President Joe Biden this month appointed Nii Otokunor Quarcoopome, a curator for the Detroit Institute of the Arts as a member of the nation’s Cultural Property Advisory Committee.
In a tweet, the museum said it was “proud” of Quarcoopome’s appointment. He is curator of African art and department head of Africa, Oceania, and Indigenous Americas for the DIA, said the museum.
Quarcoopome received his doctorate in African art history from the University of California, Los Angeles and taught college classes before he became a museum curator. During his career, Quarcoopome has had prestigious postdoctoral fellowships such as the Fulbright and J. Paul Getty
His first museum position was at the Newark Museum in 2000 and Quarcoopome joined the Detroit Institute for the Arts two years later.
“Between 2012 and 2016, Quarcoopome’s concurrent appointment at the Nelson-Atkins Museum and the Detroit Institute of Arts made him the first shared curator in American history,” said the White House.
Additionally, his exhibition “Through African Eyes: The European in African Art, 1500-Present,” earned a National Endowment of the Humanities implementation grant and the American Association of Museums’ recognition for excellence.
According to the White House, “the Cultural Property Advisory Committee reviews requests for import restrictions submitted to the United States by foreign governments, considers proposals to extend existing agreements and emergency actions, carries out ongoing review of current import restrictions, and provides reports of its findings and recommendations to the Department of State.”
Each person on the 11-member committee is appointed by the president. It was created to ensure that the U.S. is advised of diverse public interests regarding cultural property matters.
Of the 11 members, two represent the interests of museums; three are experts in archaeology, anthropology, ethnology, or related fields; three are experts in the international sale of cultural property; and three represent the interest of the general public. Quarterly meetings of the committee are convened and facilitated by the Cultural Heritage Center.
Others appointed to the Cultural Property Advisory Committee this month include: Alexandra Jones, Chair, Alex W. Barker, Andrew Lamarche Connors, Michael Findlay, Cynthia Denise Herbert, Miriam T. Stark and William A. K. Titelman.
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