Alvia Wardlaw ’69, of Houston, has been nominated to serve a six-year term as alumnae trustee, from 2016 to 2022, succeeding Sandra Polk Guthman ’65.

A 2010 recipient of Wellesley’s Alumnae Achievement Award, Wardlaw is an internationally recognized art historian. She has been a major force in shaping the field of African-American art history and establishing its place within the larger discipline of American art.

At Wellesley, Wardlaw was one of the founders of Ethos, the organization for students of African descent. She earned a doctorate in art history from the University of Texas, Austin, and in 1974 joined the faculty at the Texas Southern University, where she is still a professor and director of the university museum. A prolific writer and organizer of watershed exhibitions, Wardlaw also served as curator of modern and contemporary art at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. Among her many noted shows is The Quilts of Gee’s Bend, which catapulted a group of women quilters from a remote town in Alabama to international fame. She has also helped to spotlight artists such as Thornton Dial, John Biggers, and Kermit Oliver.

The Alumnae Trustee Nominating Committee is proud to enter the name of Alvia Wardlaw ’69 in nomination.