Celebration and Commencement
If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his [her/their] vision wherever it takes him [her/them]. We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth. -John F. Kennedy
These wise words were part of JFK’s commencement speech at Amherst College in 1963. They were uttered in this season of transition, of closing one chapter and commencing the next. Members of the Department of Art and Art History would like to commend our senior art and art history graduates who are setting off to nourish the roots of our culture and society.
Above photos, Senior Show opening reception, receiving cords and awards. Photo Credit: Jessica Leech
This year Department of Art and Art History graduates will sport 3-D prints of the Athena of Velletri bust pictured below. Athena, goddess of war, wisdom, and handicrafts serves as an icon of the vision, bravery, and imagination that our graduates bring to the wider world. It’s also pretty cool to be able to take advantage of the new Makerspace in creating these additions to our graduates’ regalia!
Congratulations graduates!
The Lansdowne Bust of Athena of Velletri, 2nd-century copy after a Greek original of circa 430–420 B.C. by Kresilas, Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
Transition is perpetual! Please enjoy the impressive slate of recent student and alumni accomplishments that exemplify the unique visions that guide the members of our department’s community.
2018 Student and Alumni News!
Carolyn Corl ’15 completed a competitive internship at the Filoli Gardens in San Francisco and is entering the University of Oregon’s Landscape Architecture MFA Program in the fall.
Ayse Hunt ’19 (double major in Art History and Computer Science) has received the prestigious Lora Bryning Scholarship for 2018-2019.
Mary Thompson ’19 (Art History) was awarded the Religious Leadership Award and the Cyrus Ames Wright Scholarship for the academic year 2018-2019.
Kelsey Eldridge ’12 has passed her General Exams and is now at the stage of ABD (all but dissertation) in the Ph.D. program of the Department of the History of Art and Architecture at Harvard University.
Haley Andres ’14 is working as a Graduate and Fellowship Associate at the Posse Foundation.
Erin Weary ’13 (Sculpture) received her MFA in Sculpture from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.
Alison Grimm ’12 (Sculpture) received her MFA in Sculpture from Wayne State University in Detroit.
Katharine Threat ’20 (Art History major) has been awarded a Summer Internship at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum of Modern Art in Washington, D.C. as Gallery Guide for Summer 2018.
Eight Art and Art History majors were awarded AHSS Summer Research Grants:
Ian Chandler (Sculpture)
Elayna Caron (Painting)
Ally Hembree (Printmaking)
Walker Hewitt (Painting)
Ayse Hunt (Art History)
Sophia Munic (Sculpture)
Ronda Peck (Ceramics)
Mary Thompson (Art History)
Dina Mustakim ’16 will be earning an MFA in Production Design at Chapman University in Southern California.
Maia Raedar ’16 will enter Western Washington University’s Secondary Education Master’s Program in the fall.
Bryn Thomas ’14 will be attending Tulane University in New Orleans, to begin her MSW (Master of Social Work).
Aaron Badham ’11 accepted a tenure-line position in the Department of Art at Hastings College in Nebraska where he will be the Sculpture Area Coordinator.
Olivia Sherman ’17 will attend Tyler School of Art’s MFA program in the fall. She was awarded a full ride fellowship and a monthly stipend.
Louisa Raitt ’15 is completing her M.A. degree at NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts this spring. She has been accepted by the same institution to continue her graduate studies as a Ph.D. candidate studying Spanish Art History from the 13-15th centuries with full tuition coverage and stipend for five years.
Jonathan Steele ’14 returned as a visiting ceramics faculty member during Chad Gunderson’s junior sabbatical
Lianna Hamby ’17 was accepted into the University of Washington’s Museology Graduate Program. She will begin her master’s degree in the fall.