The changing face of portraiture at Penn Homepage image: A portrait in Leidy honors Nathan Francis Mossell, who, in 1882, became the first African American student to earn a medical degree from Penn. With its placement in the accessible portion of the building’s stairway, this new portrait gallery is highly visible to students, staff, faculty, and visitors who spend time in the Biology Department. The changing face of portraiture at Penn Efforts around campus aim to diversify those honored in portraits and rethink how to approach representation through art.
Annie Ma bridges the contemporary with classics Annie Ma foregrounding artwork by Jet LeParti. Annie Ma bridges the contemporary with classics Annie Ma, a junior in the School of Arts & Sciences, responded to the rise in anti-Asian violence with a renewed sense of identity and purpose, reconciling her love for classics with her love for contemporary East Asian culture.
Inspiring the next generation of archive scholars Homepage image: Graduate students in the Inside the Archive course look on as Bill Whitaker, the curator and collections manager at the Weitzman School of Design’s Architectural Archives, unfurls an artifact from the Louis Kahn Collection. Inspiring the next generation of archive scholars Through Inside the Archive, a course taught by Liliane Weissberg of the School of Arts & Sciences, Penn students explore what an archive is, how history gets written, and what is ahead in a digital future.
Keepers of the cultural memory Workers at the rare manuscripts and old printed books department of the Andrey Sheptytsky National Museum store them in cardboard boxes to reduce the risk of damage in the event of an attack in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, Friday, March 4, 2022. (Image: AP Photo/Bernat Armangue) AP Photo/Bernat Armangue Keepers of the cultural memory In wartime, saving human lives is a top priority. But secondary considerations often include preserving the cultural heritage also under siege. Penn experts offer their thoughts as the situation in Ukraine continues to unfold.
Justin McDaniel on life, death, religion, and his latest book Buddhist temples (like the one above in Wat Pho, Thailand) are often ornately decorated with gilded statues, flowers, and incense. “Religion,” says McDaniel, “is often a celebration, not an austere retreat.” (Image: Frida Aguilar Estrada on Unsplash.) Q&A Justin McDaniel on life, death, religion, and his latest book In his new book, “Wayward Distractions,” the School of Arts & Sciences’ Justin McDaniel compiles articles on art and material culture spanning his 20-plus years of scholarship.
The philosophy of visual studies The Class of 2022 has eight visual studies majors, including (from left) Zuqi Fu of Beijing, Eli Ricanati of Santa Monica, California, and Morgan Jones of Albany, New York. The philosophy of visual studies Founded 20 years ago, the interdisciplinary major of visual studies creates a bridge for students to combine interests, including philosophy, art history, architecture, fine arts, and psychology.
The great Helga hype Penn In the News Slate.com The great Helga hype Gwendolyn Dubois Shaw of the School of Arts & Sciences spoke about the painter Andrew Wyeth. “His work was so out of fashion that it never went out of fashion. It was consistently American,” she said. “Wyeth had a really strong, enduring appeal.” Shining a light on forgotten designers Penn In the News The New York Times Shining a light on forgotten designers ICA Director Zoë Ryan spoke about the legacy of Anna Russell Jones, the first African American graduate of Moore College of Art & Design. Jones designed rugs and wallpaper and went on to become a graphic designer for the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps in World War II and illustrated medical procedures at Howard University College of Medicine. “Though she was accomplished, her path was not easy,” Ryan said. Exploring monuments of trauma in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Black Atlantic Stephanie Gibson, a doctoral candidate in the history of art. (Image: OMNIA) Exploring monuments of trauma in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Black Atlantic Stephanie Gibson, a doctoral candidate in the history of art, explores in her dissertation how museums and monuments interpret sites with painful histories to help people move past the trauma that occurred there. Artist and professor David Hartt is ‘of the moment’ Artist David Hartt with his installation “The Histories” (Crépuscule) at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the exhibition “New Grit: Art & Philly Now.” (Image: July 2021 when masks were not required.) Artist and professor David Hartt is ‘of the moment’ This year alone four museums and two galleries are featuring work by artist David Hartt of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design, including currently at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Load More
Shining a light on forgotten designers Penn In the News The New York Times Shining a light on forgotten designers ICA Director Zoë Ryan spoke about the legacy of Anna Russell Jones, the first African American graduate of Moore College of Art & Design. Jones designed rugs and wallpaper and went on to become a graphic designer for the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps in World War II and illustrated medical procedures at Howard University College of Medicine. “Though she was accomplished, her path was not easy,” Ryan said. Exploring monuments of trauma in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Black Atlantic Stephanie Gibson, a doctoral candidate in the history of art. (Image: OMNIA) Exploring monuments of trauma in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Black Atlantic Stephanie Gibson, a doctoral candidate in the history of art, explores in her dissertation how museums and monuments interpret sites with painful histories to help people move past the trauma that occurred there. Artist and professor David Hartt is ‘of the moment’ Artist David Hartt with his installation “The Histories” (Crépuscule) at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the exhibition “New Grit: Art & Philly Now.” (Image: July 2021 when masks were not required.) Artist and professor David Hartt is ‘of the moment’ This year alone four museums and two galleries are featuring work by artist David Hartt of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design, including currently at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Exploring monuments of trauma in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Black Atlantic Stephanie Gibson, a doctoral candidate in the history of art. (Image: OMNIA) Exploring monuments of trauma in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Black Atlantic Stephanie Gibson, a doctoral candidate in the history of art, explores in her dissertation how museums and monuments interpret sites with painful histories to help people move past the trauma that occurred there.
Artist and professor David Hartt is ‘of the moment’ Artist David Hartt with his installation “The Histories” (Crépuscule) at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the exhibition “New Grit: Art & Philly Now.” (Image: July 2021 when masks were not required.) Artist and professor David Hartt is ‘of the moment’ This year alone four museums and two galleries are featuring work by artist David Hartt of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design, including currently at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.