Courtney Stewart is a Senior Researcher in the Department of Islamic Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, one of the world's premier institutions for Islamic art scholarship and display. Her position at The Met, combined with her academic training and ongoing research, makes her an exceptional guide for travelers seeking to understand the rich artistic traditions of the Islamic world—from the intricate tile work of Iranian mosques to the opulent jewelry of Mughal India, from the architectural achievements of Ottoman Turkey to the decorative arts of Central Asia.

Since joining The Met in 2010, Courtney has played a crucial role in shaping how one of the world's great museums presents Islamic art to millions of visitors. She contributed significantly to the reinstallation of the new galleries covering the Arab Lands, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, and Later South Asia (opened 2011)—a massive project that reimagined how Islamic art is contextualized and displayed. This work required deep knowledge not just of individual objects but of the cultural, historical, and aesthetic connections that link diverse Islamic artistic traditions across vast geographic and temporal spans.

Her curatorial work extends to major exhibitions that have brought scholarly attention to understudied aspects of Islamic art. She contributed to "Treasures from India: Jewels from the Al-Thani Collection" (2014), showcasing the extraordinary craftsmanship of Indian jewelry traditions. Most notably, she worked on "Sultans of Deccan India, 1500–1700: Opulence and Fantasy" (2015), an exhibition that revealed the sophisticated court culture of India's Deccan sultanates—independent Islamic kingdoms that blended Persian, Indian, and local artistic traditions into something uniquely magnificent.

Courtney's academic training combines art historical rigor with material culture studies. She holds graduate degrees from the University of Toronto—a leading center for Islamic and Asian art history—and the Bard Graduate Center, renowned for its interdisciplinary approach to decorative arts, design history, and material culture. This educational background gives her the ability to analyze not just the aesthetic qualities of Islamic art but the social, economic, and technological contexts in which artistic objects were created and used.

Her ongoing research focuses on the history of Islamic jewelry—an area that intersects art history, gender studies, economic history, and craft traditions. Jewelry in Islamic societies served multiple functions beyond personal adornment: it represented wealth and social status, functioned as portable property for women, expressed cultural identity, and showcased the highest levels of metalworking craftsmanship. Courtney's expertise in this field enables her to decode the meanings embedded in decorative arts, from the symbolism of gemstones to the significance of particular design motifs.

Beyond her museum work, Courtney has extensive teaching experience. She has taught courses on Islamic art history at the University of Toronto and continues to lecture in the School of Continuing Studies at New York University, where she helps adult learners develop sophisticated understanding of Islamic artistic traditions. This teaching experience has honed her ability to make complex art historical concepts accessible to non-specialists—precisely the skill that makes her an engaging tour guide.

What distinguishes Courtney as a guide is her ability to help travelers see beyond the surface beauty of Islamic art to understand the cultural sophistication it represents. When viewing a Persian miniature painting, she can explain the literary traditions it illustrates, the social context of Persian court culture, and the technical mastery required to create such delicate work. In a Turkish mosque, she can interpret the evolution of Ottoman architectural style, the symbolism of decorative patterns, and how sacred space functions in Islamic practice. At a Mughal monument, she understands not just the artistic achievement but the cultural synthesis—Persian literary traditions, Indian architectural forms, Central Asian political heritage—that created one of history's most sophisticated court cultures.