Glasgow School of Art to honour New York museum curator

A Charles Rennie Mackintosh expert and design curator at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York is among the graduates who will be honoured by Glasgow School of Art (GSA).

Juliet Kinchin joins influential art educators Sam Ainsley, David Harding and Sandy Moffat in GSA’s 2018 graduation honours.

Each candidate will be awarded an honorary doctorate at ceremonies on June 15.

Ms Kinchin, a former GSA member of staff, joined MoMA in 2008.

During her decade at the institution, she has curated a number of high-profile exhibitions and contributed to leading international publications.

GSA director Professor Tom Inns said: “Juliet Kinchin is design curator at one of the world’s leading institutions for which she has organised a number of acclaimed exhibitions.

“Juliet’s contribution to the understanding of Glasgow’s place in European design at the time of Mackintosh in particular is world-class.”

Ms Kinchin said she was “deeply honoured and touched” by the award.

She added: “The Glasgow School of Art, and the University of Glasgow, have profoundly shaped my creative and intellectual life, and my professional career.”

Mr Ainsley, Mr Harding and Mr Moffat came together as lecturers at the GSA and were heads of the master of fine art, environmental art and painting and printmaking departments.

Prof Inns added: “Sam Ainsley, David Harding and Sandy Moffat have individually and collectively nurtured generations of artists who have gone on to make Glasgow’s reputation as a leading centre of creative practice.

“The scale of their contribution to art education was demonstrated tangibly in the 2014 showcase of contemporary art in Scotland which featured 100 artists, the vast majority of whom had studied under Sam, David and Sandy.”

The honorary doctorates will be conferred by the University of Glasgow and awarded at the GSA graduation ceremonies on June 15 at the Bute Hall, University of Glasgow.