Vanderbilt University History of Art Blog

HART Department Celebrates A New Beginning With Advent of Fall Semester

The fall semester is officially underway with history of art faculty and students returning to the classroom on August 22. Betsey Robinson, associate professor of history of art, will serve as HART acting chair while Kevin Murphy, chair and professor of history of art, is on sabbatical. Other HART faculty on leave are Vivien Fryd, Mireille Lee, Tracy Miller, and Rebecca VanDiver. The HART department welcomes two new faculty, Matt Worsnick and Jochen Wierich, and postdoctoral fellow Michelle Taylor, and announces the promotion of Shelby Merritt as curator of the Visual Resources Center.

Matt Worsnick, assistant professor of the practice, is teaching a new course, “Introduction to Design Studies,” which will critically examine the exchange between the designed world of objects, images, and experiences, and the culture that creates, manipulates, and absorbs these designs.

“Design encompasses us,” said Worsnick. “From the typeface in which these words are printed to the buildings that keep our classrooms comfortable to the forester-managed national parks that we visit in order to escape the artificial city, we inhabit an age in which everything on our planet is a product of human design.  And designers, born into a thoroughly designed world, continue to revise and recreate that world.  Indeed, the relationship between design and society are profoundly reciprocal.”

He is also teaching an advanced seminar and exhibit course, “Exhibiting Historical Art: Architecture at MoMA.” A major exhibition opened in July at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City entitled “Toward a Concrete Utopia: Architecture in Yugoslavia, 1948-1980.” This seminar will investigate both the curation of the exhibition and its subject matter, the philosophically intricate, sometimes surreal, often spectacular architecture produced by the communist state of Yugoslavia during the Cold War. The class will travel to New York City to encounter the exhibition firsthand and to meet with members of the curatorial team.

Jochen Wierich, senior lecturer of history of art, is teaching “Art SInce ’45” that covers the theory and practice of mostly American art since 1945, focusing upon modernism and postmodernism. “Beginning with the emergence of large-scale abstract painting in New York in the post-war years,” said Wierich, “we will examine challenges to ‘formalist’ conceptions of the picture and its priority on aesthetic quality as the guarantor of artistic value.”

While Impressionist paintings by artists and their contemporaries are so popular in exhibitions, publications, and museum gift shops, “the radical origins of the movement and its contested history are often overlooked,” said Wierich, who is also teaching a freshman seminar entitled “Impressionism in its Historical Context.”

Two anthropology professors are teaching fall semester courses under the aegis of the HART department. Anna Guengerich, research assistant professor of anthropology, will teach “Sacred Sites in World History,” a course that explores how human beings throughout history and across the world have created extraordinary places that connect them to the divine. Guengerich will offer students an insight into the nature of religious architecture as well as an overview of major works of architectural history, and of ancient civilizations across the world.

Markus Eberl, associate professor of anthropology, will teach an advanced seminar and exhibit course entitled “Exhibiting Historical Art: Daily Life in Ancient Mesoamerica.” Students will curate a new exhibition on daily life in ancient Mesoamerica that will be on view in Vanderbilt’s Fine Arts Gallery. Students will be involved in content development, interpretive planning, and exhibition design. The basis of the show will be pre-conquest Mexican and Central American artifacts from Vanderbilt’s permanent collection.

Also new to our department is Michelle Taylor, a postdoctoral fellow with the Digital Cultural Heritage Research Cluster TIP and directed by Tracy Miller, associate professor of history of art, and Lynn Ramey, professor of French. Taylor will help with the expansion of existing projects that use the Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) and the Music Encoding Initiative (MEI) as well as the development of new projects. She also will lead workshops, teach classes, and is available for individual consultation.

Posted by vrcvanderbilt on August 28, 2018 in Events, HART, News, Student/Alumni, Vanderbilt University, VRC

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Rebecca VanDiver Surveys Howard University’s Department of Art from 1921 to 1971 in “Callaloo” Journal

Rebecca VanDiver, assistant professor of African American art, surveys the history of Howard University’s Department of Art during its first fifty years in an article, “Art Matters: Howard University’s Department of Art from 1921 to 1971,” published in Callaloo (volume 39, number 5) by The Johns Hopkins University Press.

Founded in 1921 by James V. Herring (1887–1969), the Department of Art at Howard University was the first stand-alone studio art department at a historically Black college or university. During the 1930s the department became the center for both the production and study of African American art, combining studio practice with the study of art history. During the era of segregation, Howard University offered Black Washingtonians access to intellectual and cultural offerings that were otherwise unavailable to them.

In her article VanDiver considers the various human, spatial, and ideological components that coalesced during this fifty-year period, which enabled the idea of African American art history to germinate within the Department of Art. Through this historiography, VanDiver seeks “not only to excavate the central role of Howard’s Department of Art in the formations of Black art histories (here African and African American) but also to ponder how one writes about an academic department (here a fine arts department) as a holistic entity responsible for both knowledge and cultural production.”

*Callaloo, front cover (volume 39, number 5, Art 2016)

Posted by vrcvanderbilt on August 27, 2018 in HART, News, Vanderbilt University, VRC

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Former Goldberg Lecturer John Ott Expresses Gratitude to HART Department

John Ott, professor of art history, James Madison University, paid tribute to Vanderbilt’s History of Art department in his article, “Hale Woodruff’s Antiprimitivist History of Abstract Art,” which appeared this spring in the Art Bulletin 100:1 (March 2018).

“I owe many individuals my warmest gratitude for their generous support of and incisive feedback on this project,” wrote Ott. “Rebecca VanDiver invited me to present this material as a Norman L. and Roselea J. Goldberg Lecture at Vanderbilt University, which netted productive commentary from her and her art history colleagues: Leonard Folgarait, Vivien Green Fryd, Christopher Johns, Kevin Murphy, and Betsey Robinson.”

Ott delivered the Goldberg Lecture at Vanderbilt on November 10, 2016. His lecture was entitled “Hale Woodruff’s Antiprimitivist History of Global Art.”

Posted by vrcvanderbilt on August 27, 2018 in HART, Lectures, News, Vanderbilt University, VRC

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Exhibit by Middle Eastern Women Artists Celebrates Quest to Build Peace

The Vanderbilt Fine Arts Gallery will feature the contemporary artwork of Middle Eastern women in an East-West peace-building exhibition opening Thursday, August 30, in Cohen Memorial Hall on the Peabody campus, with a reception from 5 to 7pm in the atrium.

I AM: Middle Eastern Women Artists and the Quest to Build Peace showcases the work of thirty-one premier Middle Eastern women artists from twelve countries, visually celebrating the pivotal contributions that women make to the enduring global quest for harmony and peace. The exhibition, guest curated by Janet Rady, a specialist in Middle Eastern contemporary art, will be on view through October 10 and presents thirty-eight original works of art, including examples of painting, drawing, collage, photography, digital art, and mixed-media and sculpture

“This exhibition reflects the central role the visual arts can play in bridging world cultures,” said Joseph Mella, gallery director. “Having this take form through the work of prominent Middle Eastern women artists, each confronting conventions with innovative, arresting art, makes this exhibition especially relevant to our students and the greater university and Nashville communities.”

Offering remarks at the reception will be Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos, The Rev. Canon Paul-Gordon Chandler of CARAVAN—the nonprofit organization organizing the exhibit—and participating artist Sheikha Lulwa Al Khalifa of the Kingdom of Bahrain. “In the midst of the increasing chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the Middle East and West, the arts can be one of the most effective mediums to provide new pathways of understanding that transcend borders, helping us put ourselves in the other’s shoes,” said Chandler.

The exhibition premiered its global tour at the National Gallery of Fine Arts, Amman, Jordan, in May 2017 under the patronage of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah. It was then showcased on London’s Trafalgar Square at the historic St. Martin-in-the-Fields, and then premiered in the United States at the American University Museum in Washington, DC. The Vanderbilt presentation, brought to the Fine Arts Gallery with the generous support of the Vanderbilt Office of the Chancellor, will be one of six in North America.

In addition to the opening event, a panel discussion is set for Wednesday, September 12, in Cohen Hall 203 in conjunction with the Faith and Culture Center. Specific details will be announced on the Fine Arts Gallery website and university calendar.

Gallery hours are 11am to 4pm Monday through Friday, and 1 to 5pm Saturday and Sunday. All events are free and open to the public. Parking is available, free of charge, anywhere in Lot 95 on the Peabody campus, accessible from 21st Avenue South.

*Maitha Demithan, Emirati, Mother, 2017, Scanography, 39.4″ x 31.5″ framed. Courtesy of the artist.  Information for blog post courtesy of Nicholas Moore (Vanderbilt News, August 8, 2018) and the Vanderbilt Fine Arts Gallery.

Posted by vrcvanderbilt on August 27, 2018 in Events, Fine Arts Gallery, HART, Lectures, News, Vanderbilt University, VRC

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Elizabeth Moodey Presents Paper at Symposium on Medieval and Renaissance Studies

Nashville, home to the United Methodist Publishing House, Thomas Nelson, the Southern Baptists’ Lifeway Christian Stores, and Gideons International (of the ubiquitous Gideon Bibles), is a world center of religious publishing, primarily for mainline Protestants and evangelical Christians. The printing and distribution of the Bible being a major industry, it is not surprising that the city has been called both the Buckle of the Bible Belt and the Protestant Vatican.

Elizabeth Moodey, associate professor of history of art, presented a paper in late June at Saint Louis University’s annual symposium on Medieval and Renaissance Studies. Her paper—The Buckle of the Bible Belt: Artifacts of Southern Culture and the History of the Bible at Vanderbilt—was delivered in the session entitled “Deep into the Archives: Manuscripts in Lesser-Known American Collections.”

In her talk Moodey considered donations to the library of Nashville’s Vanderbilt University by Nettie Hale Rand and Samuel Fleming, both graduates of Vanderbilt.  Rand’s collection of more than 300 fine examples of printing and binding also included a manuscript book of hours dated 1480, made for an owner in Reims (named Ponset) who is pictured in prayer before Saint Barbara.  Fleming gave the university a large number of 13^th-century French manuscript Bible leaves of the type so essential for theology students in Paris, and left funds for the library’s Southern Civilization Collection.

Since the mid-2000s, Fleming’s gift has supported the acquisition of handmade books by contemporary Southern artists. A recent exhibition brought together these two strains of the library’s developing collection, juxtaposing medieval and contemporary artifacts according to their subjects—travel, medicine, music, and of course, the Bible.  “The groupings suggest that contemporary book artists may share some of the concerns and techniques of their medieval predecessors,” said Moodey, “but that the active choice of making a book by hand has led the craft into a more personal, even idiosyncratic approach.”

She also noted that the Book of Hours in Vanderbilt’s Special Collections was the subject of an outstanding honors thesis by Christine Williams in 2012. The manuscript is known as the Ponset Hours, so named for the identified owner pictured in the final illumination, the Saint Barbara illumination.

*Prayer to Saint Barbara, BX 2080 c.37 1480 fol. 113.(courtesy of Vanderbilt’s Special Collections)

Posted by vrcvanderbilt on August 10, 2018 in Conferences, HART, Lectures, News, Vanderbilt University, VRC

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CNN: “Remembering America’s Lost Buildings” by Kevin Murphy and Other Architectural Historians

CNN recently picked up an earlier story, “Remembering America’s Lost Buildings” (August 31, 2017), from The Conversation in which Kevin Murphy, professor and chair of the history of art, participated. Murphy was among five architectural historians and professors who responded to the question: “What’s one American structure you wish had been saved?”

While their responses vary – from an unassuming home nestled in the suburbs of Boston to a monument of 19th-century wealth and glamour – none of the structures could resist the tides of decay, development and discrimination. . . . Read more in The Conversation, including Murphy’s article, “Traditional New England goes modern,” on the Rachel Raymond House, Belmont, Massachusetts, designed in 1931 by architect Eleanor Raymond for her sister Rachel and demolished in 2006.

*Photograph of the Rachel Raymond House courtesy of Historic New England

Posted by vrcvanderbilt on August 10, 2018 in HART, News, VRC

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Fine Arts Gallery Features “Joyce Tenneson–Botanical Beauty” Through August 18

Joyce Tenneson–Botanical Beauty presents work drawn from two portfolios by the artist, both of which feature atmospheric, poetic photographs of flowers in high contrast with a black background. On view through August 18 in the Fine Arts Gallery in Cohen Memorial Hall on the Peabody campus, these are, in effect, portraits of flowers, whether seen as individual buds or in relation to others of the same species, whether in their vibrant peak or fading days.

The first series, Flower Portraits, presents sepia-toned images of flowers in decay. Tenneson has adeptly captured movement, wonder, and vibrancy in them, as well as a sublime beauty. Intimacy, the second portfolio, features a wide variety of flowers, photographed in color in a sensuous, almost ethereal, manner. These two series together encourage viewers to study the unique shapes, textures, and marks of individual flowers and, in so doing, to celebrate biodiversity and the life cycle of plants.

Joyce Tenneson is a Maine-based photographer whose work has been exhibited, published, and recognized internationally. She was a recipient of the International Center of Photography’s Infinity Award in 1989. These selections are recent gifts to the Fine Arts Gallery’s growing collection of photography, generously donated by Melissa and Scott Tannen, both BA’99, and Ronald Francesco.

The exhibit was organized by Vanderbilt’s Fine Arts Gallery and curated by Joseph Mella, director, and Margaret Walker, assistant curator. Summer gallery hours are Tuesday-Friday, 12-4pm; and Saturday, 1-5pm. Parking is available, free of charge, anywhere in Lot 95 on the Peabody campus, accessible from 21st Avenue South.

*Joyce Tenneson (American, b. 1945). Dogwood, 2004, printed 2015. Archival pigment print, 22 x 17 inches.

Posted by vrcvanderbilt on July 31, 2018 in Events, Fine Arts Gallery, HART, News, Vanderbilt University, VRC

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Edward Raymond Kinstler’s Portrait of Eddie George On View in Fine Arts Gallery

The oil portrait of Eddie George that Everett Raymond Kinstler began during a lecture and painting demonstration on March 24 is on display at the Vanderbilt Fine Arts Gallery through Saturday, July 14.

George, a former star Tennessee Titan turned professional actor, was among those attending a public unveiling ceremony at Cohen Memorial Hall, where he expressed admiration and gratitude for Kinstler’s work. “I was really overwhelmed to be included among the 2,000 subjects that he’s painted over his lifetime,” George said. “To be a part of that list is truly tremendous. I’m actually the first professional football player that he’s painted.”

George’s portrait briefly joins the Fine Arts Gallery’s current exhibition, “America Creative: Portraits by Everett Raymond Kinstler.” Other portraits on display include those of actor Katharine Hepburn, writer Tom Wolfe, singer Marian Anderson, entertainer Tony Bennett and former President Ronald Reagan.

Kinstler has generously gifted the portrait to George, who noted that the painting demonstration with Kinstler in Sarratt Cinema became an extraordinary conversation between the two artists. “We talked about everything from my career to his career, the people that he’s painted, the things that I’m doing now, including my family,” he said. “It really made me think about my life now as an artist.”

During the painting demonstration, the 91-year-old Kinstler talked about the importance of feeling for both an actor and a painter. He noted that what he tries to capture is not necessarily the perfect proportions of the person he paints, but rather the feeling of that individual’s personality.

The exhibition, which is free and open to the public, was curated by Joseph Mella, director, and Margaret Walker, assistant curator, of the Vanderbilt Fine Arts Gallery, with special thanks to the artist, Peggy Kinstler and Michael Shane Neal.

Summer gallery hours are Tuesday-Friday, 12-4pm; and Saturday, 1-5pm. Parking is available, free of charge, anywhere in Lot 95 on the Peabody campus, accessible from 21st Avenue South.

*Eddie George admires the work of noted portraitist Everett Raymond Kinstler during an unveiling ceremony at the Fine Arts Gallery July 10. (photograph courtesy of Vanderbilt University)

*Article by Ann Marie Deer Owens courtesy of Vanderbilt News (July 11, 2018)

Posted by vrcvanderbilt on July 13, 2018 in Events, Fine Arts Gallery, HART, Nashville Arts, News, Vanderbilt University, VRC

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Betsey Robinson Named 2018-2019 Mellon Fellow in Digital Humanities

The College of Arts and Science recently announced that Betsey Robinson, associate professor of history of art, is among the Mellon Fellows in Digital Humanities named for the 2018-2019 academic year. Robinson is recognized for her development and utilization of 3-D mapping and modeling techniques in Greek architectural archaeology.

The fellowships, administered through the Vanderbilt Center for Digital Humanities and supported by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, enable members of the Vanderbilt community to pursue scholarly projects that involve the development and use of digital tools for humanistic inquiry.

“The level of scholarly achievement and intellectual enrichment that the center has generated in a short period of time is extraordinary,” said Bonnie J. Dow, divisional dean of humanities in the College of Arts and Science. “I am confident this next cohort of fellows will build on that success.”

Posted by vrcvanderbilt on July 12, 2018 in Digital Humanities, HART, News, Technology, Vanderbilt University, VRC

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Unveiling of Kinstler’s Portrait of Eddie George at Fine Arts Gallery on July 10

*Portraitist Everett Raymond Kinstler conducts a lecture and painting demonstration with Eddie George at Sarratt Cinema in March 2018. (YouTube)

A portrait of Eddie George by Everett Raymond Kinstler, one of America’s most notable portrait artists, will be unveiled at the Vanderbilt Fine Arts Gallery in Cohen Memorial Hall on Tuesday, July 10, at 6 pm.

George, a former star running back for the Tennessee Titans who has become a professional actor and performed on Broadway, will attend the unveiling ceremony. The event is free and open to the public.

Kinstler, whose famed portraits include those of eight U.S. presidents, began this oil portrait of George during a March lecture and painting demonstration in Sarratt Cinema. During the painting demonstration, Kinstler talked about the importance of feeling for both an actor and a painter. He noted that what he tries to capture is not necessarily the perfect proportions of the person he paints, but rather the feeling of that individual’s personality.

“I don’t worry about the people who say the mouth is not right or the jaw is out of proportion,” Kinstler told the audience. “I know when I have the feeling right.” The 91-year-old Kinstler has painted more than 2,000 individuals—leaders in almost every field—during his career.

George’s portrait will join the Fine Arts Gallery’s current exhibition, “America Creative: Portraits by Everett Raymond Kinstler.” His portraits, on display at the gallery through Saturday, July 14, include actor Katharine Hepburn, writer Tom Wolfe, singer Marian Anderson and entertainer Tony Bennett.

The exhibition has been curated by Joseph Mella, director, and Margaret Walker, assistant curator, of the Vanderbilt Fine Arts Gallery, with special thanks to the artist, Peggy Kinstler and Michael Shane Neal.

For more information on the unveiling ceremony, email Margaret Walker (margaret.walker@vanderbilt.edu) or call (615) 343-1702. Parking is available, free of charge, anywhere in Lot 95 on the Peabody campus, accessible from 21st Avenue South.

*Article by Ann Marie Deer Owens and Bonnie Ertelt courtesy of Vanderbilt News (July 2, 2018)

Posted by vrcvanderbilt on July 5, 2018 in Events, Fine Arts Gallery, HART, News, Vanderbilt University, VRC

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