B. Diane Mott

Diane will be fondly remembered as an intrepid traveler, passionate textile scholar, and generous friend. She was born in 1946 and raised in Casper, Wyoming, where she developed a deep love of nature. Diane received her B.A. from the University of Michigan in 1969. Her interest in Islamic cultures led her to volunteer with the Peace Corps in 1970, and she spent the two years working in eastern Turkey. She returned to the USA in the late 1970s, living in Atlanta, where she got her first museum experience working with historic textiles at the Atlanta Historical Society. Diane went back to Istanbul, on a Fulbright Scholarship and spent several years in the Topkapi Museum studying Ottoman court textile production as part of a doctoral program. Turkey, and the dear friends she made there, would remain close to Diane’s heart forever.

Diane added another dimension to her textile knowledge by pursuing an MFA under the direction of renowned weaver Greg Kaufman at the University of Georgia in Athens. Her subsequent time in Atlanta as a post-doctoral student was enriched by her side gig working at the Centers for Disease Control where she made a new group of lifelong friends. Diane’s refined eye and passion for textiles was a perfect fit for her eventual career as a textile curator, first at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston from 1991-1998, and later at the M.H. De Young Museum in San Francisco. She retired from the DeYoung Museum in 2009.

Diane delighted in meeting new people and was a friend to all, whether they be scholar or taxi driver. She will be remembered for her unique personality and ebullient sense of humor. Diane deeply loved her parents, Jean and Harold Mott, and will join them in body and spirit at the Highland Cemetery in Casper, Wyoming.

Diane will be interred on Thursday, April 16.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to one of Diane’s favorite charities:

Nature Conservancy at www.nature.org.

American Indian College Fund at www.standwithnativestudents.org.

Living/Dying Project at www.livingdying.org.