Meet the Staff

Sean Belair was a graduate intern and a fellow in the department before becoming a staff member in 2016. His primary duty is the care and treatment of the department’s collection of firearms, armor, and edged weapons. He also constructs display mounts and mannequins for the permanent galleries and special exhibitions. Sean received his BA in European history from Union College, New York, and his MA in objects conservation from the University of Lincoln, England. Previously, he worked with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation restoring Louise Nevelson’s Night Presence IV.

Stephen Bluto works with curators, conservators, and the collections team to oversee the daily care and documentation of the Arms and Armor collection. Stephen started at The Met in the Security Department in 1998 before becoming the art technician for the Department of Islamic Art in 1999. He joined the Arms and Armor team as the collections specialist in 2001 and became the collections manager in 2008. Stephen is also an artist; his work can be seen at his personal website.

John Byck joined the Department of Arms and Armor in 2015, having previously worked as a Research Assistant in the Department of Drawings and Prints. He has published and lectured widely on the topics of embellished European and American firearms as well as the history of the Department and its collection. At The Met, he has curated Japanese Arms and Armor from the Collection of John and Etsuko Morris (2018) and The Art of London Firearms (2019–20), co-curated Emperors, Artists & Inventors: Transformative Gifts of Fine Arms and Armor (2020–22), and contributed to other exhibitions and catalogues, including Collecting Inspiration: Edward C. Moore at Tiffany & Co. (2021) and Visitors to Versailles (1682–1789) (2018).

Catherine Chesney Carotenuto came to The Met in 1998 and held various positions in the President’s Office and the Office for Construction and Facilities before joining the Department of Arms and Armor in 2016. Her primary responsibilities involve the financial and administrative aspects of the department; she also oversees the Friends of Arms and Armor. Catherine is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and has an MA from New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts.

Edward Hunter is responsible for the care and preservation of the department’s collection. As supervisor for the Armor Lab, his primary duty is the treatment and conservation of all types of objects, including armor, firearms, and edged weapons, as well as fabricating custom mounts for displays. Edward enjoys working with the education and digital departments on various projects. He received his BA in art history from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and an MSc in conservation from the University College London’s Institute of Archaeology. Examples of his work include a close-helmet, a Colt Model 1862 police revolver, and the armor of Henry II, King of France.

Donald J. La Rocca joined the department in 1988, following six years at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. He has curated the international loan exhibition Warriors of the Himalayas: Rediscovering the Arms and Armor of Tibet (2006), as well as several in-house exhibitions, including The Gods of War: Sacred Imagery and the Decoration of Arms and Armor (1996), The Academy of the Sword: Illustrated Fencing Books 1500­–1800 (1998), Bashford Dean and the Creation of the Arms and Armor Department (2012), and Arms and Armor: Notable Acquisitions 2003–2014 (2014). He is the author of more than thirty-five print essays on arms and armor.

Stuart W. Pyhrr began his career at The Met in 1971 while pursuing his graduate studies at New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts. He became assistant curator in 1977, associate curator in 1982, and curator and department head in 1988. From 1988 to 1991, he supervised the redesign of the department’s galleries. Stuart has organized numerous special exhibitions and is the author of nearly one hundred scholarly articles. Approximately four hundred notable examples of the armorer’s art were added to The Met collection during his tenure as department head from 1988 to 2013.

Markus Sesko started studying Japanese in 1998. He has been working full-time as translator and researcher for Japanese arts and antiques since 2008, with a focus on arms and armor. Member of and translator for the American and European branches of The Society for Preservation of Japanese Art Swords and the Japanese Armor Society. He has been blogging about Japanese arms and armor since 2013, and has assessed and catalogued several relevant public and private collections.

George Sferra joined the Museum in 2011. George oversees data standards and project management for the department’s collections database and online collection; he also assists with collections care. Previously, he worked at the Association of Art Museum Curators and the Art Institute of Chicago. George earned his BA in classical civilization from Loyola University Chicago, and studied art history, theory, and criticism at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He has curated exhibitions at the Gowanus Ballroom, and is a vocalist and keyboardist in the synth-pop band Banji.

Pierre Terjanian joined The Met in 2012 and was appointed Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Curator in Charge in 2013. Previously, he held the dual role of J. J. Medveckis Associate Curator of Arms and Armor and acting head of the Department of European Decorative Arts and Sculpture before 1700 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. A native of Strasbourg, France, he obtained a master’s degree in law from Université Paris II Panthéon-Assas, a master of science degree in management from HEC Paris, and a doctoral degree in history from Université de Metz’s Faculté de Lettres et Sciences Humaines. In 2024, he became Chief of Curatorial Affairs and Conservation at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.