May 27, 2009
Randall R. Griffey, curator of American art at the Mead Art Museum, has received an Award for Excellence from the Association of Art Museum Curators (AAMC). Griffey received the organization’s Outstanding Essay prize for an article he penned titled “Marsden Hartley’s Aryanism. Eugenics in a Finnish-Yankee Sauna,” which was published in the Smithsonian journal American Art in 2008. “Each year, our pool of nominations grows and grows - and this year was no exception,” said Sally Block, director of AAMC, who added that all of the group’s 900-plus members are eligible for nomination, and awards are determined by the AAMC prize committee. “Among the many exemplary publications and exhibitions, this year’s winners stand out for their innovation and commitment to scholarship.” Griffey’s award was formally announced at the AAMC Eighth Annual Meeting May 18 at The Museum of Modern Art in New York.