• Arts & Sciences
• Art & Art History
• Alumni and Friends
• Newsletter
• 2022 Newsletter

Dear Alumni and Friends,

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

Our fall semester is off to a busy start, with an abundance of exciting programming involving our students and faculty.  First, it is wonderful to announce the return of our annual Homecoming Brunch this year on October 8, hosted by the Muscarelle Museum of Art in conjunction with the Faculty 15 Exhibition. Please join us at the Muscarelle as we enjoy a long-standing collaboration between the Museum and the Department of Art & Art History—the show includes works by W&M studio art faculty and staff.  Also at the Muscarelle, our art history faculty are delivering a series of lectures, the first of which will be from Professor Liz Moran scheduled for November 11 at 5pm. Please watch for additional announcements as more of these faculty lectures are scheduled.

October proves to be a robust month of activities.  As part of our Distinguished Lecture Series, Sam Chung will present “Journey in Clay” on October 31 at 5pm in Andrews 101. We hope you can attend. Professor Chung is an American ceramic artist living in Tempe, Arizona. He creates pottery that reframes historical ceramics from a cross-cultural perspective. We are most appreciative to the family of our late anonymous donor for their continued support of our Annual Distinguished Lecture Series.

Also in October, sculptor Laura Frazure will lead a workshop for our students and present an exhibition in the Andrews Gallery, and a concurrent exhibition at Linda Matney Gallery, both titled Bodily Rhetoric.  These exhibitions run October 6-28, with an artist talk in Andrews 101 on October 6th at 5pm, followed by a reception. A separate reception will be at Linda Matney Gallery on October 8, 3:30-6:30pm. 

Rounding out the month, our senior Studio Art majors will hold their '22 Capstone Summer Sketchbook Exhibition in the new Hart Gallery in the Sadler Center from October 7-24, with a reception on October 7th from 4-6pm.

Looking ahead to November, the Art History Curatorial Project, led by Professor Cristina Stancioiu, will curate and present an exhibition in the Andrews Gallery from November 14-December 2, with a reception on November 14th from 4-6pm.

Faculty and Staff News

This year we welcome a wonderful addition to our team, our new studio technician, Christopher B. Wagner.  Christopher joins us from Spokane, WA.  We also thank our former technician, Michael Draeger for his amazing dedication and myriad contributions to Art & Art History as he moves on to the next phase of his career.  And we have many faculty updates as well, including news from Professors Christian Brahe, Eliot Dudik, Mike Jabbur, John Lee, Elizabeth Mead, Liz Moran, and Sibel Zandi-Sayek. 

Spring 2023

Please watch for more announcements as we prepare for spring semester.  We eagerly anticipate annual events including Art History’s Senior Research Colloquium and Studio Art’s Senior Capstone Exhibition.

Spring and Fall 2022

We just recently saw the conclusion of, “Architecture of Memory,” an exhibition in the Andrews Gallery led by Professor Michael Gaynes, as part of his course, The Ceremonial Vessel.  The show opened with the start of this fall semester and closed September 23.  This exhibition was a fitting follow-up to the Hearth Memorial Vessel Design Competition, also organized by Professor Gaynes. 

And we are still energized by our plethora of activities held last spring!  Dr. Eugene Y. Yang delivered an inspiring lecture titled How Was Art Electrified? The Formation of the Global Brain in China as part of our Distinguished Lecture Series.  Art History majors, led my Professor Sibel Zandi-Sayek, presented their 4th Annual Senior Research Colloquium, joined by Keynote Speaker, Dr. Alex Dika Seggerman.  Dr. Seggerman delivered a wonderful lecture Constellational Modernism in Egypt, setting the tone for the colloquium.  And Art History’s The Curatorial Project, led by Professor Charles Palermo, installed The Human Frame: Prints by Leonard Baskin. Both the Colloquium and the Leonard Baskin exhibition were hosted by the Muscarelle Museum of Art.  Studio Art majors, led by Professor Nikki Santiago, held their annual Senior Capstone Show at the Linda Matney Gallery and installed their Senior Capstone Exhibition in the Andrews Gallery.  Our department was also thrilled to host Creatives Collect: Treasured Art & Objects from the Personal Collections of W&M Studio Art Faculty in the Andrews Gallery.  This unique exhibition was curated by the amazing Melissa Parris, Director of Collections & Exhibitions at the Muscarelle. 

We held our first in-person graduation ceremony since the lockdown began, and our students graduated with a variety of noteworthy 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.  Go Tribe!

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,

Mike Jabbur

Chair, Department of Art & Art History