The Texas Southern University community celebrates the recognition of Dr. Alvia Wardlaw

Courtesy of Texas Southern University

The Texas Southern University community celebrates the recognition of Dr. Alvia Wardlaw, professor and director/curator of the University Museum on becoming a Houston 2024 Women of Distinction for Champions for a Cure for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. The honor showcases one of Houston’s most philanthropic, volunteer, community and corporate leaders as a champion who continues to make finding cures and better treatments possible for people living with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

The Woman of Distinction nominating process is a rigorous one and the award is highly coveted as the only award in Houston one cannot buy. Honorees are judged on their impact and service toward making our community a better place for all.

In his nomination letter for the honor, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner penned the following letter on behalf of Dr. Wardlaw.

“It is said that excellence is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well. In the years I have known Alvia J. Wardlaw, Ph.D., she has consistently achieved excellence in all things, both ordinary and extraordinary.  The desire to excel is ordinary; the consistent achievement of excellence is extraordinary. Dr. Wardlaw is the embodiment of dedication to excellence in all things. It is for this reason I graciously extend my support in championing the nomination of Dr. Wardlaw for your thoughtful consideration as the 2023 Woman of Distinction.

The excellent woman makes great demands upon herself. Dr. Wardlaw has achieved such status through great self-discipline, self-determination and focus.  I can personally attest that she is all about hard work, high expectations, great integrity and wonderful partnerships. She has demonstrated her high work ethic during her nearly half-a-century educating and collaborating with students of art and art history at the Texas Southern University. It is there where she has been a mentor, friend and confidant to numerous of aspiring artists who have become established in their craft and profession. Likewise, her students and protégés have showcased in museums and galleries and personal collections across the globe for their abilities thanks to the tutelage of Dr. Wardlaw’s selfless passion to share her scholarship and interest with generations, which will forever extend her legacy.

Dr. Wardlaw has achieved a more than 50-year record of excellence and success in unyielding contributions to advancing her research and scholarship regarding African American and black art in America and from across the diaspora.  Her biography, curriculum vitae and portfolio of authored books and book chapters attest eloquently to her interests and intellectual acumen.  I have no doubt that this focus and achievement and contributions to the betterment of societies toward advancing the global good will continue.  Such perseverance, acuity and personal dedication to her charge makes her one of the finest scholars, leaders and neighbors in our community.

Still, Dr. Wardlaw has proven to be a most versatile individual who is on a daily journey striving toward personal preparedness for future triumphs. She is passionate in knowing what she wants, and I’m convinced that with a determined mind and spirit, she will see to it that her desires become a reality – in this case, a fervent champion for the visual arts across the nation. She has been instrumental in helping to advance the mission and vision of the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, and other institutions, for example, is merely one illustration of the ordinary work that has proven to become extraordinary for the lives of the citizenry of Houston and beyond.

I am wholeheartedly confident in my endorsement of Dr. Wardlaw for this honor. I know her enthusiasm for excellence will translate into an exceptional execution of artistic and community-based initiatives that have and will continue to be experienced across cultures globally. I can assure the nominations committee that Dr. Wardlaw demonstrates and embodies the requisites of a “Woman of Distinction”.  She is not merely a Houston gem; she is a global treasure! It is for these reasons, and numerous others not mentioned, that I submit this personal recommendation on behalf of Dr. Alvia J. Wardlaw, as an outstanding and deserving candidate for your thoughtful consideration.”

Along with Mayor Turner, we continue to salute Dr. Wardlaw on her selfless contributions to TSU and the community for the betterment of all.