Last month I started telling you about all the things I’ve been learning about the VMFA’s initial artmobile program. Let’s see what I’ve been doing since then (spoilers: it’s a lot). The first thing I did was finish going through the archival documents I had photographed. I had about 100 or so document clusters left… Continue reading Dissertation Work, March Update
Author: Sara
Symposium Reflections
When I was checking LinkedIn the other day I noticed that my former supervisor from the Archives and Special Collections at Lake Forest College had recently posted something. We’ve kept in touch since I graduated, so I decided to check it out. It turned to be a post about the College’s annual Student Symposium, a… Continue reading Symposium Reflections
Mountains and Birds on the Cabinet Doors
One of the challenges of home ownership is reconciling your improvement ambitions with the realities of your finite time and (especially) budget. In our house, one of those projects has been the cabinets. When Brandon and I first bought the place, we imagined what it would be like to replace them, as they definitely contributed… Continue reading Mountains and Birds on the Cabinet Doors
Roswell Revisited
“It’s nice to see you again too,” I grumbled as yet another dust-clotted gale threatened to shove me off the airport walkway. Who needs expensive facial treatments, I thought sardonically, when you can get sand-blasted exfoliation for free, courtesy of New Mexico’s relentless spring winds? I’d just flown into Roswell, where the gusts had become… Continue reading Roswell Revisited
#CAA2023
Last November, I posted about the conference goals I’ve been checking off since starting the American Studies Program at William & Mary. That post focused on my experiences at the ASA annual meeting, but that’s not the only large conference I’ve been wanting to attend. Last week, I accomplished my goal of going to another… Continue reading #CAA2023
Dissertation Work, February Update
Last month I talked about the on-site visits I’d made to the VMFA‘s archive to look at the materials on their first artmobile program. Since then, I’ve been reviewing the documents I photographed and taking notes. Let’s take a look at some of the things I’ve been learning. Most generally, I’ve been learning about the… Continue reading Dissertation Work, February Update
Dawn and Dusk on the Pocket Door
Not teaching this semester means I’ve got more mental and emotional energy for art projects, including ideas I’ve had for the house. While I’ve already painted a bird or other animal in each room, I’ve also been meaning to carry out some larger concepts. For the past several months, for instance, I’ve wanted to paint… Continue reading Dawn and Dusk on the Pocket Door
Finishing (and Starting) My Dissertation Journal
Last September I experienced a milestone with my dissertation. No, I haven’t finished drafting it, far from it, but I did finish something that, to me at least, is significant: I filled the last page of my dissertation journal. Between the covers of that journal are two years’ worth of ideas, outlines, maps, and above… Continue reading Finishing (and Starting) My Dissertation Journal
Now on View: The Great Exhibition
On January 27, the Barry Art Museum opened its latest temporary exhibition in the Doll Gallery, The Great Exhibition: Bébés at the Barry. Spotlighting dolls from the permanent collection, I started working on this show as soon as Rhonda Holy Bear: Artist and Story-Keeper opened. For the past few months, when I haven’t been working… Continue reading Now on View: The Great Exhibition
Dissertation Work, January Update
This month I started working on Chapter 5, which focuses on the first iteration of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Artmobile (1953-1994). Whereas my previous chapters have looked at outreach exhibitions staged in extant buildings such as libraries and schools, or repurposed homes or commercial venues in the case of the Community Art Center… Continue reading Dissertation Work, January Update