Current Institutional Affiliation
PhD Candidate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Award Information

2021
Institutional Affiliation (at time of award):
PhD Candidate, Architecture, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
The Spiritual Curation of American Modernism

This dissertation spotlights non-Western routes to the spiritual, and the agents who pursued them in more organizational roles within the American art scene. Alfred Stieglitz’s 291, Hilla Rebay’s Museum of Non-Objective Painting, and Katherine Dreier’s Société Anonyme exemplified institutions where the art exhibition became a curative instrument to instill spiritual awakening within the “soulless” American. This project explores how the introduction of abstract art tested democratic ideals amidst a contested cultural landscape. I propose “spiritual curation” as a basis for modern cultural infrastructure in New York, and find its traces in present-day museal missions melding exhibition-driven “soulcraft” with civic engagement.

Menu