn Adele Walker is an American museum curator and expert in Nigerian art. Walker was director of 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 ...

from 1997 to 2002, part of 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 ...

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, ...

Walker was raised in

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

, studied at Hampton University and did graduate work at

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...

. She worked at the University Museums of

Illinois State University Illinois State University (ISU) is a public university in Normal, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University, it is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching and is recognized as one of th ...

. In 1997, she was appointed to the job of director at the Museum of African Art. Walker stated of her intentions: "We have broadened our scope. We could certainly be a stronger presence in the wider world. So visibility and service are going to need some work. We always want to improve. We aspire to perfection. Our education programs are very good -- more people need to know about them, to let the wider public know what we are doing." During her tenure, the Museum showed an exhibition of art works from the Nigerian town of

Oshogbo Osogbo (also ''Oṣogbo'', rarely ''Oshogbo'') is a city in Nigeria. It became the capital city of Osun State in 1991. Osogbo city seats the Headquarters of both Osogbo Local Government Area (situated at Oke Baale Area of the city) and Olorund ...

, including work by Adebisi Akanji, which had been commissioned in 1966 and donated to the Museum of African Art in 1994 by the collector and philanthropist,

Waldemar A. Nielsen Waldemar A. Nielsen (March 27, 1917 – November 2, 2005) was an American author and an expert on philanthropy and philanthropic organizations. Biography He is best known for writing the 1972 book ''The Big Foundations'' which looked into the finan ...

. Walker retired in 2002, citing health concerns.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Roslyn Adele Living people Women museum directors Directors of the National Museum of African Art American art curators American women curators Curators of African art African-American museum directors Hampton University alumni Indiana University alumni Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women