Sometime during my first year of my Master’s program I decided I was “not a theory person.” I don’t remember exactly when or why this happened. Maybe it was because my classmates seemed so much more assured of the readings than I did. Perhaps it was the way I struggled to write about theory. Or… Continue reading Confronting My Fear of Theory
Category: Reflection
Thoughts on the Presidential Election
How did you spend the 2020 Presidential Election? I imagine that’s a question historians focusing on American politics might be adding to their litany of inquiries, if they haven’t already done so. I spent November 3rd working as an election officer because I figured helping others vote would be more productive than constantly refreshing my… Continue reading Thoughts on the Presidential Election
Just Go Vote
Note: if you want to skip ahead to the voter information, because that’s the most important part of today’s post, scroll down until you see bold text. Today’s post was originally going to be about a lot of different things. Initially, I was going to write a response piece to the 1776 commission and its… Continue reading Just Go Vote
Comprehensive Exams: Reflecting on my Experience
On September 9, I officially passed my comprehensive exams. In terms of degree requirements, this means I am ABD: All but Dissertation. Mind you, I still have a ways to go before completing the degree because I still have to research and write the dissertation, but finishing the exams is a major milestone as it’s… Continue reading Comprehensive Exams: Reflecting on my Experience
New Digital Project: Facemask Drawings
I’ve been in a holding pattern since finishing my written exams on August 27 because I still need to complete the oral component, which is happening this Wednesday. In the meantime, I’ve been catching up on nonacademic projects that I’d sidelined while reading for comps. My main website, for instance, now features a brand-new page… Continue reading New Digital Project: Facemask Drawings
Navigating the Media
During my freshman year in high school, I took a class on contemporary young adult literature. Keep in mind, I went to a charter school that offered a fairly eclectic array of classes, including Latin, marine biology, and the course that would change my life, art history, so this course wasn’t especially usual to me.… Continue reading Navigating the Media
Thinking (and Reading) About Cultural Politics
When I was an intern at the Dallas Museum of Art, the museum attempted to buy at auction A Grand View of the Seashore, a large seascape painted around 1774 by the French artist Claude-Joseph Vernet (1714-1789). This wasn’t any ordinary art purchase. A Grand View of the Seashore is actually the companion piece to… Continue reading Thinking (and Reading) About Cultural Politics
Thinking (and Reading) About Museums
Last week we explored the art of the New Deal era, from Holger Cahill’s exhibition writings to more recent works exploring the political dimensions of 1930s art. Today, we’ll be considering a topic that has played a seminal role in my professional and personal life: museums. Most broadly, the texts I’ve been working through are… Continue reading Thinking (and Reading) About Museums
Thinking (and Reading) About the Art of the 1930s
We have reached the final list for my comprehensive exams: American art history. For the next few weeks, we’ll take a look at what I’ve been reading about art history, beginning with today’s post on the 1930s. Many of the works I have been reading have delved into the political nature of 1930s American art.… Continue reading Thinking (and Reading) About the Art of the 1930s
Ibram X. Kendi’s How to be an Antiracist
As part of our ongoing work to challenge racism, this month we’re going to be taking a look at Dr. Ibram X. Kendi’s How to be an Antiracist. First, a little about Kendi himself, because this book is closely linked to his life and work. Kendi is a historian, professor, and antiracist activist. He is… Continue reading Ibram X. Kendi’s How to be an Antiracist