Rayna Andrews Named Archivist for the Smithsonian's African American Collecting Initiative

Rayna Andrews was appointed archivist for the African American Collecting Initiative at the Smithsonian Archives of American Art. Her work will entail cataloguing the collection and new acquisitions.
The three-year African American Collecting Initiative was launched last year with a $575,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation to “build upon the Archives’ existing collections by and about African American artists.”
Currently the senior director of community engagement and partnerships at Feeding American Eastern Wisconsin, Andrews sits on several boards including Medical College of Wisconsin’s Cancer Center Community Advisory Board for which she serves as co-chair; and Rotary Club of Mequon-Milwaukee Afterhours, for which she serves as president.
Prior to joining the Smithsonian, she served as archivist at the University of Pennsylvania and Bryn Mawr College; before that, she worked for iPackage Media as creative director.
The Smithsonian said in a statement that Andrews’ position “will result in the creation of online finding aids for scores of the Archives’ collections on African American art,” and “will  greatly increase access and usability of the collections and will serve as critical resources for those performing research in the field.”