GTU News

Zeinab Vessal, a Presidential Scholar in the PhD program at the Graduate Theological Union (GTU), has been awarded the Ahlul Bayt Fellowship for Graduate Studies by the Mohsena Memorial Foundation (MMF). Funding from this fellowship will support her field research on the Shi’a finial of ‘Alam in Karbala, Iraq.

It is with profound sadness that the GTU announces the passing of Lanier Graham, a visionary curator and esteemed donor, whose generosity and dedication to the preservation of sacred art have left an indelible mark on our community. Lanier Graham, the benefactor of the Sacred World Art Collection, passed away peacefully on August 1, 2024, leaving behind a legacy that will continue to inspire and educate for generations to come.

Lanier Graham has donated hundreds of sacred art pieces to the Graduate Theological Union from his own personal collection and from the teaching collection of The Institute for Aesthetic Development, a charity he has headed for fifty years. Housed on the third floor of the Flora Lamson Hewlett Building, the heart of the GTU Collection will soon be displayed in a remarkable space called the Sacred Art Gallery and Education Classroom (“SAGE Classroom”).