We had a terrific response to our recent call for news. Hearty congratulations to all of our alumni on of your achievements, milestones, and activities, and kudos to you for your creativity and hard work. We hope to hear from more of you for our next “Alumni News” post, which will appear sometime in Spring 2017. Many thanks to Professors Carol Krinsky and Jon Ritter for their contributions to this post.
Diana Thater (B.A. Art History ’84) had a solo exhibition of her work at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Titled Diane Thater: The Sympathetic ImaginationThe Sympathetic Imagination, the show was on from November 22, 2015 – April 17, 2016. Her work also was featured in the most recent issue of Art21 News.
Johanna Goldfeld (B.A. Art History ’00) sends this news: “I just started teaching typography and Adobe InDesign at the City University of New York as an adjunct. My greatest accomplishment so far is that two students independently told me that they now notice bad kerning (in graphic design, the space between the letters) wherever they go and it drives them crazy ;-). I am continuing my work as an independent exhibition and graphic designer. For more information, visit my website. I invite NYU students and alumni to sign up for my bi-monthly newsletter, “Pointers,” which features tips and inspiration in exhibition and graphic design.”
Beth Citron (B.A. Art History ’02; Ph.D. History of Art, University of Pennsylvania ’09) has organized a site-specific commission for the Rubin Museum of Art by international, genre-bending music group Soundwalk Collective. Titled “Himalayan Wind,” the work transports visitors to the environment of the high Himalayas through sound. “It opens on November 11 and I would be happy to welcome the NYU Art History community to the Rubin,” writes Beth, who is the Rubin’s Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art.
Christian J. Zaino, MD (B.A. Urban Design and Architecture Studies,’06; Med. ’10) sends this news: “I am now a Fellow in Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery at the University of Chicago’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. The surgical exposure this year is vast — from carpal tunnel releases and wrist arthroscopy to elbow fractures and shoulder replacements. But when I am not in the OR, clinic, or library, I am exploring the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis Sullivan, two of my favorites. This past weekend I spent visiting a multitude of sites with OpenHouse Chicago.”
Kaitlin Booher (B.A. Art History ’08) is a second-year PhD. candidate in Art History at Rutgers University where she is studying the history of photography. Prior to returning to school, she worked at the National Gallery of Art and the Corcoran Gallery of Art, where she was Assistant Curator of Photography and Media Arts. She is currently organizing the exhibition “Reflections: Photographs of Iconic African Americans by Terrence Reese,” which opens January 17, 2017 at the Zimmerli Art Museum.
Jacquelyn Haas (B.A. Art History, Studio Art and Italian Studies minors ’08; M.Arch. New Jersey Institute of Technology ‘13) writes, “I recently left a three-year position as Architectural Designer at Windigo Architecture in Morristown, NJ, for a position at TPG Architecture in New York City, focusing on workplace design. I am currently in the process of taking the ARE exams for Architectural licensing and recently received WELL AP certification.”
Sarah Rogers Morris (B.A. Art History ’08) graduated from the Bard Graduate Center with an M.A. in the Decorative Arts, Design History, and Material Culture in 2013. Her qualifying paper, “Richard Nickel’s Photography: Preserving Ornament in Architecture,” was subsequently published in the peer-reviewed journal Future Anterior. Sarah is now Associate Director of the Mies van der Rohe Society at the Illinois Institute of Technology. She was recently interviewed about her work at the Mies Society. Sarah and her husband, Corbin Morris — another NYU alum — recently had a baby boy.
Elliot Richman (B.A. Art History ’09) has shifted his career path to residential landscape design and construction, with an emphasis on Southern California native and Mediterranean, climate-appropriate plants. “In every project, the resulting landscape requires a fraction of the supplemental water, fertilizer, pesticide, or herbicide inputs” than was needed for the one it replaced, writes Elliot. “I design all my projects and build them together with a small team.” Check out these photos, including split-screen, “before/after” shots of some of Elliot’s projects.
Mar Vista Garden
Pasadena Garden
Oja Garden
Oja Garden
Malcolm St. Clair (B.A. Urban Design and Architectural Studies ’09) has begun teaching eighth grade at St. Bernard’s School, an all boys K-9 school in Manhattan.
Megan Gannon (B.A. Art History/English ’10) is a journalist based in Berlin. She recently had a feature published in Undark Magazine about archeologists who study the material traces of contemporary life.
Cristina Garza (B.A. Art History ’10) began a new position at the Mission Economic Development Corporation in Mission, TX, as its first Program Director. She is responsible for creating, organizing, and coordinating Mission EDC’s Entrepreneurship, Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (E-STEAM) programs. She also will oversee the development and implementation of an arts program that complements Mission EDC’s existing initiatives. Previously, Cristina was Academic Programs Associate at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she coordinated their fellowship program. As Cristina puts it, “Getting to know scholars of all disciplines and at different levels in their careers was my favorite part of the job. As you might imagine, being surrounded by art historians stirred in me a desire to go back to school.” Cristina then moved to Italy, where she pursued an M.A. in Renaissance Art at Syracuse University in Florence. After earning her Master’s she remained in Italy, working as a T.A. and teaching the introductory class to Italian art. “My experience in Florence was unforgettable, but it also made me realize that I wasn’t interested in pursuing a Ph.D., but rather wanted to work toward making art and art education more accessible. And eccomi, I ended up in Economic Development, trying to infuse this small town with a passion for art and technology.” Cristina encourages anyone interested in getting involved to contact her.
Hannah Roberts (B.A. Art History ’10) sends this news: “I am currently in my final year of medical school at Columbia University. During my time here, I’ve conducted research on the intersections of art and medicine, collaborating with museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and have published my findings in major medical journals. I’ve attached a few links that detail some of my work below. Big thanks to Professors Kathryn Smith, Carol Krinsky, and Joan Connelly for being particularly encouraging of multidisciplinary studies at NYU!”
Read more about Hannah’s research and projects. An article appears in “Hyperallergic” as well as an article in”Neurology”on medical students learning about dementia with Alzheimers patient programs at NYC art museums. And an article appears in “Radiation Oncology” on thematic representations of radiation oncology in 21st century art.
Alexandra Wellington (B.A. Art History/Political Science,’10) is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her dissertation analyzes the political role of print culture during the British abolition movement, particularly the ways in which illustrated pamphlets, travel books, and poems encourage viewers to transform visceral, empathetic responses into political action. In January 2017, she will travel to England and Scotland for a fourth (and final!) research visit, generously funded by the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. Alexandra also works at the Dallas Museum of Art as a Researcher of European and American Art.
Sofia Chirico’s (B.A. Art History ’11) website opened earlier this year (see our June 22, 2016 blogpost). It supports contemporary digital artists, writers, and musicians, and provides a realistic opportunity to earn money in the Internet Age.
Jonah Cohen (B.A. Urban Design and Architecture Studies ’14) began his studies at Pratt Institute’s M.Arch. program this fall.
Coralie Harmache (B.A., Urban Design and Architecture Studies ’14) began her studies in the Master of Law and Diplomacy program at Tufts University’s Fletcher School this fall.
Daray Choe (B.A. Art History ’15) completed her Masters degree in Art History at University College London in September of this year. She wrote her thesis on photographic advertisements of Eastman Kodak Company in the late nineteenth century to early twentieth century, making extensive use of the Kodak Archive at The British Library.
Sophia Choi (B.A. Urban Design and Architecture Studies ’15) sends this news: “After graduating, I moved to San Francisco to work for the Institute at the Golden Gate and the National Parks Service. For six months as an Urban Fellow I researched urban park developments and wrote a case study report on post to park transformations. After completing the fellowship, I moved back to New York in May to work in business development and communications for the New York office of Rem Koolhaas’s OMA.”
Now in her final semester of M.A. coursework at N.Y.U.’s Institute of Fine Arts, Ellis Edwards (B.A. Art History/French ’15) is a volunteer researcher in the Robert Lehman Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she is working to verify and compile bibliographic information for the collection’s seventy modern European paintings. This summer she traveled to the South of France, Italy, and Switzerland to visit small-town Picasso museums, thanks to generous funding from the Shelby White & Leon Levy Travel Grant offered at the IFA. In the Spring she will begin her job search while writing her M.A. thesis on the relationship between art and religion in post-war Europe, with a focus on a series of chapels built and decorated by modern artists and architects throughout France, including Picasso’s War and Peace Chapel, Matisse’s Chapelle du Rosaire de Vence, Le Corbusier’s Notre Dame du Haut, and Leger’s wall decorations of the church at Plateau d’Assy.
Nora Gorman (B.A. Art History ’15) is the Group Sales and Docent Program Assistant at the New-York Historical Society. Nora works to engage new audiences and maintain relationships with previous visitors, particularly adults, seniors, and college students. She also helps coordinate and provide training materials to the Museum’s volunteer docents. Since graduating from NYU, she has also worked as a Contractual Lecturer for Family Programs at The Cloisters (the Metropolitan Museum of Art).
Seoyoung Lee (B.A Urban Design and Architecture Studies ’15) entered the M.Arch program at the New School/Parsons School of Design this fall.
Ellen Lei (B.A. Urban Design & Architecture Studies ’15) works at the NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) as a Junior Project Manager. She is currently working in the “Build it Back” program, which assists homeowners in the rehabilitation of their homes damaged by superstorm Sandy. It is also an effort to strengthen flood resilience in areas that are most vulnerable. Prior projects in which she was involved include the building and rehabilitation of Department of Sanitation of New York garage facilities and Marine Transfer Station facilities. “One cool Sanitation project that DDC had the opportunity to manage was Spring Street Salt Shed. A fun fact is that the salt shed made its debut during this fall’s NY fashion week,” writes Ellen. In addition to work, Ellen has been taking driving lessons. She recently passed her road test, but she will make sure her future carbon footprint remains low. She also visited Watkins Glen State Park not too long ago. Here is a picture she took of the gorgeous scenery:
Photo: Ellen Lei, “Watkins Glen State Park (New York State)
Danli Wang (B.A. Urban Design and Architecture Studies ’15) began the M.Arch. program in Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation this fall.
Reshma D. Persaud (B.A. Art History ’16) writes, “This past August, I became Administrative Aide to the Directors of Development of N.Y.U.’s School of Professional Studies and Rory Meyers College of Nursing. Eventually I hope to attain my Masters in Visual Arts Administration from N.Y.U. Steinhardt, as I intend to pursue a career in development for the arts. I plan to take courses at NYUSPS and in the Stern School of Business in Spring 2017.” Reshma is also very excited to travel to Rome in April 2017, when she will attend the Artemisia Gentileschi exhibition at the Palazzo Braschi. The show runs from November 30, 2016-May 8, 2017.
Anqi Xu (B.A. Art History/Comparative Literature ’16) is currently working as a project assistant for artist Cai Guo-Qiang in downtown Manhattan. She joined Cai’s Studio after graduation and has assisted in the preparation of the artist’s projects around the globe, including the recent release of his documentary, Sky Ladder: the Art of Cai Guo-Qiang. She is also a New York-based reporter and critic for the Chinese art news website.
Fields of Vision 