Art History at American University

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Information and updates on the Art History program at American University. Also on Instagram and blogging at auarthistory.wordpress.com.

10/09/2026

Don’t forget to sign up for the annual AU/GW Graduate Art History Symposium! The conference will take place at the Katzen Arts Center on Saturday, October 24th from 10am to 3pm. Come support our graduate students and get the chance to hear about their research projects!

Find the link to register in your inbox!

10/07/2026

This Monday (October 5) Dr. Elder’s American Art: Civil War to Civil Rights took a trip to the Freer Gallery at the National Museum of Asian Art, the Smithsonian’s first art museum. The class had a conversation with the curator of American Art, Dr. Greenwold, who also led a tour of the famous Peacock Room (Harmony in Blue and Gold), painted by James McNeill Whistler between 1876 and 1877, well as other related exhibitions.

09/25/2026

Second year Morgan visited Glasgow, Scotland this summer to conduct site specific research for her thesis on the connections between Miss Cranston’s Ingram street tea room, interior decoration, and liberal women’s networks in the early twentieth century. She visited the archives at the Glasgow School of Art, the Hunterian Art Gallery and Museum, and the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in order to work directly with material related to the artists—Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh and Charles Rennie Mackintosh—and other ephemera like menus from Miss Cranston’s Ingram street tea room.

09/23/2026

Second year student Cordelia traveled to California to visit the archives at the Getty Center. They house a large archive of Eleanor Antin’s works and other ephemera. Cordelia focused her research on Antin’s film From the Archives of Modern Art, which is what she is writing her thesis on.

“It was amazing to be able to read her journals, learn more about her creative process, and gain insights about details of her work and persona development that have been integral in the development of my capstone. I am so appreciative of the Carol Ravenal Grant that made my trip possible!”

09/18/2026

Happy Fall semester, Art Historians! We hope you’ve enjoyed our recent posts catching you up on our summer travels, because we love to show off all that our students have accomplished. 🌇✈️📝

After a busy summer of travel, research, and fun adventures, we hope to see all our art history Eagles accomplish incredible things this school year. Stay tuned as we wrap up our summer features and see what we have in store with AU Art History very soon!🦅💙🖼️

09/16/2026

Second year MA student Ainsley Miller had a very productive summer in London researching her thesis. All three of the paintings she is studying are housed in London. She had archival appointments at Smythehall, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Tate Britain where she studied material related to the creation, evolution, and acquisition of the three works her thesis is centered on. Ainsley’s thesis revolves around the Victorian stage actress Ellen Terry, and how she used artistic collaboration with visual artists as a self-fashioning tool in order to create a publicly favorable persona.

09/11/2026

Jamie (they/he) spent a week in July at the Beinecke Rare Books and Manuscript Library at Yale University (New Haven, CT) combing through the personal archives of Eve Arnold and Inge Morath, especially on their photographic work in China! This is a strong research trip for their thesis, as their work is mostly working with primary sources and unearthing additional details of the curation process. It was also their first time in Connecticut, so it also doubles up as an adventure!

06/09/2026

Summer has arrived and we couldn’t be more excited! 💙🦅💫

With summer and a new school year ahead of us, AU Art History reflects on all we have accomplished during the Spring semester. Events, research, awards, and graduations marked an amazing year for our students and faculty! Congratulations to all art historians at AU who made 2026 immensely successful so far, we can’t wait to see what the future holds for each of you.

Stay tuned on our accounts this summer as we showcase the consistent work of our program and art historians! Happy summer and 🦅☀️✈️

05/22/2026

Congratulations to our Art History graduates! 💙🦅🎓

After so many years of hard work, we are proud to celebrate the graduation of the 2026 classes of art historians. AU Art History looks forward to seeing how these graduates will change our field and the world with their degrees!

To each graduating art historian, you always have a home and community with American University Art History department. Go Eagles and congratulations! 🦅💫🖼️

05/13/2026

Student Spotlight! 💫🦅

The end of Spring semester brought many reasons to celebrate our students, including the induction of Katelyn and Aidan into AU’s chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa Society. Both graduating seniors of AU Art History, Katelyn and Aidan join 250 years of students within the liberal arts recognized for their scholastic excellence!

Congratulations to you both, the AU Art History department is proud of our role in empowering leaders in the arts and higher education. 🎓💫💙

Address

Katzen Arts Center, 4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington D.C., DC
20016

Website

http://www.american.edu/cas/art-history/index.cfm

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