Laura M. Giles, research curator for Italian drawings at The Art Institute of Chicago, will join The Art Museum as associate curator of prints and drawings. Giles will begin her duties in December, succeeding Barbara T. Ross, who retired in 1999.
"We are delighted that Laura Giles will be joining the staff of The Art Museum," said Susan M. Taylor, director of The Art Museum. "She brings significant experience and expertise to the position, new and inventive ideas for the interpretation of the collection, and a commitment to exhibitions and scholarship that will be crucial as we shape the future of The Art Museum at Princeton."
During her tenure at The Art Institute, Giles coordinated a major drawings documentation project, initiated conservation efforts of prints and drawings, gave gallery talks, worked on publications, and helped to organize exhibitions.
Earlier in her career, she held positions at the Spencer Museum of Art at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, the Musie du Louvre, Paris, and the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University. She was an assistant professor at the University of Kansas and a teaching fellow at Harvard University, where she also held a traveling fellowship.
Giles is the author of numerous articles and publications that have been published in the United States and abroad, including Italian Drawings before 1600 in The Art Institute of Chicago , co-authored by Suzanne Fold McCullagh and distributed by Princeton University Press.
Giles was educated at Swarthmore College. She received her M.A. degree from Williams College and her Ph.D. degree in art history from Harvard University.
"I am extremely honored and delighted to have been offered the position of associate curator of prints and drawings at The Art Museum," Giles said. "In taking on this position, my highest priority will be to enhance the visibility and teaching mission of the museum's outstanding graphic holdings, both by increasing its accessibility as a study collection to the university and the general public, and by promoting its numerous strengths through a variety of exhibitions and publications."
The Art Museum houses an encyclopedic collection of more than 60,000 objects and welcomes about 100,000 visitors annually. It supports the teaching and research needs of the university, and serves as an important regional cultural resource. The museum is open to the public without charge Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. It is closed on Monday and major holidays.
For further information, call (609) 258-3788.
Contact: Justin Harmon (609) 258-3601
