Lives of Consequence
Stephanie L. Wiles '81
A university museum veteran, Stephanie L. Wiles '81 has a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to the arts and arts education. She is currently the Richard J. Schwartz Director of Cornell University's Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art. In this role, Wiles oversees museum operations and a staff of 22; a collection of more than 35,000 artworks including extensive holdings in Asian and contemporary art; and an educational and outreach mission with programming serving the Cornell campus, the local community and the region.
Prior to her appointment at the Johnson Museum of Art, Wiles served as the John G. W. Cowles Director of the Allen Memorial Art Museum at Oberlin College from 2004 to 2011. A specialist in Old Master drawings and prints and British and American art, she has organized numerous exhibitions, was responsible for acquisitions of works by artists ranging from Rembrandt van Rijn to Sol LeWitt and led many grant-funded projects.
While overseeing a 20-month building renovation and art storage expansion at the Allen, she co-organized exhibitions of some of that museum's finest works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. She also co-authored the Allen's first highlights catalog.
Wiles previously served as curator of the Davison Art Center at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, where she developed several traveling exhibitions and taught specialized courses on prints, drawings and photography. She began her museum career at the Morgan Library and Museum in New York City. Her 16-year curatorial tenure in the Morgan's Department of Drawings and Prints included organizing many major exhibitions that were shown nationally and abroad.
Wiles earned a bachelor's degree in modern languages from William Smith College, an MA in art history from Hunter College and a Ph.D in art history from the City University of New York Graduate Center. A member of the Association of Art Museum Directors, she also serves on the editorial advisory board of the journal Master Drawings.