Ann Hamilton, professor of art, has been designated as a Distinguished University Professor, the highest faculty honor bestowed by the university upon individuals who have truly exceptional records in teaching, research, and service. The Office of Academic Affairs awards honored faculty a $30,000 one-time cash award to support their academic work. The university's Board of Trustees will confer the title at its June 24 meeting.

Hamilton is a visual artist internationally recognized for the sensory surrounds of her large-scale multi-media installations. Since 1981, Hamilton has participated in over 60 solo and group exhibitions. In 1999 she represented the United States at the 48th Venice Biennale. In 1993 she was the only visual artist to receive a MacArthur Fellowship, an especially significant honor given her relatively young age.

Hamilton first made her appearance at Ohio State in 1989 when she was one of a select group of nationally-known artists invited to exhibit an installation at the Grand Opening of the Wexner Center for the Arts. She joined the Ohio State faculty in 2001. In 2009, Hamilton was inducted into the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Her work has been widely exhibited in America and abroad. Her public sculpture projects include permanent commissions in collaboration with landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh and artist Michael Mercil (also a faculty member in the Department of Art) for Allegheny River Park in Pittsburgh and Teardrop Park in Battery Park City, in New York, NY. Her public commissions also include permanent works for the Seattle Central Library and the San Francisco Public Library, among many others.

Hamilton received a BFA in textile design from the University of Kansas and an MFA in sculpture from the Yale University School of Art.