Staff
Raymond Silverman
DirectorIn 2002, Raymond Silverman joined the faculty at the University of Michigan where he is Professor of History of Art and Afroamerican & African Studies, and serves as Director of the Museum Studies Program. Silverman's research and writing has examined a variety of subjects concerning the movement of material/visual tradition through time and space in Africa, particularly in Ghana and Ethiopia. Most recently he has been exploring "museum culture" in Africa, specifically how local knowledge is translated in national and community-based cultural institutions. In addition to teaching courses in African art history and museum studies, he has curated a number of exhibitions dealing with various aspects of African visual culture.
silveray@umich.edu
Bradley L. Taylor
Associate DirectorBrad Taylor became the Associate Director of the Museum Studies Program in 2004. He teaches in both the graduate and undergraduate programs, coordinates student internships, and actively supports the Museum Studies Program's varied public programs. His research interests include the effect of surrogation on the museum experience and the evolving role of the museum in society. Brad is a graduate of an earlier iteration of Michigan's museum program and holds his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan's School of Information. In his years of travel throughout the museums of the world, he has found no object more intriguing than Thomas Edison's last breath (in a bottle!), displayed at the Henry Ford.
bltaylor@umich.edu
Amy Smola
Unit AdministratorAmy Smola joined the Museum Studies Program in 2010 as the Administrative Assistant after having worked for 17 years in healthcare administration at the University of Michigan Health System. Her role in Museum Studies includes tasks related to budget reconciliation, purchasing, financial systems, events coordination and promotion, and document preparation. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Eastern Michigan University with a major in Psychology and a double minor in Literature and Art History. She is currently pursuing a Master's of Library and Information Science degree at Wayne State University.
aricken@umich.edu
Heather Piegza
Student Services SpecialistHeather Piegza became the Student Administrative Assistant in the Museum Studies Program in 2009. As an undergraduate at the University of Michigan, she worked as a docent at the University of Michigan's Exhibit Museum of Natural History. Her experiences there led her to George Washington University in Washington, DC, to pursue a Master's Degree in Museum Studies. Focusing in Museum Administration, she completed internships at the Gettysburg National Battlefield Museum Foundation and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. While at the Smithsonian, she discovered her love of working with students and later administered specialized internships through the Smithsonian's Office of Fellowships.
hpiegza@umich.edu