Detroit Institute of Arts hires Katherine Kasdorf as assistant curator of Asian art
Updated Apr 27, 2017
April 27, 2017 (Detroit)—The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) has hired Katherine Kasdorf as assistant curator in the department of Arts of Asia and the Islamic World. She will start on May 8 and her initial focus will be the reinstallation of the museum’s Asian art galleries.
Kasdorf comes to the DIA from the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland, where she was a Wieler-Mellon Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow working primarily with the South and Southeast Asian and Islamic collections. Kasdorf has also conducted research on the sculpture, architecture and topographical contexts of South Asian temples and on architectural reuse.
“Katherine will bring new energy to the DIA’s Department of Arts of Asia and the Islamic World. We are excited to welcome her to the curatorial staff and recognize her connoisseurship and passion for our collection,” DIA Director Salvador Salort-Pons said. “Katherine arrives at a crucial moment at the DIA when we are in the midst of reinstalling our extraordinary Asian galleries and deeply engaging our Asian community. I look forward to seeing Katherine succeed and help the DIA better serve our region."
The new position is a homecoming for the DIA’s new curator. Kasdorf grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and remarked, “I have enjoyed visiting the DIA with my family for many years, and I value the opportunity to contribute to the continued success of the museum as a member of its curatorial team.”
Kasdorf has a Bachelor’s of Art from New York University, and an M.A., M.Phil. and Ph.D. from Columbia University, New York, and has taught at both universities. Her studies resulted in frequent travel to India for research on the sculpture and architecture of temples in the southwestern region of Karnataka, built during Hoysala rule in the 12th–13th centuries. At the Walters, Kasdorf collaborated with other staff on gallery installations of the arts of India, Nepal and Tibet; Southeast Asian sculpture; and Buddhist arts of East and Southeast Asia. In addition, she curated the exhibition “Ferocious Beauty: Wrathful Deities from Tibet and Nepal” (2016–17) as well as contributing to the exhibition “Pearls on a String: Art in the Age of Great Islamic Courts” (2014–2015).
April 27, 2017 (Detroit)—The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) has hired Katherine Kasdorf as assistant curator in the department of Arts of Asia and the Islamic World. She will start on May 8 and her initial focus will be the reinstallation of the museum’s Asian art galleries.
Kasdorf comes to the DIA from the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland, where she was a Wieler-Mellon Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow working primarily with the South and Southeast Asian and Islamic collections. Kasdorf has also conducted research on the sculpture, architecture and topographical contexts of South Asian temples and on architectural reuse.
“Katherine will bring new energy to the DIA’s Department of Arts of Asia and the Islamic World. We are excited to welcome her to the curatorial staff and recognize her connoisseurship and passion for our collection,” DIA Director Salvador Salort-Pons said. “Katherine arrives at a crucial moment at the DIA when we are in the midst of reinstalling our extraordinary Asian galleries and deeply engaging our Asian community. I look forward to seeing Katherine succeed and help the DIA better serve our region."
The new position is a homecoming for the DIA’s new curator. Kasdorf grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and remarked, “I have enjoyed visiting the DIA with my family for many years, and I value the opportunity to contribute to the continued success of the museum as a member of its curatorial team.”
Kasdorf has a Bachelor’s of Art from New York University, and an M.A., M.Phil. and Ph.D. from Columbia University, New York, and has taught at both universities. Her studies resulted in frequent travel to India for research on the sculpture and architecture of temples in the southwestern region of Karnataka, built during Hoysala rule in the 12th–13th centuries. At the Walters, Kasdorf collaborated with other staff on gallery installations of the arts of India, Nepal and Tibet; Southeast Asian sculpture; and Buddhist arts of East and Southeast Asia. In addition, she curated the exhibition “Ferocious Beauty: Wrathful Deities from Tibet and Nepal” (2016–17) as well as contributing to the exhibition “Pearls on a String: Art in the Age of Great Islamic Courts” (2014–2015).