Sara M. Taylor '98

"As graduation from William & Mary approached, I freaked out..."

Clio in the Italian Garden
Edited by Mirka Benes and Michael Lee. Italian gardens have received more attention from historians than perhaps any other garden tradition. This volume presents eight richly illustrated essays by established and emerging scholars that suggest striking new directions for future research.
A Home for the Humanities
The Collecting and Patronage of Mildred and Robert Woods Bliss, edited by James N. Carder Mildred and Robert Woods Bliss were consummate collectors and patrons who purchased Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C., in 1920. The illustrated essays in this volume reveal how the Blisses’ wide-ranging interests in art, music, gardens, architecture, and interior design resulted in the creation of the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection.
Ancient Mexican Art at Dumbarton Oaks
Edited by Susan Toby Evans Four leading scholars present essays on Pre-Columbian art at Dumbarton Oaks’ outstanding collection of Aztec, Mixtec, Zapotec, Teotihuacan, and Classic Veracruz sculpture, jewelry, and painting.
The Place of Stone Monuments:
Context, Use, and Meaning in Mesoamerica’s Preclassic Transition, edited by Julia Guernsey, John E. Clark, and Barbara Arroyo By quite literally “placing” sculptures in their cultural, historical, social, political, religious, and cognitive contexts, the 17 contributors utilize archaeological and art historical methods to understand the origins, growth, and spread of civilization in Middle America.

"... and started to wonder why I didn’t major in economics like everyone else I knew with jobs already lined up. I knew I wanted to pursue a museum job, and I tried a couple different things to discover how I wanted to use my degree."

"Ultimately I decided to use my education for an editorial career, helping others with their writing and publishing. I use my training in art history daily—when reading manuscripts, when writing promotional materials, and when advising authors on improving their prose and arguments." – Sara Taylor

About the Art Historian

Sara Morasch Taylor is currently the Art and Archaeology Editor at Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection in Washington, D.C. After receiving her B.A. in art history from the College of William and Mary in 1998, she attended Bryn Mawr College, where she obtained an M.A. and Ph.D. in art history in 2001 and 2006, respectively. A specialist in the art and architecture of colonial Mexico, she has held research and curatorial positions at the National Gallery of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago. In her current role, she serves as the managing editor for monographs, exhibition catalogues, and symposium volumes produced by the Pre-Columbian, Garden and Landscape, and museum departments at Dumbarton Oaks.

Sara is also working on a series of digital publications. She notes, "The book world is changing rapidly due to new technologies, and publishers across the country are experimenting with ways to use these new technologies to more effectively present information to larger, international audiences."

Learn more about Dumbarton Oaks.