Student News, 2015-2016

The response to our call for student news was tremendous – thank you! Congratulations to all of our Art History and Urban Design and Architecture Studies majors and candidates for the Masters degree in Historical and Sustainable Architecture on your hard work and many achievements this academic year, and best wishes for a productive and restorative summer!  To supplement or correct the information presented here, please contact Professor Kathryn Smith (kathryn.smith@nyu.edu) with a copy to Peggy Coon (peggy@nyu.edu).

Sarah Bigler (Art History ’16) was co-president of the Fine Arts Society this year. She received a Faculty Choice Award from the Department of Art History.

Daniel J. Borerro (Urban Design and Architecture Studies ‘17) received the Evelyn Jablow Lilienthal ’64 Heights Scholarship, awarded to an especially accomplished junior in the Urban Design & Architecture Studies Program.

Barron Brocksmith (Art History ’16) was a co-editor of Ink and Image this year. He received a DURF grant to support the research for his honors thesis and was the Herman J. Wechsler Scholar in Fine Arts, awarded to a student researching fine art or art history who will study or has studied on one of NYU’s European academic sites. He also served as a DURF Research Ambassador. Barron received a Faculty Choice Award from the Department of Art History.

Carla Burkert (Art History ’19), a newly declared major, will have a summer internship at the Taft Museum of Art in Cincinnati, Ohio. As Carla reports, “There I will help lead a three-month summer camp, teaching about the changes in fashion through time. This theme coincides with the Taft’s current exhibition, Dressing Downton: Changing Fashion for Changing Times.” Carla will continue her art history studies at NYU Florence in the Fall 2016 semester.

Alice Centamore (Art History ’18) writes, “This past semester I received the NYU Wasserman Internship Grant for a curatorial internship. In addition, I just landed my dream internship at The Kitchen, where I will work as a curator throughout the summer.”

Alexander Cohen (Art History ’16) will move to the U.K. this fall to begin his studies at the University of St. Andrews, where he will pursue the M.Litt. in Art History.

 Sarah Cohen (Art History ’18) has an internship this summer at the Guggenheim Museum in their conservation department. This semester, Sarah also began writing a weekly column called “ArtSeen” for Art Times Journal, a publication based in Woodstock, NY. Sarah’s column discusses a new gallery opening each week.

Austin Coury (Urban Design and Architecture Studies ’16) currently has an internship with the New York City Department of Transportation.

Natalie Covill (Urban Design and Architecture Studies ’16) wrote her honors thesis on the San Diego trolley, research that was supported by a DURF grant – Natalie’s second. Natalie was named the Daniel A. and Amy L. Rock Research Scholar and was elected to the NYU chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. She delivered a talk on ” The Planning of the San Diego Trolley: Processes and Community Impact” at this year’s Dean’s Undergraduate Research Conference.

Ilana Dresdner (Art History, Irish Studies minor ’16) will begin her studies this fall in the Masters program in Art Museum and Gallery Studies at the University of St. Andrews. This past summer, with the support of a scholarship from the Irish Fulbright Commission, Ilana studied Irish language and culture at the National University of Ireland, Galway.

Marta Elliott (Urban Design and Architecture Studies ’16) presented a paper on “Modern Architecture in Havana from 1950–1995: The Elusive Cubano Identity” at this year’s Dean’s Undergraduate Research Conference.

Kate Ghotbi (Art History/Philosophy ’16) was awarded the Ossian Fellowship from the Jain Family Institute, where she is doing research into the Philosophy of Explanation in Art (here is a link to their website, currently under construction. Kate also received a Founders Day Award for graduation honors from NYU for “consistent, outstanding scholarship.”

Alex Guglielminetti (Journalism/Art History ’16) was Secretary of the Fine Arts Society this year.

Bergen Hendrickson (Art History/Comparative Literature ’16) presented a paper on “Forrest Bess” at this year’s Dean’s Undergraduate Research Conference.

Emma Holter (Art History ’17), who is studying in London this semester, received the Global Pathways Merit Scholarship and the Dean’s Opportunity Fund Scholarship to support her semester abroad. Emma was Social Media Coordinator for the Fine Arts Society this year. This summer Emma will intern at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in the Education Department, where she will work with Department of Art History alumna Carolyn Keogh (Art History’12) planning public programs for children, teens, and families.

 Karin Hosteler (Urban Design & Architecture Studies ’16) will begin the M. Arch. program at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) this coming fall.

Imad Jafar (Art History/Religious Studies ’17) published three articles this past academic year. They are as follows: “Enoch in the Islāmic Tradition,” Sacred Web: A Journal of Tradition and Modernity (Vancouver), Vol. 36 (December 2015), pp. 37-60; “Following the Divine Pattern: What is the Israelite Philosophy of Art in the Torah?,” Student Journal of Scriptural Reasoning (Virginia), Special Issue on Philosophy and Scripture, Vol. 3, No. 1 (March 2016); and “The Traditional Philosophy of Symbols,” Zabaan: A Journal of Art and Literature (Karachi), Vol. 2 (March 2016).

Imad’s most recent internship involved doing research with Reema Abbasi, author of Hindu Temples in Pakistan (2015), for a new book that she is writing that will deal with Chishtī Sufi shrines in the Indian Subcontinent.  Imad reports, “I am hoping to work on an independent project over the summer, an extended monograph on the veneration of Christian saints in Islam — focusing on Agabus, Gregorius Thaumaturgus, Arethas, the Apostles of Jesus, the Sleepers of Ephesus and others — under the mentorship of Professor Atif Khalil, who currently teaches at the University of Letherbridge.”

Jiyoung Jo (Urban Design and Architecture Studies ’17) was awarded a DURF grant this year.

Danielle Johnson (Urban Design and Architecture Studies ’16) received the Ada Louise Huxtable Award from the Program for Urban Design & Architecture Studies of the Department of Art History.

 Shivam Prem Jumani (Economics/Urban Design and Architecture Studies ’16) was a runner-up in the DURF video contest. Shivam presented a paper on “Analysis of Manhattan’s Rental Real Estate Market” at this year’s Dean’s Undergraduate Research Conference. Shivam was admitted to Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Preservation and Planning, where he will pursue an M.S. in Real Estate Development.

Alexander Kario (Urban Design and Architecture Studies ’17) was awarded a DURF grant.

Julia Katz (Art History ’16) received a DURF grant that she used to travel to Rome for the research for her honors thesis.  She presented the material from her thesis, entitled “The Marriage of Sculpture and Painting in The Farnese Gallery,” at this year’s Dean’s Undergraduate Research Conference, in a paper of the same title.  Julia was named the Herman J. Wechsler Research Scholar in Fine Arts, a recognition that is “awarded to a student researching European fine art or art history and who will study or has studied at one of NYU’s European academic sites.”  She also received the Eileen Guggenheim Award for “scholarly accomplishment in the fine arts” from the Department of Art History.

Antonia Klabin (Art History ’17) served on the board of the Fine Arts Society this year.

Jackie Kong (Art History ’18) writes, “This Spring 2016 semester I am interning at the Whitney Museum of American Art as a Public Programs intern in the Education department. My responsibilities include research for future lectures, artist conversations, events, and performances, as well as writing for the Whitney Education blog.” Jackie also was awarded a Wasserman Center Internship Grant from NYU for this internship.

Natasha Kung (Art History/Chemistry ’16) will be a conservation technician with the Central Park Conservancy this summer. The program focuses on restoring Central Park’s stone and bronze sculptures and introduces interns to historic preservation. As Natasha writes, “I’ve been working in Bobst’s conservation lab since May 2014 but am excited to gain exposure to objects conservation this summer.” Natasha hopes to pursue a career in conservation.

Yinan Li (Environmental Studies/Urban Design and Architecture Studies ’16) was awarded a DURF grant. Yinan presented a talk titled “The Preservation of Old Beijing Hutong Life” at this year’s Dean’s Undergraduate Research Conference.

Rachel Lipka (Art History ’17) received an internship grant from NYU’s Wasserman Center Internship for her internship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the Ratti Textile Department.

Sarah Lubin (Art History ’16) was a co-editor of Ink and Image this year. She received the Jane Costello Memorial reward for Excellence in the Study of Art History from the Department of Art History.

Nele Mayer (Art History ’16) was awarded a DURF Grant and was named this year’s James A. Shea Research Scholar. She was a co-recipient of the Department of Art History’s Douglas F. Maxwell Award for excellence in the study of art history and the Auguste Ulfers Memorial Award, presented for excellence and accomplishment in the study of German language and literature. She presented material from her honors thesis at this year’s Dean’s Undergraduate Research Conference in a paper titled “The Nazi Nude.”

Juan Migone (Urban Design & Architecture Studies ’18) was nominated to participate in the Spring 2016 University Leadership Honors Course, a special, university-wide leadership development course whose goal is to prepare high-achieving sophomores to compete in prestigious national and international post-graduate fellowships, scholarships, and leadership programs. Juan writes, “In this seminar with twenty-four students from different disciplines across NYU, I participated in readings, discussions, interactive sessions, self-assessment tools, a collaborative group project, and specially arranged meetings with top-level leaders and academics who shared their insights on the nature and skills of effective leadership, professional growth, communications, and self-awareness.” Among the guests to the course were Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Maria Bartiromo, Anchor and reporter for FOX News, Gordon Brown, Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and Matthew VanBesien – Executive Director of the New York Philharmonic.

Sarah Myers (Art History ’17) worked this past year at the Whitney Museum in a curatorial position in their Drawings Department. As Sarah puts it, “It has been a very formative and positive experience for me and has solidified my interest in pursuing a career in curatorial work.” Sarah was a co-recipient of the H.W. Janson Award, presented to a junior by the Department of Art History for excellence in the study of the history of art.

Marissa Nadeau (Art History ’17) served on the board of the Fine Arts Society this year.

Mary-Brett O’Bryan (Art History ’18) was awarded a DURF grant to study the effects of Japonismus on German poster and magazine design in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Kolawole Ofoman (Urban Design & Architecture Studies ‘16) will begin the three-year Masters in Architecture program this fall in Yale’s School of Architecture.

Alexa Pearce (Art History/French ’17) presented a paper on “Translanguaging French/English Children’s Books and the Role of Illustrations” at this year’s Dean’s Undergraduate Research Conference.

Summer Perlow (Art History ’17) was a co-recipient of the H. W. Janson Award, presented to a junior by the Department of Art History for excellence in the study of the history of art.

Ozana Pleminatash (Art History ’17) was a co-recipient of the Douglas F. Maxwell Award, presented to a senior by the Department of Art History for excellence in the study of art history. She also was co-president of the Fine Arts Society this year.

Zhong Ru Ren (Urban Design and Architecture Studies ’16) will begin the M.F.A. program at the New York School of Interior Design (NYSID) this fall.

Molly Rockhold (Urban Design and Architecture Studies ’17) earned a Rudin Internship Award and a DURF grant.

Ayse Sengor (Art History ’16) received a Faculty Choice Award from the Department of Art History.

Tommy Sheridan (Urban Design and Architecture Studies ’16) earned a Rudin Internship Award.

Robin Smith (Urban Design and Architecture Studies ’16), a recipient of an NYU student-athlete award, also was awarded a DURF grant. In addition, she received a Faculty Choice Award from the Department of Art History.

Maria Stojanovich (Urban Design and Architecture Studies ’16) received a Faculty Choice award from the Department of Art History.

Sarah Suarez (Urban Design and Architecture Studies ’16) will begin the M. Arch. program at Pratt Institute this fall.

Dewi Tan (Anthropology/Art History ’16) presented a paper on “Natural and ‘Unnatural’ Disasters in Nepal” at this year’s Dean’s Undergraduate Research Conference.

Kiara Ventura (Art History ’18) will be an intern in the Brooklyn Museum Adults Program this summer, through the museum’s Arts Intern program.

Anqi Xu (Art History/Comparative Literature ’16) presented the research for her honors thesis, “Extraordinary Femininity: Narrative and Gender in Gai Qi’s Album Famous Women” (1799), in this year’s Dean’s Undergraduate Research Conference. She was a co-editor of Ink and Image this year, and she received a Faculty Choice Award from the Department of Art History.

Jiachen Xu (Urban Design and Architecture Studies ‘16) will begin the M. Arch. program at Columbia’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation (GSAPP) this fall.

Marcelo Yáñez (Art History ’18) has been working with Professor Shelley Rice this semester on a research project, and published the first issue of a queer arts newspaper called NEWSPAPER, a revival of a publication launched in 1969 by the artist Steven Lawrence and photographer Peter Hujar that holds an important place in the history and art history of queer New York. The online publication DAZED ran an interview with Marcelo on May 3^rd that discusses the history and mission of the publication:

Marina Zheng (Art History/Journalism ’16) presented a paper titled “The Inability of the Arts and Antiquities Community to Combat the Crisis of Looting by ISIS in the Middle East” at this year’s Deans Undergraduate Research Conference.

Nan Zhou (Urban Design and Architecture Studies ’16) was admitted to the Master of Design Studies program in Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. He’ll focus on real estate and the built environment.

And, hearty congratulations to the following students in the Class of 2016 of the Masters Program in Historical and Sustainable Architecture, all of whom were awarded NYU-GSAS Kings Cross Tuition Scholarships: Chen Xiang; Esther Jeong; Corinne Hargrave; Kathryn Kayajanian; Keegan Hall; Nicole Paynter; Rachel Robinson; Sehbin McElwain; Yunjie NI.