Gustavus Adolphus College alumnus Ian Grant ’91 and his television show The Relic Hunter with Ian Grant have been awarded a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Special Class Series. The show received the award from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences on June 25 in Los Angeles.
The Relic Hunter is produced by the Travel Channel and features Grant as he travels the world to find amazing artifacts. From the steamy jungles of Peru to the remote mountains of Romania, each episode showcases Grant as he immerses himself in the local culture with the ultimate goal of meeting and working alongside the master craftsmen who continue to use ancient methods to create their traditional objects. Frequently invited into a village’s “inner circle,” Grant is sometimes privileged to witness cultural celebrations and secret ceremonies – many of which have never been filmed.
Grant has made a living out of hunting for unusual artifacts and objects overseas and then shipping them back and selling them to top retail shops and interior designers around the country. His business, Björling-Grant, has earned a reputation in the design world as one of the best sources for beautiful cultural objects from around the world.
Grant earned degrees in history and art history at Gustavus. He studied at the National Gallery and the British Museum in London in a self structured course, and helped curate shows at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Today, Grant lives in Minneapolis with his wife Lisa and son Alex.
Leave a Reply