Stanford, CA—Padma D. Maitland has accepted the position of Patrick J. J. Maveety Assistant Curator of Asian Art at the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University. Maitland, who will begin October 1, was recently the Jane Emison Assistant Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art at the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

Maitland is a double-doctoral candidate at the University of California, Berkeley, working toward degrees in South and Southeast Asian studies, and architectural history, theory, and society. His research focuses on transnational Buddhist networks and their impact on modern art, architecture, and literature in Europe, the United States, and Asia.

“Padma’s deep knowledge and expansive curatorial vision will allow us to present meaningful exhibitions and programs that highlight not only the rich artistic heritage of South and Southeast Asia but also art and culture across Asia,” said Susan Dackerman, John and Jill Freidenrich Director of the Cantor.

As the assistant art director for the renovation of the Swayambhu Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, Maitland managed the documentation and cataloguing of more than 30,000 objects as they were removed, restored, and reinstalled. The project resulted in an exhibition at the Patna Museum in India, a published volume that he coedited (titled Light of the Valley, 2011), and a film of the same name featured on PBS, in museums, and in film festivals around the world.

While he was an intern at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Maitland assisted in the organization of an exhibition of paintings and photographs drawn from the museum’s permanent collection titled Landscapes of Devotion: Visualizing Sacred Sites in India. He also worked on an exhibition presenting a comprehensive survey of the art and architecture of Sri Lanka, scheduled to open in 2019. At the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA), he worked as a guest curator, conceiving and installing The Elephant’s Eye: Artful Animals in South and Southeast Asia. 

Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University
Founded when the university opened in 1891, the museum was expanded and renamed in 1999 for lead donors Iris and B. Gerald Cantor. The Cantor’s collection spans 5,000 years and includes more than 38,000 works of art. With 24 galleries, more than 15 special exhibitions each year, and free admission, the Cantor is one of the most visited university art museums in the country, attracting visitors from the area and around the world.