[3][4] Her art collection, which she and her husband, John H. Hewitt, Jr., amassed over fifty years, is considered one of the finest collections of artwork by African-American artists[5] and is on exhibit at the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture in Charlotte, N.C.[6] In 2016, she was awarded the honorary title of Dame by Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain.
[5] Her parents were born in North Carolina; they moved to New Castle when Arthur was offered the position of butler to a Pennsylvania senator.
[8] Davidson received her bachelor's degree from Geneva College, in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, in 1943.
[9][10] Vivian and John Hewitt began collecting artwork when they traveled, focusing particularly on Haitian art.
Fifty-eight pieces from this collection were purchased by Bank of America and donated to the Afro-American Cultural Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
[13] The John and Vivian Hewitt Collection of African-American Art includes work by Romare Bearden, Margaret Burroughs, Elizabeth Catlett, Jonathan Green,[14][15] Jacob Lawrence, Ann Tanksley, and Henry Ossawa Tanner.
[23] In 2001, she was honored by Queen Elizabeth II with appointment to the Venerable Order of St John as a Serving Sister.