The Biography of Jacqueline Avant
Jacqueline Avant, beloved wife of music industry legend Clarence Avant and devoted mother, was a noted Los Angeles philanthropist and community activist.
Fondly known to her friends and family as Jacquie, Mrs. Avant was deeply involved in various philanthropic activities centered on community service and the arts. She volunteered with Head Start and was named president of the Neighbors of Watts, a support group for the South Central Community Child Care Center. Later she joined the Board of Directors of the International Student Center at the University of California at Los Angeles and was a charter member of the Rape Treatment Center Board.
Throughout her life, Jacquie was an avid supporter of programs involving children and the arts. She was a producer of the Los Angeles Debut of the Great Wall Youth Orchestra. She also served on the Host Committee for the traveling exhibit “Treasures of Ancient Nigeria” and was a member of the Greek Theatre Advisory Board. She served two terms as the Board President of the Museum of African American Art of Los Angeles and was a trustee of the Savannah College of Art and Design. Mrs. Avant served on the board of the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena, CA, and was Tour Chair for the student tour for Japanese art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art where she served on the East Asian Art Council. Most recently, she was a board member of The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.
Mrs. Avant was widely considered by those who knew the couple as her influential husband’s “secret weapon”, and the two were rarely seen apart during the many social, political, and philanthropic functions that they hosted throughout the decades. Along with her husband, Mrs. Avant hosted events for worldwide dignitaries including the President of Tanzania, President Clinton, Senator Ted Kennedy, Governor Edmond Brown Jr., Mayor Tom Bradley, and Mayor Villaraigosa.
In addition to her varied philanthropic work, Mrs. Avant was a noted collector of African American and Japanese art. She was published in Asian Arts Magazine on two occasions. Most recently, her Japanese lacquerware collection dating from the 17th to the 19th century was presented at the Crow Collection of Asian Art in Dallas, TX. Her attention to detail, coupled with her historical knowledge of Japanese lacquer made her a welcomed speaker. She lectured on her collection at Scripps College, Broadway Federal Bank and Spelman College in Atlanta, GA in celebration of the Cherry Blossom Festival presented by the Sumiko Takahara Japan Studies program.