Known affectionately around the world as Polly, Dr. Mary Nooter Roberts (October 26, 1959–September 11, 2018), was an inspired and inspiring mentor. I am just one of the fortunate students to have joined her in either a classroom or museum. In addition to her impressive career at the Center (later Museum) for African Art in New York City, the Fowler Museum at UCLA, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Polly taught courses at Swarthmore College, Columbia University, the University of Iowa, and UCLA, as well as sitting on committees and mentoring countless students from other institutions. Her commanding intellect, generous spirit, and infectious laugh affected all who benefited from her guidance. As Sylas Cooper, one of her undergraduate students at UCLA, stated, “She changed what I wanted to do with my life. In her classes, we focused a lot on art but it's more like we focused...
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Fall 2019
September 01 2019
Mary “Polly” Nooter Roberts 1959–2018
Karen E. Milbourne,
Karen E. Milbourne
Karen E. Milbourne is Curator at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African Art. MilbourneK@si.edu
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Susan M. Vogel,
Susan M. Vogel
Susan M. Vogel was the founding director of the Museum for African Art in New York, among other leadership positions and honors.svogel@igc.org
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Donald J. Cosentino
Donald J. Cosentino
Donald Cosentino is a professor emeritus of UCLA's World Arts and Culture program and has conducted extensive research on the art and religion of Haitian Vodou.cosentin@arts.ucla.edu
Search for other works by this author on:
Karen E. Milbourne
Karen E. Milbourne is Curator at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African Art. MilbourneK@si.edu
Susan M. Vogel
Susan M. Vogel was the founding director of the Museum for African Art in New York, among other leadership positions and honors.svogel@igc.org
Donald J. Cosentino
Donald Cosentino is a professor emeritus of UCLA's World Arts and Culture program and has conducted extensive research on the art and religion of Haitian Vodou.cosentin@arts.ucla.edu
Online ISSN: 1937-2108
Print ISSN: 0001-9933
© 2019 by the Regents of the University of California.
2019
The Regents of the University of California
African Arts (2019) 52 (3): 9–12.
Citation
Karen E. Milbourne, Susan M. Vogel, Donald J. Cosentino; Mary “Polly” Nooter Roberts 1959–2018. African Arts 2019; 52 (3): 9–12. doi: https://doi.org/10.1162/afar_a_00475
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