Aida Laleian has contributed nearly 1,000 images of architecture in Romania and Armenia to the Artstor Digital Library.

Laleian, a photographer and scholar, traveled extensively in both countries to document architecture and historic sites. In Romania, she photographed ancient and medieval churches, monasteries, and castles. Of particular note are the painted monasteries of Bucovina in the Moldavia region of northeastern Romania. Dating from the 15th through 17th centuries, these Orthodox monasteries are adorned with exceptional exterior and interior fresco decoration. Considered masterpieces of Byzantine art, seven of the monasteries were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1993. In Armenia, Laleian documented classical, medieval, and modern architecture, including churches and monasteries from the 4th through 19th centuries.

Born in Bucharest, Romania, Aida Laleian is Professor of Art Emeritus at Williams College. She received her B.F.A. from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and her M.F.A. from the University of California, Davis. Laleian is known for her manipulated photography, creating self-portraits as allegorical or mythological figures and hybrid human/animal creatures. Her recent work, digital photographs on canvas and embroidered photographs, introduces the textiles arts to her medium. Her work has been exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Photography, the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Garden, and the Houston Center for Photography.