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• Art & Art History
• Alumni and Friends
• Newsletter
• 2023 Newsletter

Dear Alumni and Friends,

Greetings from the Department of Art & Art History at William & Mary!

Fall 2023 is in full swing, with exciting courses, events, and programs involving our students, faculty, and the wider campus community. For example, as I was writing this, a group of nearly a hundred Art & Art History students and faculty members visited the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., on one of our regular department-sponsored fieldtrips.  In addition to great masterpieces in the museum's permanent collection such as Leonardo da Vinci's portrait of Ginevra de' Benci, Mary Cassatt's The Boating Party, and Aaron Douglas's The Judgment Day, the William & Mary group was able to see the major temporary exhibitions Canova: Sketching in Clay and The Land Carries Our Ancestors: Contemporary Art by Native Americans.

On September 8th, we held the opening reception of our first Andrews Gallery exhibition of the academic year, Whittled Down: The Carvings of Christopher B. Wagner, featuring a series of eye-catching painted wood sculptures created by our department's Studio Art Technician.  In a fascinating and well-attended artist talk that evening, Chris described his technical process and personal background as a sculptor inspired by folk art, animals, and his rural upbringing in Kentucky.  The following week, he held two woodcarving workshops to give students opportunities for hands-on experience.

Art History majors Sophia Kim, Hannah Kuhns, and Anna Wershbale participated in the Internship & Applied Learning Showcase at the Sadler Center on September 8th, sharing information about their experiences as summer interns at the Chrysler Museum of Art, the Virginia Museum of Art, and the Taft Museum of Art respectively.

Another important event occurred on Wednesday, September 27th, at the Careers in Photography Panel and Networking Event, held in Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall - the centerpiece of William & Mary's new Arts Quarter - featuring a conversation with photographers Lynn Alleva Lilley '87, Professor Eliot Dudik, and Michael Bartolotta, moderated by David Brashear, Director of the Muscarelle Museum of Art.

On Saturday, October 21st, the department hosts our annual Homecoming Brunch in the Andrews Hall foyer coinciding with our Andrews Gallery exhibition, "Larger Than Still Life: Paintings by Xico Greenwald," which opened Thursday, October 5th, at 4:00 p.m. with a reception and artist talk in the Andrews 101 auditorium.

Looking ahead to November, Art History majors in Professor Liz Morán's course The Curatorial Project (ARTH 331) will curate and present an exhibition titled "Face to Face: Across Spaces and Places" in the Andrews Gallery from November 3-29, with an opening reception on Friday, November 3rd.

Faculty and Staff News

On June 30, Mike Jabbur stepped down as Department Chair after three years of heroic and steady leadership. In addition to guiding us through the many challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, Mike was instrumental in creating a new budget structure for the department that empowers Studio Art and Art History with greater autonomy while maintaining a sense of collective purpose. Even as he served in the demanding administrative role of Chair, Mike has remained remarkably productive as artist. You can read about the details of his activity in our faculty updates. In the Fall of 2023, Mike embarks on a scheduled research leave, during which he will undoubtedly create an even more impressive body of new ceramic work. Thanks very much Mike and enjoy your leave!

This past summer Pam Hawkes, our Director of Visual Resources, Communications, and The Andrews Gallery, retired after more than two decades of superlative service to the department and the university. In addition to being incredibly adept and efficient in managing our image databases, website, gallery, events, and promotions, Pam is a scholar of Roman and Medieval history as well as the Latin language. She has been unfailingly kind and cheerful as a co-worker and friend. Her contribution to the department over the years was enormous and she will be greatly missed by all. To celebrate her retirement, faculty and staff toasted her departure at a departmental gathering on May 8 at the Amber Ox in Williamsburg. Cheers to Pam and happy retirement!

On a more somber note, our beloved faculty colleague, Marlene Jack, Emerita Professor of Art in Ceramics, passed away on March 9, 2023. After earning her B.A. from Knox College in 1970 (cum laude) and an MFA from the University of Minnesota in 1974, Marlene joined the faculty of William & Mary in 1974 and taught Ceramics for more than three and half decades before retiring in 2011, leaving an unparalelled legacy. For more information about Marlene's life, see the obituary in W&M News. In her honor, William & Mary has created the Marlene Jack Ceramics Opportunity Endowment to support ongoing instruction in her field.

New Faces

We welcome three wonderful new adjunct faculty members in Studio Art: Liam Corcoran (Painting); Hiroe Hanazono, the Class of 1939 Artist-in-Residence (Ceramics, Fall 2024); and Christine Orr (Ceramics, Spring 2024).

The Department also welcomes a new staff member, Patrick Harkin, as the Andrews Gallery Coordinator. A talented multimedia artist with extensive experience running art galleries and exhibiting around the country, Patrick brings a dynamic vision of innovation and community engagement to the Andrews Gallery.

We have many faculty updates as well, including news from Professors Braddock, Conan-Wu, Jabbur, Kreydatus, Lee, Levesque, Lowery, Mead, Morán, Santiago, and Zandi-Sayek.

More Highlights of the Past Year

On Saturday morning, May 20, we held our departmental Graduation Ceremony, a truly joyous event celebrating our majors in the Class of 2023 with their families and friends.  Our students graduated with a variety of noteworthy student accomplishments including departmental and Latin honors, numerous scholarships and awards, and Phi Beta Kappa Society inductions.  We wish our alumni continued success as they pursue graduate studies and begin exciting new careers.  Way to go Art & Art History!

Leading up to Commencement, the department sponsored a number of important exhibitions and other events, including a solo show in the Andrews Gallery by Laura Vahlberg, the Non-Majors Show, the Catron Scholars Exhibition, the Honors Exhibition, and the Senior Show.

Looking Ahead to Spring 2024

Please watch for more announcements as we prepare for spring semester.  We eagerly anticipate annual events including the Distinguished Lecture in Art History, the Studio Art Senior Capstone Exhibition, the Art History Senior Research Colloquium, and more.

Please stay in touch and continue to send us your latest news and whereabouts. Alumni, if you haven’t already, please connect with us on LinkedIn (Art History alumni & Studio Art alumni have their own LinkedIn group accounts). Also, see some of the incredible achievements of our alumni. We are always delighted to hear from our community of alumni and friends. Our current and prospective students are especially eager to learn about your stories and the variety of careers many of you have embarked on, continued with, or retired from. Your enthusiasm and support are part of what makes this an exciting department for our faculty and students.

With all best wishes,

Alan C. Braddock
Chair, Department of Art & Art History