Art & Art History Department
Newsletter
Spring/Summer 2008
Chair's Greeting:
Hello, this is the last time I will write to you of the activities and accomplishments of the students and faculty of the Department of Art and Art History. I’m stepping down as department chair to assume full teaching responsibilities. Brian Kreydatus will take over. We look forward to his leadership.
As you can read from the newsletter, 2007-2008 has been a busy year for us and 2008-2009 promises to be more of the same. For Homecoming 2008, we invite you to a reception on Friday, Oct. 24, 4:00- 6:00 pm. We will have a new web presence in the Fall, make sure you regularly visit our home page. Keep in touch and I hope to see you soon.
Best, Barbara Watkinson.
Call for Funding of Undergraduate Honors Research
The Mission and Goals of the department express a faculty commitment to tutorial-based teaching that guides art and art history students to independent research and creativity. More and more students have undertaken significant year-long projects. To be successful, they need to visit museums, libraries, and archives, purchase design materials, and pay for printing and copying costs, which they have paid for themselves. Read more...
Students
Impression and Expressions: Masters of Modern American Printmaking is the creation of three art history majors: Mary Ramsey, Margaret Collerd, and Schuyler Lolly. It runs at the Muscarelle Museum through Sunday, July 27. If you are in the area, make sure you see it.
Honors in Art and Art History: This year, four art history majors and an interdisciplinary major in architecture design completed honors theses. This year’s topics encompassed painters and patrons of 17th century Holland (Mary Ramsey and John Hawley), the American iconography of John Steuart Curry (Kathryn Swanson), art conservation and art historical study of an 18th century engraving (Sarah Gowen), and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonian House (Audrey Anderson). Read more...
Pictured from left to right; Audrey Anderson, Sarah Gowen, & Kathryn Swanson (absent: Mary Ramsey & John Hawley)
Faculty
Fixed Ecstasy: Joan Miró in the 1920s, Charles Palermo’s monograph on the Catalan artist was published by Penn State Press; and he was promoted to Associate Professor.
The faculty have had a great year, too. Alan Wallach will be the Robert Sterling Clark Visiting Professor of Art History at the Clark Institute in Williamstown, Mass. during the Fall 2008 semester Read more...
Elizabeth Mead exhibited: “Situational Site: Sculpture and Drawings”, at Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss during September 2007.
Alumni
We are always happy to hear from our alums. We had a great time at Homecoming 2007 with our first reception. The weather wasn’t cooperative but for those who could make it to Williamsburg by late Friday afternoon, we had a blast. See photos of Mary Herbert (Busick), ‘97, Jackie Sivertsen Wooldrige ’72, Kathy Wommack ’72, Angie Briggs (Overby) ‘ , Dana Disque (Hearn) ’82, Mary Clark ’72, Jeannie O’Grody ’87, Ginny Carbone (Muller) ’67, Cara Smith ’04, Katie Smith ‘07, and Simone Zuther ‘00.
Some other alumni/ae achievements: Cynthia Robinson, ’84 is Associate Professor of Medieval and Islamic Art History in the departments of New Eastern Studies and Art & Archaeology at Cornell University. She is the author of several books and articles. Lewis Nelson ’90 is Associate Professor of Architecture at UVA, Guiliana Graham ’07 is the events planner for the New York Studio School. Andrews Coombs ‘03 completed his MFA degree at the Rochester Institute of Technology this year. Thomas A. Wong ’83 stopped by to say hello in March. He is a doctor of chiropractic in Hong Kong. Peter Krebs ’93 sculpts and draws in Williamsburg, New York City. Dave Stephenson ’89 continues to create jewelry and small sculptures for charity events in addition to his commercial line. San Francisco is where Ian Hart ’98 has established his studio. Anna Metcalfe ‘01 is completing her second year of a three-year MFA program in ceramics at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Rick Hoffman ‘84 has purchased an old building in downtown Covington, Kentucky to become a teaching studio for ceramics classes and gallery space.
For other alumni/ae achievements and updates click here.
Perspectives
Research and Hands On the Art Works for John Hawley '08
"Learn your languages," advises Art History major John Hawley. "You never know how important they are until you come across something you can't read."
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