ERIN J. GILBERT’S JOB IS TO ARCHIVE BLACK ART FOR THE SMITHSONIAN

By Nadine Matthews, Special to the AFRO

Erin J. Gilbert recalls the wise advice of a former mentor who told her, “Nothing matters besides acquisitions, exhibitions and publication.” In the world of fine art, the value of a piece of art is directly related to these three elements.

Archiving the documents of artists enable publications of research and critique of artwork that potentially elevates its value, the value of the artist and the community that influenced the creation of the work.

Gilbert, who has previously worked at the Studio Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, and other similarly august organizations, was recently named Curator of African-American manuscripts at the Smithsonian Institution. It is one division within the revered institution’s Archives of American Art. She will be, according to an announcement by the Smithsonian, “Charged with developing a strategy for substantially increasing the collections of papers of and about African-American artists …

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