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The College of Arts & Sciences
The Department of the History of Art and Visual Studies at Cornell University prepares students to undertake journeys into visual culture through traditional areas of study such as ancient, Medieval and Renaissance art, as well as through the integration of recent fields of theory and research. Students explore the history of cultural interactions as manifested in visual culture both inside and outside the West, from antiquity to present.
Note on teaching during COVID in the Department of History of Art:
History of Art is a discipline that depends on the viewing and discussion of images. Due to technical constraints in many of our classrooms, faculty and instructors are often unable to project their lectures via Zoom in accompaniment to physical teaching. For the same reason, recording lectures for viewing later is also not always possible.
Students missing classes due to COVID precautions are advised to keep up with the syllabus, readings, and other Canvas and library resources available to them, so as not to fall behind during their physical absence from class.
From 1991 to 2018, the History of Art Majors’ Society (HAMS) provided a way for Cornell history of art majors to enhance their knowledge about the discipline of art history beyond the classroom. These students met at the Johnson Museum one evening each week throughout the academic year to develop an annual exhibition drawn from the permanent collection and to research, write, and publish an accompanying exhibition brochure.
Browse recent exhibits via the links below:
At Cornell’s Johnson Museum of Art, the work of renowned artist Guadalupe Maravilla is on display in the same space as that of Ingrid Hernandez-Franco, a Salvadoran woman whose asylum case was championed by a Cornell professor and her students.
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Pulse of Art History with Kimberli Gant 4/22/2024
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On March 22nd, all five of History of Art's graduating seniors presented Honors Theses on diverse and impressive topics.
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The Findley Lecture with Devika Singh 4/15/2024
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The grants provide funding for students in unpaid or low-paying summer experiences to offset the cost of taking on those positions.
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Visual Culture Colloquium with Christina Maranci 4/9/2024
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Following their co-taught Mellon seminar, Cornell faculty Akcan and Dadi announce the release of their edited volume of essays on the art and architecture of partitions, migrations, arrivals, experiences, and global conditions from the 20th century to the present.
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Following their co-taught Mellon seminar, Cornell faculty Akcan and Dadi announce the release of their edited volume of essays on the art and architecture of partitions, migrations, arrivals, experiences, and global conditions from the 20th century to the present.
Read more