About Us
The Amistad Center for Art & Culture was established to celebrate and preserve the rich heritage and cultural contributions of people of African descent.
Housed at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, the center was inspired by the historical Amistad ship, whose African captives famously revolted for their freedom.
The founding of the Amistad Center was driven by a commitment to education, cultural understanding, and social justice.
The foundation supports exhibitions, programs, and collections that highlight African American art, history, and culture.
Founded in 1987
Founded in 1987, The Amistad Center for Art & Culture is a “museum within a museum” housed in the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, the oldest continuously operating public art museum in America.
Visionaries that included Trustees and staff of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, joined forces with independent foundations, corporations and the State of Connecticut to form The Amistad Foundation to purchase, protect and provide public access to the Randolph Linsly Simpson Collection then housed in the farmhouse in Northford, Connecticut.
HISTORY
It all Started with a Collection and a Dream
Our namesake, Amistad is based on the Spanish schooner La Amistad (Spanish for Friendship) who rose to fame in July 1839 Mende 53 people of Sierra Leone were captured by Spanish traffickers and illegally sold in violation of the European treaties against the Atlantic Slave Trade.
The captives emancipated themselves against the ship’s captain and later the Supreme Court of the United States decided in their favor to restore their freedom. This extraordinary collection celebrates that triumph and sheds light on the lived experience and imagination of the black diaspora.
With a new staff and dynamic board leadership, we fulfill our mission to honor, preserve, and celebrate the art and cultural contributions of all people of African descent in the community.
In addition to collection care and development, The Amistad Foundation was intended to take on the broader tasks of preserving and interpreting African American culture and history and correcting the misrepresentation and under-representation of this important aspect of our country’s evolution.
Scope of the Collection
The first donation following the Simpson collection was work from Coretta Scott King. The collection has progressively grown and now consists of 7,000 works of art, artifacts and archives, documents more than 300 years of the artistic, literary, military, enslaved and free life of Blacks in America. The collection holdings of the Amistad Center are truly a treasure and a rich resource of immense educational value and testimony to America’s diverse and dynamic culture.
Value Statements
At the Amistad Center for Art & Culture, our core values guide everything we do. They reflect our commitment to inclusivity, innovation, and community engagement. These statements serve as the foundation for our initiatives, ensuring that we remain dedicated to fostering a diverse and welcoming environment for all.
Diversity Statement
At the Amistad Center for Art & Culture, we are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is celebrated and respected. We believe that embracing a wide range of perspectives enriches our community and enhances our ability to innovate and grow. We strive to ensure that our programs, exhibitions, and partnerships reflect the diverse backgrounds and experiences of our audience, staff, and artists. By promoting equality and inclusion, we aim to create a space where everyone feels valued and empowered.Accessibility Statement
The Amistad Center for Art & Culture is committed to ensuring our website is accessible to everyone, including individuals with disabilities. We strive to adhere to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, aiming for Level AA compliance. Our goal is to make our content usable and accessible for all visitors. If you encounter any accessibility issues or have suggestions for improvement, please contact us.Mission
Vision
Promise
Priorities
Our Team
Sarah Anita Clunis, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Dr. Sarah Clunis is originally from Kingston, Jamaica and received her PhD in art history in 2006 from the University of Iowa. She came to the Amistad Center from her role as Director of Academic Partnerships and Curator of the African Collection at the Peabody Museum of Archology and Ethnology at Harvard University. Before that, Clunis worked at Louisiana’s Xavier University where she was director of the Xavier University Art Gallery, supervisor of the Art Collection team, and assistant professor of art history. Dr. Clunis has taught art history for over twenty years at public universities and Historical Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Dr. Clunis’ research and classes have focused on the history of African art and the display of African objects in Western museum settings. She also studies the influence of African aesthetics and philosophy on the arts and religious rituals and cultural identities of the African diaspora. Her work examines gender, race, and migration in multiple contexts. She has published in both national and international magazines and journals.
Rodneyna M. O. Hart, MBA
Deputy Director, Exhibits & Events
Rodneyna M. O. Hart, a native of Louisiana, is a prominent figure in the museum industry. She holds a BFA in studio art and an MBA in Business from Louisiana State University’s Baton Rouge and Shreveport Campuses, endowing her with a versatile skill set. With close to 20 years of experience, she has occupied the roles of director of arts nonprofit organizations, exhibitions manager of museums, museum exhibitions designer and coordinator, gallery curator, public speaking, and DEI consulting. Hart currently holds the position of Deputy Director at the Amistad Center for Art & Culture, where she endeavors to aid the Executive Director and the Amistad team in executing programs, forging partnerships, curating exhibitions, and spearheading other initiatives that align with their educational mission.
Before assuming her current role, Hart served as the Museum Division Director for the Louisiana State Museum system, overseeing four museums throughout the state. Her executive roles on various boards of directors underscore her steadfast dedication to fostering community engagement through enhanced access to arts, history, and cultural resources.
In 2017, Rodneyna was appointed to the Louisiana State Arts Council by the Governor, where she also represented the council on the Folklife Commission for Louisiana. Additionally, she was recognized as one of Baton Rouge Business Report’s Forty Under 40 in 2018 and received the prestigious Mercedes Benz Prize for her FU40 class. In March 2022, she was identified as “Who to Watch” by The Drum Newspaper, and in Fall 2021, she was celebrated as a ‘Game Changer Reshaping Louisiana Business Climate – Vital Vision: Innovator’ by the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry.
Phillip Albert
Chief Advancement & Financial Officer
Phillip Albert is from New Roads, LA. The town is named after a “new road” the Spanish built in 1776 between the Mississippi and the False River, northwest of Baton Rouge. Known as the “Little Carnival Capital” of Louisiana, New Roads followed New Orleans’ example by staging Mardi Gras celebrations as early as 1881. Like this road, his journey took him from this sportsman’s paradise to becoming the youngest African American in the history of Louisiana to serve as an Appointed Official for the state on the Board of Directors for the Louisiana State Museum system. As a managing director of a 10-museum system, he honed a skillset including fiscal guidance, collections management, and managing the preservation of the state’s historic stories and architecture.
Dedicated to advancing the mission of museums, while simultaneously correcting historical inaccuracies in the legacies of African Americans, this led him to the work and mission of the Amistad Center for Art and Culture. Albert graduated from The Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, LA with a degree in Business. His past work includes the management of large-scale financial portfolios for major banks, leading philanthropic foundations, and a wide range of development work for non-profit organizations and community partners. Albert has also worked on local and state policies with an emphasis on education, cultural institutions, and economic development. Mr. Albert is committed to community engagement and supporting non-profits in planning, developing, and implementing their organizational mission, business strategy, and transformative practices.
Bethani Blake
Amistad Associate Curator
Bethani is responsible for creating and delivering programs for all audiences in coordination with The Amistad Center for Art & Culture and the Wadsworth Atheneum. Her previous roles include positions at the Wexner Center for the Arts and the Martin Luther King Jr. Performing and Cultural Arts Complex in Columbus, Ohio. She has a BFA in Painting and Performing Arts from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Bethani brings experience as a practicing artist and educator in museum spaces.
Monica Mills
Education Administrator
An East Hartford native, Monica Mills taught high school math and coached track and field in East Hartford and Waterbury for 7 years before moving to Philadelphia to get her Master’s of Education in Urban Education at Temple University. She is completing a dissertation for a PhD in Policy, Organizational and Leadership Studies with a concentration in Urban Education at Temple as well. Monica is a lifelong learner and lover of educating those she’s called to. She has written and analyzed educational curriculum with the New York City Department of Education, Upward Bound in Philadelphia, and several school districts. She’s also a lover of photography and art and makes photographs herself. Monica is committed to elevating the art, history, and culture of the African diaspora.
Our ongoing collection care and management project has been generously funded by:
Project made possible through funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission and administered by the Connecticut State Library on behalf of the Connecticut State Historical Records Advisory Board and Conservation ConneCTion.
Support has been provided to The Amistad Center for Art & Culture from CT Humanities (CTH), with funding provided by the Connecticut State Department of Economic and Community Development/Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA) from the Connecticut State Legislature.
