The Mayer Center Fellow Program at the Denver Art Museum is designed to support scholarly research related to the museum’s collections of Art of the Ancient Americas and Latin American Art to provide curatorial experience to art historians. The fellow works on research projects related to the permanent collection. Specific projects will be developed in collaboration with the Frederick and Jan Mayer Curator of Art of the Ancient Americas or Latin American Art.
Past Fellows
The 2022-2024 Mayer Center fellow was Kathryn Santner, Ph.D. Kathryn earned her doctorate in the history of art from St. John’s College, University of Cambridge, in 2016. While at the DAM she worked closely with the Latin American collection, focusing on Peruvian paintings, including the Frank Barrows Freyer Memorial Collection, and Mexican and European prints. She also curated the exhibition Painting in the Andes, 1680-1780 which opened on June 2, 2024, in the Latin American Art galleries.
The 2018-2019 Mayer Center fellow was Jared Katz. Jared holds his Ph.D. from the Anthropology Department at the University of California, Riverside. His dissertation, “Gentle Flutes and Blaring Horns: An Analysis of Ancient Maya Music in Daily and Ceremonial Activities,” explores the significance of music in the ancient Maya area. While at the DAM, Jared researched instruments in the Art of the Ancient Americas collection, helping to prepare for the reinstallation of the galleries in the renovated Martin building and with exhibition planning.
The 2017-2018 Mayer Center fellow was Sabena Kull, Ph.D. candidate in art history at the University of Delaware. While at the DAM Sabena researched the Latin American collection, in particular South American paintings in the Freyer collection and embroidered samplers from Latin America and Spain. Her dissertation examines the art and agency of African-descent painters in the seventeenth-century Spanish world.
The 2015-2016 Mayer Center fellow was Lucia Henderson, Ph.D. from the University of Texas, Austin. While at the DAM Lucia worked with the Denver Art Museum Maya collection. Her dissertation is titled “Bodies Politic, Bodies in Stone: Imagery of the Human and the Divine in the Sculpture of the Late PreClassic Kaminalijuyu, Guatemala.”
The 2012-2014 Mayer Center fellow was Carrie Dennett, Ph.D. candidate in the Archaeology Department at the University of Calgary. While at the DAM Carrie researched the Art of the Ancient Americas collection, in particular the Mayer collection of Costa Rican art. Carrie earned her Ph.D. in 2016. Her dissertation is titled “The Ceramic Economy of Pre-Columbian Pacific Nicaragua (AD 1-1250).”
The 2007-2012 Mayer Center fellow was Michael Brown, Ph.D. candidate at the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University. While at the DAM Michael researched the Spanish Colonial collection, in particular the Stapleton Collection of Latin American Art made possible by the Renchard Family. Michael earned his Ph.D. in 2011. His dissertation is titled “Portraiture in New Spain, 1600-1800: Painters, Patrons & Politics in Viceregal Mexico.”
The 2004-2006 Mayer Center fellow was Laura Brannen, Ph.D. candidate at Emory University. While at the DAM Laura worked on a catalog of the Mayer collection of Costa Rican art. Her dissertation is titled "Latin American Nationalist Narratives in Transition: Museums of Mexico, Guatemala and Costa Rica.”
