The works in the Art Institute’s collection are full of narrative possibilities.
Long before any artwork is installed in the galleries, the Art Institute’s Interpretation team meets with curators to dig into the stories behind the art. We debate everything from what angles we can take to how different objects might work together to create a single narrative.
Join curator of Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium, Katharine A. Raff, and Interpretation staff, Ginia Shubik Sweeney and Marielle Epstein, to learn how their departments have collaborated to create gallery labels, audio tours, and digital content, both for the permanent galleries and for the 2025 major exhibition, Myth and Marble: Ancient Roman Marbles from the Torlonia Collection.
About the Speakers
Katharine A. Raff is the Elizabeth McIlvaine Curator, Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium at the Art Institute of Chicago, where she has worked since 2011. Her recent projects include the exhibition Myth & Marble: Ancient Roman Sculpture from the Torlonia Collection (2025), for which she was co-curator; the reinstallation of the Art Institute’s permanent gallery of Roman art (2024); and Collecting Stories (2019), an installation on ancient artworks and their modern afterlives. Katharine was the editor and primary author of the 2017 digital scholarly catalogue Roman Art at the Art Institute of Chicago (2017). She holds a PhD and an MA in the History of Art from the University of Michigan.
Ginia Shubik Sweeney, director of interpretation at the Art Institute of Chicago, develops tools that connect visitors with works of art. She works closely with teams across the museum to tell compelling stories in the galleries, with the goals of sparking revelation, fostering close ties between people, and providing a tangible understanding of the past. She holds an MA from Williams College and a BA from Columbia University, both in art history.
Marielle Epstein is the assistant director of interpretation at the Art Institute of Chicago. In this role, she develops exhibition texts, learning tools, and gallery narratives to enhance the visitor experience. Marielle believes that every artwork can be a springboard for inspiring, challenging, and dynamic conversations that create connection and change.
Before joining the museum, she held curatorial research and educational positions at SAIC and at other local and international institutions. She holds an MA in the history of dress and a BA in the history of art and French studies.
If you have any questions about programming, please reach out to [email protected].
Closed captioning will be available for this program. For questions related to accessibility accommodations, please email [email protected].
Sponsors
This program is supported by UNIQLO.
UNIQLO’s sponsorship of Third Thursdays at the Art Institute of Chicago reflects UNIQLO’s commitment to making art more accessible to people all over the world.
