Passion is not something that is sought after it is planted within. An outer flame must spark inner devotion.  

So, when Jane Carpenter-Rock, Ph.D. (M.A. ’95), sat in a global humanities class in high school, the topic of art history resonated instantly. Iconography, the traditional or conventional images or symbols associated with a subject, was the day’s topic. 

“That’s when I really understood art to understand different places and times, different moments in time, different cultures, and topics that have inspired people throughout history,” Carpenter-Rock reminisced.  

The rest was history. Art history, that is.  

What was a required art elective has become a lifetime commitment for Carpenter-Rock. She currently serves as the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Deputy Director for Museum Content and Outreach, after being a curatorial intern for the Smithsonian’s advance level program internship as a Howard student over 20 years ago. 

For Women’s History Month, Carpenter-Rock shared how Howard lit her distinctive path in overseeing some of the nation’s most representative art pieces that speak to America’s diverse identities. 

“I knew that there must be an art history, a visual history of African Americans and I wanted to learn more about it,” Carpenter-Rock said. “I knew Howard was the place to go and study that. Howard had world renowned African American scholars and artists who were experts in that field.” 

That just opened the doors for me to a better understanding of the network of artists in the world, but particularly in the D.C. area.”

Leading the American Art Museum  

Today, Carpenter-Rock’s role at the museum is all about gathering others in the pursuit a “more complete” American narrative through a multitude of projects. She is a top administrator at the juncture of museum curators, the exhibition designers, and multiple departments such as communications, external affairs, and education.  

Carpenter-Rock says the American Art Museum must be a “welcoming institution” that houses many iterations of America’s communities. 

“We feel we have a responsibility to be good stewards of that artwork, to take care of it, but to share it as broadly as we can, and make sure that as many Americans as possible feel reflected on the walls on the museum,” Carpenter-Rock said.  

In her role with the Smithsonian, Carpenter-Rock has been able to share the work of some of her artistic heroes too. “Right now, we have a beautiful, wonderful exhibition of Alma Thomas,” she said of the artist, who in 1924 was Howard’s very first College of Fine Arts graduate. “She was a D.C. public school teacher for 30 years. To me, she is this iconic, inspirational figure of a Black woman who tried very hard to pursue a career in art, and a life of art.” 

Carpenter-Rock also named other Howard alumna part of SAAM exhibitions such as Bisa Butler, whose work “Harlem Hell Fighters” is in the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

But executing and coordinating artistic excellence at the nation’s American art museum takes years of craftswoman's dedication, as Carpenter-Rock has lived many artistic lives, some that she is now guiding as the deputy director.  

“I worked for this gallery in Georgetown called Parish Gallery,” she said. One of her Howard professors encouraged her to apply. “That just opened the doors for me to a better understanding of the network of artists in the world, but particularly in the D.C. area.”