Roslyn Tunis

Roslyn Tunis (née Singerman), a pioneering curator and devoted advocate for the arts, passed away on May 7, 2025, in Danville, California, at the age of 90.

Born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Roslyn's early life was marked by a deep curiosity and passion for the arts and culture that would shape her lifelong dedication to the field. She earned her bachelors and masters degrees (MA in Art History) from the New York State University at Binghamton (now Binghamton University). Her academic foundation laid the groundwork for a career that spanned more than four decades in museum curation, ethnographic arts and contemporary crafts.

Her curatorial journey began at Roberson Center for the Arts and Sciences in upstate New York after which she co-founded and ran the Carlyn Gallery, a major contemporary craft gallery in New York City. In the early 1990s, after relocating to northern California, she served as the first curator at the Blackhawk Museum in Danville; her tenure there was highlighted by an innovative exhibition featuring collections from the Hearst Museum of Anthropology at UC Berkeley. Her career culminated as a consulting curator with the De Young Museum in San Francisco.

Throughout her career, she was known for her progressive thinking about the importance of educating the public and museum visitors about art. She used this knowledge to promote the art and craft of the Arctic Circle, primarily Canadian, Alaskan, and the Northwest Coast.

Roslyn had an extraordinary ability to recognize emerging talent and took great joy in mentoring young artists. Her network of friends and colleagues extended across continents-a testament to her warmth, intellect, and generosity of spirit.

At the heart of Roslyn's life was her family. She was married to her high school sweetheart for over 50 years, Cyril J. Tunis, until his passing from ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). Her survivors include her two sisters, Sally Ann Endleman and Reisha Forshpan, her three children Heather Tunis (Dave Mihaly), Lorraine Doo (Peter Doo), Sean Tunis (Nancy Kass) and six grandchildren Justin Mongroo, Michael Doo, Erica Doo, Rachel Tunis, Molly Tunis, and Noah Tunis and two great grandchildren, Zevan and Alya Mongroo.

Roslyn lived life on her terms-vibrantly and completely. She faced every chapter with courage and grace, remaining a warrior until the very end.

The family will plan a celebration of Roslyn's life for a later date. Donations in Roslyn's name may be made to Art with Elders (artwithelders.org/donate), Temple Sinai Oakland (cloud4good.tfaforms.net/382559), or the Reutlinger Judy Francher Employee Appreciation Fund (givebutter.com/JudyFrancherEAF).

May her memory bring comfort to those who knew her and inspiration to all who continue to find meaning through art.