Department of Art and Archaeology, Princeton University

06/01/2026

Congratulations to A&A Practice of Art graduating senior Sahaf Chowdhury ’26!

“I have been creating art for most of my life,” said Sahaf, “and I have always been more drawn to projects than papers and problem sets.”

Following a passion for video game development led Sahaf not only to a dynamic senior exhibition, but a clearer sense of self, and a roadmap for the future: “This show is the way which I finally learned to embrace being both a multimedia artist and a generalist, finally understanding that my tendency to jump around can actually be to my benefit.”

“Over the past summer, I had the opportunity to start developing a video game under the Keller Center’s eLab Accelerator program, where teams are given a space to focus on developing their startup ideas,” Sahaf explained. “I would continue to work on this game as the primary artist alongside my team, Lovestruck Games, throughout my senior year whenever I had a moment to spare. I loved doing this, and I knew there had to be some way to incorporate the skills I had learned here with my work in other mediums, such as scenic design, illustration, and animation, to name a few. Eventually, I had the idea of using the current build of the game I had been building as the ‘material’ in which I create new works, which would result in the senior exhibition as you see it now. In the process of creating this, I had realized that I had previously felt a pressure to specialize in order to be ‘truly good’ at something, and that my constant shifting around in picking up something entirely new, such as set design stage carpentry, or game development during my undergraduate years had somehow cost me further progress towards mastery in one skill.”

Learn more about where Sahaf and the 2026 cohort are headed next at artandarchaeology.princeton.edu.

06/01/2026

Congratulations to Cindy Ruoheng Li 李若衡 ‘26, graduating with a History of Art major and Archaeology minor!

Combining art history and archaeology was a natural choice for Cindy. “Objects have always intrigued me because of their ability to convey a narrative through time and culture,” Cindy said. “Art history provided me with tools for analyzing different cultures visually, while archaeology allowed me to engage with materiality and historicity associated with objects.”

“Princeton’s best moments consisted of the people, the discussions, and the possibilities that challenged me to develop further,” said Cindy. “These would include late nights with my peers, trips abroad, and the environment fostered by the Department of Art & Archaeology.”

“Princeton showed me that learning is not about achieving perfection but being curious and open-minded,” she said. “My greatest achievement has been creating a pathway that encompasses my passion for art, research, linguistics, and global culture.”

Learn more about where Cindy and the 2026 cohort are headed next at artandarchaeology.princeton.edu.

05/29/2026

Congratulations to Zoe Sims Rhodes ’26, graduating with a Minor in Archaeology and a Major in Classics!

Just wait ‘til you hear how she’s applying it!: “Classics gave me the texts; archaeology gave me the objects. I wanted to understand antiquity from both directions, literary and material. The training also introduced me introduced me to a genuinely diverse set of methodologies, from GIS to stratigraphic analysis, that taught me how to build rigorous arguments from fragmentary, incomplete evidence,” Zoe said. “That skill translates directly into how I think about legal and cultural questions, particularly at the intersection of art law and cultural heritage, which is where I’m headed.”

Zoe’s greatest lesson? “That I belong.” “Imposter syndrome is real and it does not go away on its own,” she continued. “What helped was doing the work, finishing things I was not sure I could finish, and looking back to realize I had been capable all along. Princeton gave me the evidence; I just had to learn to believe it.”

Learn more about what’s next for Zoe at artandarchaeology.princeton.edu.

05/29/2026

Congratulations to A&A Practice of Art graduating senior Tessa Mudd ’26!

“The practice of Art allowed me to pursue all of my academic passions without having to pick and choose between my interests,” said Tessa. “The support I have received within the department is unmatched, and I feel so lucky to have worked with a kind and driven group of professors.”

Princeton has taught Tessa “to always bet on myself,” she said. “I can accomplish most anything I put my mind to.”

Read the full Q&A and learn more about where Tessa and the 2026 cohort are headed next at artandarchaeology.princeton.edu.

05/29/2026

Congratulations to A&A History of Art graduating senior Alex Picoult ’26!

“Your interests will find you!” Alex said, explaining how he gravitated to A&A. “In one way or another, the things that inspire you the most will continue to pop up in life in unexpected ways.”

“Three years ago, although I wasn’t exactly sure what my career path would be, I knew that I wanted to work creatively in some capacity after graduation. Whether this would mean lighting dance and theater performances, designing book covers, or working on a film set, it was clear that I needed an education in visual culture to succeed,” Alex said. “After taking a couple classes in the A&A department, I realized that a background in art history would allow me to develop skills in visual research and analysis, historical and contextual analysis, and iconographic recognition that would be applicable in any future creative role.”

Learn more about where Alex and the 2026 cohort are headed next at artandarchaeology.princeton.edu.

05/28/2026

A&A proudly celebrates six new A&A Ph.D. recipients!!

CONGRATULATIONS!:

Amelia Ames
”Senga Nengudi: Maternal Modern”
Adviser: Chika Okeke-Agulu

Molly Eckel
”Robert S. Duncanson’s Antislavery Allegories”
Adviser: Rachael Z. DeLue

Suzie Hermán
”The Art World of the Hanse: Places, Traces, and Institutions 1517 – 1648″
Adviser: Thomas DaCosta Kaufmann  

Mark Paul
”The Aether Within Which Everything Exists (Philostratus, Imagines): The Invention of Atmosphere and its Effects on Roman Painting”
Adviser: Michael Koortbojian 

William Pedrick
”Hanging Objects: Time, Space, And The Background In Greek Art And Archaeology”
Adviser: Nathan Arrington 

Michael Zhang
”Art, Corporations, And Cultural Politics In Late Apartheid South Africa”
Adviser: Chika Okeke-Agulu

05/26/2026

CONGRATULATIONS PRINCETON CLASS OF 2026!

We celebrated the A&A majors and minors among you with a special Class Day lunch in the Grand Hall of the Princeton University Art Museum.

Chair of the Department of Art & Archaeology Professor Nathan Arrington welcomed the graduates and their families. He was joined by Director of Undergraduate Studies Professor Basile Baudez and acting Director of the Program in Visual Arts Professor Pam Lins to highlight each student’s senior thesis and to award senior thesis prizes.

We’ve taught you to look closely with a curious and critical eye — and we can’t wait to see where that takes you!

We are so proud of you all!!

05/26/2026

05/18/2026

Faculty from various disciplines, students and staff (present and former), and, of course, a treasury of numismatists gathered at Prospect House to pay tribute to Alan Stahl upon his retirement from his position as Curator of Numismatics in Princeton University Library’s Special Collections, which also brings to a close his long career of lecturing in the Departments of Art & Archaeology (A&A), Classics, and History.

Crowning the tribute, Stahl was presented with an advance copy of “Coins & Money in the Middle Ages; Studies in Honor of Alan Stahl.” The festschrift volume was edited by Princeton Department of History alumni Merle Eisenberg *18 and Lee Mordechai *17, alongside David Yoon, Curator of Medieval, Renaissance, and Early European Numismatics at the American Numismatic Society, which plans to release the book next month.

Guests at the reception rose to speak in Stahl’s honor, each reaffirming his inimitable place atop his field. Addressing the large gathering, Professor of History Helmut Reimitz recalled his astonishment upon arriving on campus to find himself working alongside “THE Alan Stahl!” Over a career spanning five decades, Stahl has shaped the discipline by writing 166 scholarly articles and reviews, curating 27 exhibitions, and authoring or editing 13 books, so far.

Throughout his 22 years at Princeton, Stahl regularly taught courses on numismatics as well as on the 1930s Princeton-led expedition to Antioch. And colleagues regularly brought their courses in fields ranging from art history and archaeology to classics, history, and religion to understand the myriad information coins hold.

Yoon efficiently captured the essence of Stahl’s career when he concluded “Alan is not only good at coins and medals, but also good at people.” This gift for relationship building transformed the department into a hub of collaborative study and cultivated a global scholarly network.

“His team in special collections was a really special place in the university—generous, kind, welcoming, open,” said Professor of History Jack Tannous. “A real collegial learning space—everything that can be good about a university when it is functioning at its best.”

05/12/2026

The “Learning Through Photography” symposium, organized by Monica Bravo (), Katherine Bussard (), and Brendan Fay (), convened artists, scholars, and students to examine how photographic knowledge takes root and resonates. A keynote, four panels, a public exhibition tour of “Photography as a Way of Life: Minor White, Aaron Siskind, and Harry Callahan,” led by Fay, its curator, as well as a private archival session all paid tribute to the medium’s soul—an evocative force with a visible conscience.

Among highlights was a roundtable, aptly titled “Friends,” which reunited former students of Emmet Gowin to reflect on how his pedagogy at Princeton shaped their creative trajectories. Bravo moderated the panel, which featured Virginia Beahan, Laura McPhee, Andrew Moore, Fazal Sheikh, and Carla Williams.

The session was recorded with the intention of transcription and eventual publication, potentially as part of the catalog accompanying Bravo’s forthcoming 2028 exhibition, “Emmet Gowin: A Garden, at the Princeton University Art Museum.”

The poignancy of “Friends” was sharpened by conversations that took place earlier in the day, which addressed the fragility of the very institutions that make such learning communities possible. During the “Creativity” panel, Dionne Lee invoked the recent and forthcoming closures of art schools and programs.

While the symposium’s panels, ranging from “Sampling” to “Creativity” to “Attention,” mapped a capacious intellectual terrain, the roundtable “Friends” distilled the event’s core insight: that learning through photography is as much about relationships as it is about images. The session offered a model of pedagogy grounded in generosity, trust, and care—values that feel increasingly urgent amid institutional contraction and technological growth. The most enduring lessons of photography, it seems, reside in the communities that gather around it.

Read more at artandarchaeology.Princeton.edu

Photos/ Kristina Giasi, Morgan Gengo, and Kirstin Ohrt