American Academy in Rome
Ilaria Puri Purini serves as the Andrew Heiskell Arts Director at the American Academy in Rome since July 2023. Previously, Ilaria held the position of Curator of Programmes at the Contemporary Art Society from February 2015 to July 2023 and also at Contemporary Art Society London from 2010 to July 2023. Earlier experience includes serving as Assistant Curator at the Victoria & Albert Museum from January 2013 to January 2015 and as a Curatorial Intern at Tate in 2009-2010. Ilaria holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Cultural Studies and Humanities from the London Consortium, Birkbeck College, University of London (2009-2014) and a Master of Arts in History of Art from Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art Paris and La Sapienza University of Rome (2007-2008). Additionally, Ilaria earned two Bachelor's degrees in History of Art from Humboldt University of Berlin (2004-2005) and La Sapienza University of Rome (2002-2004).
American Academy in Rome
The American Academy in Rome supports innovative artists, writers, and scholars living and working together in a dynamic international community. Each spring, the Academy awards the Rome Prize and Italian Fellowship to a select group of artists and scholars, after an application and juried process that begins in the previous fall. The winners are invited to Rome to pursue their work in an atmosphere conducive to intellectual and artistic freedom and interdisciplinary exchange. The encounter with Rome represents now, as it has done since 1894, something unique: a chance for artists and scholars to spend significant time working in one of the oldest, most cosmopolitan cities in the world. The richness of Rome’s artistic and cultural legacy and its power to stimulate creative thinking served as the initial impetus for the Academy’s founding. Today, this tradition lives on, transformed by the dynamism of the Academy’s constantly evolving community. In addition to Rome Prize and Italian Fellows, the community includes invited Residents, Visiting Artists and Scholars, as well as participants in AAR’s academic Summer Programs.