Andrew Winslow, senior collections manager at The Met Cloisters, is overseeing the care and installation of a significant new exhibition that marks a notable expansion of the museum’s collection. Located in Upper Manhattan, The Met Cloisters is dedicated to medieval art and architecture, but with its current exhibition, “Creatures of Myth and Imagination,” it introduces works from the Ancient Americas alongside European medieval pieces, signaling a broader curatorial vision.

Central to the exhibition is Tzinacantecuhtli, or Bat Lord, a nearly seven-foot-tall ninth-century sculpture on loan from Mexico City’s Museo del Templo Mayor. The figure—depicting a hybrid creature with bat-like features—originated from a town southeast of Mexico City at the foot of a volcano. It stands prominently amid Gothic French doorways and Spanish frescoes within the Cloisters, symbolizing the museum’s initial integration of pre-Columbian art with its traditionally eurocentric galleries.

Winslow, who has worked at the Cloisters for 24 years, is responsible for the meticulous care, display, and preservation of the museum’s approximately 10,000 objects, including sculptures, tapestries, manuscripts, and metalwork. Beginning his career there in 2002 as a ticket seller, he transitioned in 2007 to his current role, which requires regular inspections and sensitive handling of objects, some centuries old. He is one of the few authorized to physically touch the collection, always mindful of the importance of minimal contact.

Located atop Fort Tryon Park, the museum occupies a structure that incorporates medieval ruins designed in the 1930s to evoke a monastery. This setting presents unique challenges for conservation, including exposure to natural elements and pests due to open doors leading to surrounding gardens. Winslow and his small, dedicated team work to maintain the collection’s safety and integrity within this distinctive environment.

The “Creatures” exhibition features more than 50 objects drawn mostly from the Cloisters’ permanent holdings, supplemented by loans from Mexican institutions and the Met’s Michael C. Rockefeller wing, which specializes in the arts of the Americas. Curators Julia Perratore of the Cloisters and Joanne Pillsbury of the Rockefeller Wing collaborated on the show, which aims to challenge visitor expectations by placing Mesoamerican and Andean works side by side with medieval European art.

Winslow played a crucial role in realizing the exhibition’s ambitious installations. His practical expertise facilitated the placement of the Bat Lord sculpture, requiring modifications such as removing metal door handles to maneuver the piece inside. The sculpture’s positioning in the Romanesque Hall was carefully chosen to frame it alongside a 13th-century fresco of a dragon from a Spanish Benedictine monastery, creating a powerful visual dialogue between two mythic creatures from cultures separated by centuries and continents.

The exhibition reflects an evolving approach at The Met Cloisters to present the collection as a dynamic and interconnected cultural landscape. Winslow views his work as part of a continuum of caretakers preserving artworks that offer direct links to the past. “This is a piece of an animal skin that was stretched 500 years ago,” he reflects. “This is a book that was made for a queen of France, and it’s in my hands.”

The show underscores both the museum’s commitment to broadening artistic narratives and the dedicated expertise behind safeguarding centuries-old treasures in a uniquely challenging setting. “Creatures of Myth and Imagination” invites visitors to reconsider the boundaries of the medieval world and appreciate the diversity of human creativity across time and geography.