Project

Appointed as a Public Scholar to the Detroit Institute of Arts

Program

The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Buddhism Public Scholars

PhD field of study

PhD, Asian Languages and Cultures, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

Position Description

The DIA's collection is among the top six in the United States, with more than 65,000 works. The foundation was laid by William Valentiner, who was director from 1924 to 1945 and acquired many important works that established the framework of today's collections. Among his notable acquisitions are Mexican artist Diego Rivera's Detroit Industry fresco cycle, which Rivera considered his most successful work, and Vincent van Gogh's Self-Portrait, the first Van Gogh painting to enter a U.S. museum collection.

A hallmark of the DIA is the diversity of the collection. In addition to outstanding American, European, Modern and Contemporary, and Graphic art, the museum holds significant works of African, Asian, Native American, Oceanic, Islamic, and Ancient art. In 2000, the DIA established the General Motors Center for African American Art as a curatorial department in order to broaden the museum's collection of African American art.

The Buddhism Public Scholar will help research and document the museum’s collection of Buddhist art and support the department’s work as it relates to exhibitions, publications, and public programs.