The BMRC Welcomes Rashieda Witter, Black Visual Arts Researcher

The Black Metropolis Research Consortium (BMRC) is pleased to welcome Rashieda Witter as its Black Visual Arts Researcher. Rashieda is an art historian and cultural caretaker who comes to the BMRC from the National Gallery of Art (Washington, DC) where she was the curatorial assistant for the “Elizabeth Catlett: A Black Revolutionary Artist” exhibition. As the Black Visual Arts Researcher, Rashieda will survey and document Black visual arts archival records located in BMRC member collections, manage outreach activities to encourage the use of the materials by artists and creatives, and develop a public-facing independent project.

Originally from Orlando, Florida, Rasheida is passionate about shaping the future of art history. Her work focuses on the visual and sonic culture of the African Diaspora, Black feminism, and the dynamic intersection of art and liberation. Through her research and curation, she aims to amplify underrepresented voices and explore the transformative power of art in social justice. Rashieda earned her MA and Honors degree in Art History at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, she has also previously held curatorial positions at the Philips Collection (Washington, DC) and the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of African American History & Culture (Baltimore, MD). She’s most likely to nerd out about the last exhibition that she visited, Simone Leigh, and Stevie Wonder’s impeccable songwriting skills.

The BMRC Visual Arts Research position is supported by generous funding from the Terra Foundation for American Art and the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation (GDDF)