UMass Amherst Department of History of Art and Architecture

UMass Amherst Department of History of Art and Architecture The official page for the History of Art and Architecture Program at UMass Amherst. It is also a forum to start discussions about art history. Welcome.

This Umass Amherst Art History Students and Alumni page is designed for the benefit of students, alumni, and future students. This is a resource and a place to share up-to-date information about what is going on in the art world, locally and in the department. Managed by students, this page provides a safe environment to connect with and network with art history students both present, past and future!

Congratulations to the History of Art & Architecture graduate class of 2026. 🎓Our faculty and staff are proud of our mas...
05/20/2026

Congratulations to the History of Art & Architecture graduate class of 2026. 🎓

Our faculty and staff are proud of our master’s students and their academic journeys. As our graduates transition into museums, cultural institutions, and further academic pursuits, we wish them continued success and fulfillment in their professional careers. 🏛️

Good luck to all and keep in touch!

🎓

🎓 Celebrating the Class of 2026A moment captured at the Senior Recognition Ceremony on May 16 at the Recreation Center. ...
05/19/2026

🎓 Celebrating the Class of 2026

A moment captured at the Senior Recognition Ceremony on May 16 at the Recreation Center. Our graduating seniors lined up in the front row alongside Professor Margaret Vickery, Undergraduate Program Director, as they prepared to be recognized by Dean Lupe Davidson of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts ( ).
To our graduates: thank you for your dedication, intellectual curiosity, and contributions to the Department of History of Art and Architecture. You have made a lasting impact on our community, and we congratulate you on all your achievements.🎉🎉

Congratulations to the UMass Amherst History of Art and Architecture Class of 2026. 🏛️🎓We honor our undergraduate and gr...
05/12/2026

Congratulations to the UMass Amherst History of Art and Architecture Class of 2026. 🏛️🎓

We honor our undergraduate and graduate scholars on the successful completion of their degrees. We recognize your rigorous engagement with the discipline and your commitment to scholarly inquiry.
We wish you success in your professional trajectories and look forward to your future contributions to the field. 🥂🚩

Over the weekend, nine of us MA students took a day trip across the Berkshires to Catskill, New York. We began the day a...
05/07/2026

Over the weekend, nine of us MA students took a day trip across the Berkshires to Catskill, New York. We began the day at the Thomas Cole House, where we learned about Cole’s artistic process and saw his work displayed alongside botanical illustrations made by his daughter, Emily Cole. After a delicious lunch in town, we crossed the Hudson to Olana State Historic Site, the estate of Frederic Edwin Church. Our guided tour led us through the artist’s eclectic hilltop home. The Catskill Mountains were obscured by rain and fog, but the natural beauty that inspired Church, Cole, and other Hudson River School painters still shone through.

It was a memorable day spent enjoying nineteenth-century American landscape painting and the environment that inspired it!

On March 24, Monika Schmitter brought graduate students Alan Yang and Georgia Brabec to attend the book talk Michelangel...
05/01/2026

On March 24, Monika Schmitter brought graduate students Alan Yang and Georgia Brabec to attend the book talk Michelangelo and Titian: A Tale of Rivalry and Genius by William Wallace, Barbara Murphy Bryant Distinguished Professor of Art History at Washington University in St. Louis.
The event was held by Save Venice, and we are especially grateful to Frederick Ilchman, whose generous support made it possible for the students to attend. It was a great opportunity to engage with new scholarships beyond the classroom.

🎉Great News! Walid Akef joins the UMass Amherst History of Art and Architecture Faculty this fall to teach Islamic Art &...
04/30/2026

🎉Great News! Walid Akef joins the UMass Amherst History of Art and Architecture Faculty this fall to teach Islamic Art & Architecture!

Walid Akef is a PhD candidate at Harvard University, holding a BA in Islamic Archaeology (Ain Shams University, 2008) and two MAs in Art History (University of Granada, 2015) and Muslim Cultures (ISMC, London, 2019). Using Granada as a case study within a broader Mediterranean framework, his research explores the persistence of the Roman villa tradition in Islamic lands and its role in shaping the landscapes of major capital cities. By examining this understudied architectural and environmental phenomenon, his work offers new insights into residential and palatial forms, as well as the urbanism of Islamic cities.

Join us for a presentation by our graduate student Sarah Zhang, alongside Sophie Combs (Assistant Curator, ).Topic: A G...
04/29/2026

Join us for a presentation by our graduate student Sarah Zhang, alongside Sophie Combs (Assistant Curator, ).

Topic: A Global Art Form, A Local Collector: Chinese Cloisonné and Asian Export Art

Location: George Walter Vincent Smith Museum

Time: Tomorrow, 12:15 PM
This talk explores the global history and local collecting of Chinese cloisonné. We hope to see you there to support our graduate research!

🔗 link:https://springfieldmuseums.org/program/a-global-art-form-a-local-collector-chinese-cloisonne-and-asian-export-art-at-the-george-walter-vincent-smith-museum/

🏛️ UMass Founders Day: A Curated Architectural Walking TourIn observance of UMass Founders Day, the Department of the Hi...
04/29/2026

🏛️ UMass Founders Day: A Curated Architectural Walking Tour
In observance of UMass Founders Day, the Department of the History of Art and Architecture invites the community to a specialized walking tour exploring the buildings of our wonderful campus!

Join Timothy M. Rohan, Department Chair and Associate Professor, alongside Ludmilla Pavlova-Gillham, Senior Campus Planner and Architect, for an in-depth analysis of the structures defining the UMass landscape.

🕒 Event Details
• Date: Wednesday, 29 April 2026
• Time: 1:00 PM
• Meeting Point: Randolph W. Bromery Center for the Arts (South Lobby)
• Route: An accessible circuit around the Campus Pond, concluding at the Olver Design Building.
🔍 Academic & Architectural Focus
This tour offers a scholarly perspective on the diverse stylistic movements present at UMass Amherst. Our guides will contextualize the shifting design ideologies that have shaped our built environment, examining:
• Historical Legacy: The enduring significance of Old Chapel and South College.
• Modernism & Brutalism: Theoretical insights into the Bromery Center, Herter Hall, and the W.E.B. Du Bois Library.
• Sustainable Future: The integration of ”green“ design in the ILC and the Olver Design Building

🎓 Join the Conversation

We welcome everyone to join the walk and see how these spaces—from our historic halls to our newest labs—shape the way we live and learn at UMass.

Department Chair Tim Rohan recently attended the Society of Architectural Historians annual conference in Mexico City. H...
04/26/2026

Department Chair Tim Rohan recently attended the Society of Architectural Historians annual conference in Mexico City. He was honored to be elected to the Society’s board of directors in its first open elections for board members. Tim was excited to see murals by José Clemente Orozco and other Mexican painters; the Torre Latinoamericana (Augusto H. Álvarez, 1956), a landmark of postwar architecture; and the houses Juan O’Gorman designed for Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo (1931).

📸 Guest Lecture Alert | 19th-Century European ArtWe are thrilled to welcome Professor Lela Graybill (University of Utah)...
04/16/2026

📸 Guest Lecture Alert | 19th-Century European Art

We are thrilled to welcome Professor Lela Graybill (University of Utah) to Professor Gülru Çakmak’s ARTHIST 323/623 class next Wednesday!

Professor Graybill will explore the Bertillon System and how early crime scene photography functioned as both scientific ”evidence“ and a medium for ”affect.“ 🕵️‍♂️🔍

Details: 📖 Talk: “Evidence and Affect: The Bertillon System of Crime Scene Photography”

🗓️ Date: Wednesday, April 22
⏰ Time: 2:30 PM – 3:45 PM
📍 Location: South College, Room E245

Open to all interested students and faculty! ✨

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Amherst, MA
01003

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+14135453595

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