Martino, a historian of art with a focus on West African textiles is the Museum’s first African specialist to be named a Mellon Fellow. She will work primarily with Laura De Becker, UMMA’s Helmut & Candis Stern Associate Curator of African Art.
Martino earned her B.A. (with Honors) in Studio Art and Art History from Denison University in Granville, Ohio, and her M.A. in the History of Art from Indiana University. She is currently a sixth-year Ph.D. candidate in the History of Art at the University of Michigan, and is working on her dissertation, “Stamping History: Stories of Social Change in Ghana’s Adinkra Cloth.”
"I am thrilled to serve as the UMMA-HOA Mellon Curatorial Fellow, a position that will provide exceptional training and experience to prepare for future career work in museums,” Martino, says. “I'm grateful for the opportunity to become involved with the museum and work with the UMMA staff on some exciting projects in the upcoming year."
Grants from the Mellon Foundation have allowed UMMA to nurture exceptional Ph.D. candidates in U-M’s History of Art program through an in-depth curatorial experience at the Museum. Mellon Foundation support also funds projects that investigate, interpret, and present UMMA’s collections for broad audiences.
Martino will assist De Becker on upcoming exhibitions and other projects, as well as teaching, training docents, and other educational projects during her year-long appointment.
"We are very excited to have Allison Martino join our staff for the 2016-17 academic year,” says De Becker. “As an expert in West African textiles, and as an experienced teacher and respected scholar, she will undoubtedly contribute to our knowledge of the African collection and will be quintessential in developing exhibitions for the upcoming years."