Dr. Paul Ivey, renowned expert on theological architecture and institutional theory, will present a fascinating talk exploring the hidden histories behind many of the most well-known art museums. At a time when women were not permitted to hold positions of power in the public sphere, they were quietly building some of the most important institutions in the country. 

We will celebrate the founder of our Museum, Margaret Acheson Stuart, and the extraordinary women of The Stuart Society, who are part of this larger legacy, currently celebrating their 60th anniversary.

This program is part of the Museum Studies Institute series, the MFA’s internal “think tank” that encompasses all of the intellectual and creative imaginings generated from, and orbiting around, an encyclopedic art museum. Art museums preserve things—art objects that represent the highest aspirations of humankind—in perpetuity. Yet we do so amid the reality of a complex and ever-changing world. Lectures by renowned experts on the history of art museums, conversations on engaging topics, symposia examining current challenges—from climate change to inclusivity to new media—allow us to open up our internal discussions to engage our community in the conversation.

Dr. Paul Ivey is Professor of Art History at the University of Arizona, Tucson, where he teaches Modern and Contemporary Art and their relationship to notions of spirituality, cognitive and social agency, and museology. His research engages the built environments and compounds of alternative and esoteric American religions and communal groups. He is author of Radiance from Halcyon, A Utopian Experiment in Religion and Science (Minnesota, 2013), concerning a turn of the twentieth century theosophical intentional community on California’s Central Coast, and Prayers in Stone:  Christian Science Architecture in the United States, 1894 – 1930 (Illinois, 1999). Winner of 5 teaching awards, his interest in contextualizing contemporary artworks within both perceptual and institutional systems has led to him to teach the required Theory courses for both the MA and PhD programs in Art History, and the MFA in the School of Art. 

$10 for MFA Members; $20 Not-Yet Members 
Registration Required