"The Arts of Byzantium"

Dr. Helen C. Evans retired as the Mary and Michael Jaharis Curator of Byzantine Art in 2021. At The Met, she installed the Mary and Michael Galleries of Byzantine Art, the first galleries of Byzantine art in a major encyclopedic museum. Her major groundbreaking exhibitions include The Glory of Byzantium (843–1261) in 1997, Byzantium: Faith and Power (1261–1557) in 2004, Byzantium and Islam: Age of Transition (7th–9th Century) in 2012, and Armenia! in 2018. Byzantium: Faith and Power received the Alfred H. Barr, Jr. Award from the College Art Association for the best exhibition catalogue. Byzantium and Islam: Age of Transition (7th–9th Century) won the World Book Award as the best new book in Islamic Studies from The Ministry of Culture and Religious Guidance, The Islamic Republic of Iran. She is a former head of The Met’s Forum of Curators, Conservators and Research Scientists, a fellow of the Medieval Academy of America, and the recipient of numerous awards from the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian church.

Dr. Evans is chair of the Board of the Mary and Michael Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture (MJCBAC), a director of the American Associates of the St. Catherine Foundation, and a member of the Academic Board of Images: A Journal of Jewish Art and Culture. She is immediate past-president of the International Center of Medieval Art (ICMA) and past president of the Association of Art Museum Curators (AAMC) and AAMC Foundation. She has chaired the Editorial Board of the CAA’s Art Bulletin, received many grants, taught widely, and advised museums in the U.S. and abroad. In 2020, the Armenian General Benevolent Union (A.G.B.U.) established the Helen C. Evans Scholarship for students studying Armenian art, art history, and the early church.

Melanie Holcomb attended Smith College and the University of Michigan and is a specialist in ivories and manuscripts. Dr. Holcomb was curator of the exhibition Pen and Parchment (2009) and oversees The Met's collection of early medieval art. Her interest in comparative religion led her to earn a certificate in Jewish art at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. She has taught several courses on Jerusalem and was selected to speak at the Museum's first TEDx conference.