And that was a challenge. Because I entered college in 2003, at the beginning of the war in Iraq, when everyone and their grandmother was convinced that learning Arabic was the ticket to getting a job in government. At the school I went to, all students were preregistered for classes with the exception of first-year students and graduate students, who had to attend classes before they could register. All classes were required to leave three seats open for first years and graduate students. So, I showed up to the first day of Beginning I Arabic along with 70 other students, all hoping to get one of those three seats. The instructor announced that he would not allow anyone to register for those three seats until there were only three students left in the class who wanted them. And so I proceeded to wait the rest of them out. I came to every class and did all the work in the class, without any guarantee that I would get in officially or get credit for it until enough people gave up that I was offered the slot. So the first thing I learned in my college career was that I would have to fight for the Humanities and they were worth fighting for. I am still doing that work today.

But aside from Arabic, I really didn’t know what else I wanted to study. So I started off by studying everything. I took classes in history, and political science, and anthropology, and comparative literature. And calculus, and biology, and Religious Studies. And they were all great classes, but I found that I had a particular love of that place where religion, history, literature, and philosophy met and connected. Those classes lit a fire in me. Because they showed me that in places and periods and languages that were wholly different from my own people had grappled with the questions that provoked and haunted me, questions of deep existential meaning and ongoing political urgency – and that they had expressed their answers in language that was profoundly beautiful. When I studied those answers, I found myself connected to peoples, movements, and cultures larger myself.  And as I went deeper and deeper into my studies, I found that they were changing me. Once I learned how to read deeply, I found that I could read anything, including the social and political institutions in which I was embedded. I learned to question everything, and to produce my own critical answers. I put myself to work imagining other, better worlds.

The period that I grew up in was really not perfect. I went to college – and then lived in the Middle East – during the Iraq War. A war of choice, when the President decided to invade a country that posed no threat to the United States, largely to secure access to vast oil resources. I then graduated from college into a massive financial disaster caused by the loosening of banking regulations so that very rich people could become even richer. So I can’t say that it was an easy time to be a young person – if there is ever an easy time to be a young person.

But I do think that it is much harder to be a young person today. I went through college at a time when few students had personal laptops, before the invention of the smart phone or the ipad or the rise of social media. The students I went to school with didn’t all like me – but they were all really present along with me in the spaces we shared. The political culture at the time seemed divisive, but it was nothing in comparison to the chaos and fury of the current age. It’s hard right now y’all.

But one of the things that is making it even harder is that the institutions and entities who are invested in dividing us from each other, in fracturing our attention and undermining our interpersonal relationships – are also selling us a particular approach to knowledge. This approach is, “the extractive attitude.” It is based on the idea that the purpose of knowledge is to extract resources from the environment and money from the economy – which ultimately means from consumers. This attitude is not new. I know from my own field of African history that the European governments who colonized various territories sent scholars out in the wake of the armies, geographers and engineers to survey and map the land, and linguists and anthropologists to learn languages, and catalogue customs. The purpose of these colonial scholar-soldiers was to facilitate the pacification of the population and the extraction of natural resources. Knowledge has always been a form of power. And then, just as now, deep engagement in storytelling, religious worldviews, and philosophy was disregarded and rejected as impractical. Education, according to the extractive attitude, is a product whose value measured as a return on investment. This attitude invites us to use learning to maintain a position in cultural and class warfare.

The opposite of the extractive attitude is a humanistic attitude. A humanistic attitude values knowledge for its ability to bring meaning and joy into our lives and our communities. A humanistic attitude evaluates our present relative to both our past and our vision of the future. A humanistic attitude is an approach that finds richness and complexity in things that seem simple. And it does those things through a deep engagement with the ideas and the art that have been produced by humans through the ages.

When I went to college I had to fight for a seat in a language class against the forces of opportunism. And I want you to fight for humanism, too. And it is a fight sometimes. A fight to maintain vision and resolve in the face of a thousand messages that tell us that the humanistic attitude is “useless.” The makers and marketers of new technological products are trying to convince us to give up our capacity for deep engagement. To give up our ability to generate ideas, to read literature, to think about the past, to make and appreciate art and culture, and to communicate with each other. To convince us to give up on humanism they threaten us with catastrophe and apocalypse. They warn that their products will change society so deeply that it will be unrecognizable, or that they might destroy humanity entirely. But I have my own message. For anyone who is worried about understanding these forces, or who is struggling to make sense of the world right now – the Humanities can help.

Those of us in Religious Studies have studied apocalyptic predictions, we know the distance between what they promise and what they deliver. Those of us in History have studied revolutions and know how politics and new forms of media align. Those of us in World Languages and Cultures know that our understanding of the world is shaped by language and how to connect with people across cultural differences. Those of us in Philosophy know that the potential for meaningful change is rooted in examination and reflection.  And those of us in English know (to paraphrase James Baldwin), that it is literature that teaches us that the things that torment us the most are the very things that connect us with all the people who are alive, or who have ever lived. The Humanities are a repository of our shared humanity and the heart of our capacity to be, not just human, but better humans. More than ever, humanity needs the Humanities. And right now, the Humanities needs you.

With the support of the Departments of Art History, English, History, Philosophy, Religious Studies and World Languages and Cultures, a slate of events from Oct. 5-9, 2026, are intended to communicate the value of the humanistic disciplines in a digital age.

All �鶹��Ƶ community members are welcome to join. Contact Associate Professor Ariela Marcus-Sells (amarcussells@elon.edu) with any questions. 

Monday, October 5

• Trivia Night at 6:30 p.m. at the Oak House

Tuesday, October 6

• Social Media Takeover with Humanities majors

Wednesday, October 7

• Career Paths for Humanities Majors at 6 p.m. in Lakeside 212 and 213

Thursday, October 8

• Being Human Coffee, from 9:50 – 10:20 a.m. in Numen Lumen

Friday, October 9

• Being Human Alumni Reception and Networking from 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. on the Spence Pavilion Patio

Visit the Humanities Week webpage for updated information.

Bishop is serving as a summer intern at the Office of Historic Alexandria, which oversees all the museums in Historic Alexandria. During her internship, she catalogs artifacts in the city archives, assists with citywide events and cleans museum collections. One of her biggest projects has been designing and proposing an interactive activity to accompany an exhibit at the Alexandria Black History Museum.

“Since being at this internship, I have learned how different departments in the museum environment interact with each other,” Bishop said. “I have worked with museum educators, archivists, archaeologists and directors and have seen how their roles overlap and work together. I’ve also learned practical skills like collections handling, through cleaning the collections, and archival practices.”

Bishop’s favorite part of the internship has been working with her co-intern to develop the interactive activity for the Moss Kendrix exhibit at the Alexandria Black History Museum.

“I have loved getting to apply the research processes I’ve learned in my art history and history classes at �鶹��Ƶ to a real-world exhibition,” Bishop said.

While searching for an internship to accompany Capital Connections, a Study USA program in Washington, D.C., Bishop expanded her search beyond the city. She discovered Old Town Alexandria community-centered network of museums, preservation projects, archaeology and public programming. She jumped at the opportunity to work in a smaller office where she would get hands-on, diversified experience in several areas of museum work.

She learned about the internship through George Mason University’s database of history internships, which was recommended by Cindy Sweeney in the Student Professional Development Center.

The internship has helped Bishop explore different areas of museum work while preparing her for a future career in the field.

“This internship has exposed me to several areas of museum work that I was not previously familiar with, which has allowed me to test which parts I enjoy and want to pursue further,” Bishop said. “I will take away significant hands-on experience in the museum space and strong connections with several staff members at the Office of Historic Alexandria.”

As she enters her senior year at �鶹��Ƶ, Bishop has developed a passion for museum education, an area she is considering pursuing in graduate school. After graduation, Bishop plans to gain professional experience before attending graduate school.

Hollyhock House at Barnsdall Art Park
Perched atop Olive Hill, the Hollyhock House stands as one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most significant West Coast works and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built in the early 1920s for oil heiress Aline Barnsdall, the home represents Wright’s experimentation with blending architecture and environment, what he called “organic architecture.”

Students explored the house’s Mayan Revival influences, geometric motifs and the iconic hollyhock flower design woven throughout the structure. The site offered a powerful introduction to how Los Angeles became a testing ground for architectural innovation, especially during a time when the city was rapidly expanding and redefining itself culturally.

Downtown Los Angeles: Layers of History and Movement
Traveling via the Los Angeles Metro, students experienced the city as Angelenos do, through its evolving public transit system, before diving into the heart of downtown.

Union Station – Opened in 1939, Union Station is often called the “Last of the Great Railway Stations.” Its architecture blends Spanish Colonial Revival, Mission Revival, and Art Deco styles, reflecting Los Angeles’s layered cultural identity. Inside, students observed the grandeur of its waiting rooms, tiled floors, and wooden beam ceilings, symbols of a bygone era when rail travel defined urban movement.

Angels Flight – Just a short walk away, Angels Flight, the world’s shortest railway, offered insight into the city’s early 20th-century infrastructure. Originally built in 1901, the funicular once transported residents up Bunker Hill, a neighborhood that has since undergone dramatic redevelopment. Its preservation speaks to ongoing efforts to maintain pieces of Los Angeles’ historic fabric amid modernization.

Los Angeles City Hall & Chinatown
At City Hall, students discussed civic architecture and governance, noting the building’s Art Deco style and symbolic prominence in the LA skyline. Nearby Chinatown provided a contrasting cultural lens, highlighting immigrant histories, urban displacement and the evolution of ethnic enclaves in Los Angeles.

Olvera Street
Often referred to as the birthplace of Los Angeles, Olvera Street immerses visitors in Mexican-American heritage. Students explored its marketplace, murals and historic buildings while discussing the complexities of cultural preservation versus commercialization. The site reflects both celebration and simplification of heritage, an important conversation in art and public history.

Angelus Temple & Echo Park
In Echo Park, students visited Angelus Temple, a striking example of early 20th-century religious architecture and a cornerstone of the Foursquare Church movement founded by evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson. Built in 1923, the temple reflects a blend of revivalist architecture and emerging media-savvy religious practices, as McPherson was one of the first to use radio to reach a national audience.

The surrounding Echo Park neighborhood added another layer to the visit, offering insight into how communities evolve over time. Once a streetcar suburb, Echo Park has transformed into a culturally vibrant area shaped by waves of immigration, artistic communities, and, more recently, gentrification. Together, the site and neighborhood sparked discussion on the intersection of faith, media and urban change.

The Gamble House
In Pasadena, students visited the Gamble House, a masterpiece of the American Arts and Crafts movement designed by architects Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene in 1908. Commissioned by the Procter & Gamble family, the home emphasizes craftsmanship, natural materials, and harmony with its surroundings.

Students examined intricate woodwork, custom furnishings, and the intentional use of light and space—hallmarks of the Arts and Crafts philosophy, which emerged as a reaction against industrialization. The visit provided a striking contrast to Wright’s modernism, allowing students to compare different architectural responses to similar cultural shifts.

Looking ahead: Final excursions
As the semester continues, students will expand their exploration of the city’s artistic and architectural landscape with one final site visit.
The course will conclude with a visit to the Walt Disney Concert Hall, designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry. Celebrated for its sweeping stainless-steel forms and innovative acoustics, the building stands as a defining example of contemporary architecture in Los Angeles. Here, students will consider how modern design continues to push artistic and structural boundaries while shaping the city’s global cultural identity.

These excursions bring course themes to life, allowing students to critically engage with Los Angeles as a living museum. From early 20th-century architectural movements to the layered cultural histories embedded in downtown neighborhoods and beyond, each site offers a unique perspective on how art and environment shape one another.

By navigating the city firsthand, students not only deepen their understanding of art history but also develop a stronger connection to LA itself—its stories, its communities and its ever-evolving identity.

The immersive Study USA Los Angeles semester and summer experiences offer students opportunities for alumni engagement, community service, unique academic classes with industry professionals and site-based experiential learning. .

 (Brepols, 2026) is derived from the third and fourth installations of the  conference. The purpose of the conference was to examine how the bishop, one of the key characters in the administration of medieval Europe, shaped how medieval European history has been recorded and remembered. Bolstered by the sense that the bishop, as an organizing idea, matters, the inaugural conference, In the Hands of God’s Servants, sought to examine the construction, enhancement, and expression of episcopal power at a local level. Papers selected and adapted for publication appeared in , which offers microhistories of episcopal power and authority, fracturing what we know about the bishop into episodes that represent dioceses and dependents, and the individuals that ran them. The singularity of these stories inspired the subject of the second conference on Episcopal Personalities. Papers from this conference were published in , which explored the work and responsibilities of the bishop, how a bishop’s persona shaped his approach to the episcopal office, and how a bishop’s charisma affected the way in which he was received or remembered by the communities he served.

Analysis of the bishop’s personality encouraged the organizers to mine the slippery space between the office and the man, not only for the ways this space elides differences between the episcopal personae of priest, pastor, or prince, but also because the space sheds light on from where— or from whom — a bishop’s power derived. The third conference, The Bishop as Diplomat, took up this question as its focus, turning away from the bishop as an agent for and as himself, to the bishop’s role as a representative of the power and authority of others. The papers offered at this conference examined how bishops developed the skills and tactics needed for diplomacy, as well as how and when these skills were deployed, and in what circumstances. They also explored what it meant for a bishop, who was already representing an office beyond himself, to be a diplomat, which often required the bishop to re-present someone else.

Two years later, organizers turned to a theme that had been at the edge of each of the previous conferences: the Bishop as Patron. This conference focused on visual, material and social expressions of episcopal power as well as how those expressions were managed to ensure the legitimacy or the legacy of a bishop. Papers examined traditional examples of patronage, such as those demonstrated through the construction, expansion, and renovation of buildings and the production and reception of manuscripts. The papers asked how and with whom bishops built relationships, and how those relationships were maintained (or neglected).

The essays selected from these last two conferences were edited, expanded and combined into a single volume. Together, they offer a broad overview of how relational culture defines how, why, and for whom bishops work.

is divided into four parts. The introduction, authored by Gatti and Silvestri, explains how this book, the last in the “Power of the Bishop” series, responds to and expands on the usefulness of the “bishop” as a category of scholarly focus. Next, a prologue by Philippa Byrne asks, “What was Episcopal about Episcopal Patronage?” The remaining essays are divided into two sections. The first section, “Episcopal Patronage as Re/Presentation”, foregrounds the material aspects of episcopal patronage, such as churches, manuscripts, hagiographies, rites, rituals, frescoes, windows and tombs. This section includes a chapter by Gatti, “Diplomatic Gestures: Art and Ambivalence in Eleventh-Century Italy”, in which she compares visual images of the bishop to the embodied language of diplomatic gestures. The final section, “Patronizing Bishops: Clients, Diplomats, Allies, and Rivals”, examines episcopal patronage as an extension of episcopal relationships with families, kings, emperors, and clients, with predecessors and successors, as alliances and antagonisms, and between bishops and their congregations, as well as the monastic and secular clergy.

Creating a coherent collection in a field as broad and disparate as medieval studies can be challenging. In fact, the hardships experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, prohibitions for travel, the closure of archives and libraries across the UK, Europe, and North America, as well as the crises in higher education and funding cuts for scholarly work, made completing this book particularly difficult. In fact, it was because of these challenges that a decision was made to publish papers from the 2017 and 2019 conferences together after plans for a separate volume fell through. This effort fulfilled a commitment made by the conveners to publish high-quality scholarly papers that had been selected and expanded for publication.

Thee colorful pieces, on loan to �鶹��Ƶ for the next four years, celebrate trans and nonbinary individuals through vibrant and affirming portraiture. Truitt Center leaders say the temporary addition of these pieces to the university’s collection underscores a commitment to the recognition and celebration of diverse religious and spiritual identities.

This exhibit was brought to �鶹��Ƶ as part of the Truitt Center’s Spirit and Pride initiative, which seeks to highlight and uplift the intersection of LGBTQIA+ identities and spirituality, in partnership with the Gender and LGBTQIA Center and the Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society.

Spirit and Pride Intern Aeiris Faloni believes having these works on campus will make a huge impact.

“Having this art hung in the Numen Lumen Pavilion makes me feel seen, heard, and at home,” Faloni said. “It gives us an opportunity to appreciate queer joy, and spark deeper conversations about gender and sexuality. It encourages those interested to ask questions, and learn more about the intersectionality of religion and queerness.”

“Art has the power to spark conversation, foster empathy, and build a more understanding world,” said Hillary Zaken, director of multifaith programming and engagement, who coordinated the effort to bring the art to �鶹��Ƶ. “Our hope is that this art can expand perspectives on religious and spiritual diversity while celebrating those who may not have always been welcome in traditional religious spaces.”

The two portraits that will be displayed at the Numen Lumen Pavilion are:

• Aodhán (48” x 60”): A two-spirit trans man deeply connected to his Scottish and Native American heritage. According to the Truitt Center, Aodhán is a gifted artist and craftsman who hand makes spiritual items for ceremonial use; his portrait captures the rich interweaving of cultural and spiritual traditions that shape his identity and artistic practice.
• Ceraun (48” x 48”): A self-described multimedia artist and philosopher, Ceraun’s creative practice spans video, photography, poetry and performance, all grounded in a deeply spiritual foundation. Their portrait reflects their expansive artistic vision and the way their work serves as a profound exploration of identity and meaning.

“The inclusion of Rae Senarighi’s Transcend portraits in the Numen Lumen Pavilion affirms the sacredness of our identities in their full intersectional expression,” said University Champlain and Dean of Multifaith Engagement Kristin Boswell. “Reflecting �鶹��Ƶ’s multifaith values and commitment to inclusion, these works invite reflection on how authenticity and visibility foster belonging and liberation.”

The works will be prominently displayed on the first floor of the Numen Lumen Pavilion for the coming two years. Additional locations across campus are also being considered to ensure these pieces reach a wide audience during the time they are on loan to the University.

The Artist’s Vision: Representation and Connection

Rae Senarighi’s Transcend Series was born out of a profound realization—he had never seen someone who looked like him in a museum portrait gallery. Determined to change that, Senarighi began creating vibrant, large-scale paintings of trans and nonbinary individuals, capturing not just their likeness but their spirit.

“In my experience as a cancer survivor, I have become starkly aware of life’s fragility and its equal preciousness,” said Senarighi. “When I paint, I let go of judgment and cynicism and tap into what I believe is my true essence—my soul.”

This deeply personal approach informs his work, creating portraits that radiate life, dignity and resilience. Senarighi describes his artistic practice as an offering—an opportunity to provide public representation for trans and nonbinary communities, ensuring that people of all identities see themselves reflected in public spaces.

“My hope is that people walk away from viewing these portraits with a shared understanding that trans folks are just people,” he explained. “We have been used as a political tool of division in national politics for many years, and it’s harmful and painful to see happening. I hope that when people look into the faces of my portraits, they see themselves reflected too—that any preconditioned prejudice or ignorance is interrupted and that some softness, empathy, and understanding come through instead.”

Faloni concurs: “As a Spirit and Pride intern, and as an artist myself, being able to celebrate trans artists and display their unique work encourages me to dive into my own personal expression and creativity. I can’t wait to see how these works light up the pavilion and their viewers.”

Representation Matters

For many, seeing these portraits displayed in a public space is a powerful experience.

“It is deeply impactful to see faces and bodies like ours as beautiful and revered,” said Senarighi. “Trans and nonbinary folks deserve to see accurate and celebratory reflections of themselves just as the rest of the world does.”

For Luis H. Garay, director of the Gender and LGBTQIA Center, and one of the campus partners responsible for bringing the art to �鶹��Ƶ, this kind of collaboration is critical.

“We are excited to be in collaboration with the Truitt Center to bring Rae Senarighi’s work to the �鶹��Ƶ community,” said Garay. “This collaboration is important to honor people’s multiple and intersecting identities including gender identity, sexual orientation, and religious/spiritual identity. The artwork is incredibly beautiful and breathtaking. I hope many come out to see the works in person!”

The Truitt Center and the Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society, both housed in the Numen Lumen Pavilion, are committed to ensuring that its space reflects the rich diversity of religious and spiritual experiences.

Expanding the Conversation

As part of ongoing efforts to deepen engagement with these artworks, the Truitt Center is exploring opportunities for programming connected to their themes. Senarighi has generously offered to participate in a virtual artist talk, which is expected to align with Trans Day of Visibility.

Collaborators for this exhibit include the Gender & LGBTQIA Center, the Center for Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity Education, the Art History department and the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program.

The stories behind them — some rescued from shipwrecks, others once partially censored by the Chinese government now re-revealed for modern eyes — can be found with the collection.

The pieces were donated to the �鶹��Ƶ Art Collections by Robert and Christi Bryden, friends of �鶹��Ƶ President Emeritus Leo Lambert. The Brydens collected nearly 100 pieces of Chinese porcelain in their travels to Hong Kong and around the globe before donating the collection to �鶹��Ƶ in 2022.

Téa Jones ’26 and Lizzie Ostling ’26, student workers with the Art Collections, spent nearly six months curating the pieces using Robert Bryden’s art history book collection — also on display for students and faculty to study — and his extensive notes. Each of the plates, vases, and artwork on display in the Inman Reading Room is accompanied by information about its origin and history.

“The ones we thought had the most interesting stories were the ones we chose for the exhibit,” Jones said. “We hope people who use the reading room will see these valuable artworks and learn something new when they come here to study.”

�鶹��Ƶ’s Art Collections include around 2,000 pieces in nine collections. The Brydens’ donation bolsters the university’s International Collection, which numbers around 600 pieces, and adds art from an area of the world that was relatively underrepresented within the collection, said Ethan Moore, coordinator of the Art Collections.

“We have a few porcelain vases from other collectors, but nothing of this size and this magnitude,” Moore said. “This is really a premier collection from Bob and Christi Bryden, with a number of just wonderful pieces. What’s on display is really only about half of what they gave.”

In coming years, students will research and curate additional displays from the Brydens’ collection and other items in the International Collection, Moore said.

The Brydens first discussed donating the pieces to �鶹��Ƶ in conversation with the Lamberts.

“The Brydens were interested in students working with the collection, and this is exactly what they envisioned,” Lambert said. “They wanted students to be touching, analyzing, thinking about and planning exhibits with the pieces. I’m just thrilled to see what students have done with it, and there will be more opportunity for other students to curate other exhibits down the road.”

As part of her semester-long appointment, she is teaching a graduate level seminar on Zen and visual/material culture and pursuing research for her next book. On Friday, Oct. 25, Winfield also delivered the keynote address for the annual Premodern Japanese Religions Conference at McGill University.

Her talk, “Materiality as Method: How to Do Things with Zen” launched the conference, where scholars from Harvard, McGill, University of Edinburgh, SUNY Albany and High Point University shared their latest research at the intersection of Buddhist studies and visual/material culture.

The lightning talks will be from:

Jacqueline DeBrew, Nursing

Show Me Your Story:  A community organization that provides transitional housing to people experiencing homelessness was the site for a qualitative study which utilized interviews and Photovoice to understand what activities performed by residents increases self-determination in managing their health, what barriers exist, as well as what nurses can do to support them.

Evan Gatti, Art History

Evan will share work completed as part of the Multispectral Imaging Collective Videntes (Latin, plural for the act of seeing). Over the last few years, Videntes has imaged six of the seven medieval scrolls preserved in the Museo del Tesoro del Duomo e Archivio Capitolare in Vercelli, Italy. Each scroll preserves a different mode of teaching or learning from their original medieval contexts and now, each presents a unique technical problem to their modern interpreters. Gatti’s work, specially, focuses on what we can see better through multispectral analysis using an object that does not demonstrate clear damage or intentional reuse. She will share how the process of slow (or layered) looking encouraged by multispectral analysis offers insights into medieval drawing and copying practices and what the implications of those findings could be for expanded use of multispectral analysis in art history.

Jessica Merricks, Biology

Reflective writing is an underutilized strategy in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) curricula for a variety of reasons, yet it may deepen disciplinary understanding and shape students’ cognitive, social, and emotional perspectives. Jessica’s research focuses on how to help students reflect more deeply on their learning process and their relationship with science content. She will also share results from a newly designed rubric for evaluating students’ written reflections.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Are you interested in participating in a future Faculty Scholarship Lunch & Learn, or would you like to nominate a colleague? Let us know using

Ringelberg is the institute’s 2023-24 Kaleta A. Doolin Foundation Fellow and will be in residence at the Clark campus in Williamston, Massachusetts, beginning in January 2024. The Clark functions as an art museum and center for research and higher education in the visual arts. Its Research and Academic Program annually selects from among top international scholars to award fellowships ranging from two to nine months. It is one of only a handful of fellowships dedicated to art history.

“The 2023–24 Clark Fellows represent an exceptional group of scholars,” said Caroline Fowler, Starr Director of the Research and Academic Program. “They bring many perspectives, as well as great vitality and creativity to the Clark. The scope of these projects is thrilling. We’re excited to introduce our Fellows, and their ground-breaking work, to our community.”

Focusing on the life and art of Madeleine Lemaire, a highly successful artist and teacher in the French Third Republic period now often overlooked due to the genre and subjects of her work, Ringelberg’s scholarship will advance the study of queer issues in art and art history. The project brings together their leadership in developing trans art history and visual culture with their work on 19th century gender construction and representation.

“There isn’t a lot of scholarship around trans art history and visual culture, and most of that is within modern and contemporary art. This is an important place for me to bring my talents and an important effort to challenge binary systems that still have a stranglehold on 19th and 20th century art history,” Ringelberg said.

Lemaire lived and painted “like a man and a woman and neither. Her story is a complex and necessarily incomplete one that encompasses conceptions of genre and gender that remain under meaningful contemporary debate.”

Ringelberg will examine the hierarchy of art genres — regarding subject matter ranked from history painting to portraiture, landscape, genre painting, landscape and still life — and the gendered standards of their value. For example, it was more acceptable for women to paint flowers and still life, seen as the lowest form of art, but not history paintings or nudes. Lemaire found successful markets for both her watercolor paintings of flowers and larger-scale figural paintings including nudes. She likewise was a social success among an influential and chic circle of friends.

“While Lemaire’s lifestyle is now very much in style, her art — and recognition of her importance in art history — are not. The story I wish to tell will reinvest Lemaire’s time and space with its original queerness and investigate how we understand style more broadly — working in a particular style, being in and out of style, lifestyle, and the temporal and historiographic location of particular style,” Ringelberg said.

Ringelberg is one of 16 Clark Fellows named this spring. They hail from universities across the U.S., Brazil, Spain, the Bahamas and Japan. To date, more than 400 scholars from 30 countries have participated in the Clark Fellows program.

“The list of past Clark fellows are my heroes,” Ringelberg said. “They are the superstars of the art history world, and they are the authors I assign in my courses. They’re some of the scholars who have been the most significant to me as an art historian.”

Ringelberg is the author of “Redefining Gender in American Impressionist Studio Painting: Work Place/Domestic Space,” published in 2017, numerous articles and essays, and in 2020 co-edited the Journal of Visual Culture’s first issue devoted to transgender art. In May, they were the recipient of �鶹��Ƶ’s Daniels-Danieley Award for Excellence in Teaching.