CAA Conversations CAA

In this podcast, Christina (Chris) Penn-Goetsch and Celia Stahr discuss how Trabian Shorters’s “asset framing” could be used as a model in the college art history classroom, providing numerous examples throughout their conversation. Asset framing is a narrative model that defines people by their gifts and assets instead of the challenges they may face. Shorters’s model for pedagogy may prove useful for the art history classroom, a space where we create narratives on a regular basis that probably affect our students more than the facts and research that we share. Shorters’s observations, based on the work of psychologist Daniel Kahneman, argues that we internalize what we see as part of a narrative before we even employ the conscious mind. This suggests an even more imperative role for how we study the visual arts.

Celia Stahr, who received a BA and MA from San Francisco State University and a PhD from the University of Iowa, has been teaching art history at the University of San Francisco for 18 years. As an adjunct who was named one of the top professors in Fifteen Noteworthy Art Professors in San Francisco, Celia specializes in modern, contemporary, African, and transnational or “traveling” artists with an emphasis upon issues of gender, race, ethnicity, and class. Stahr is particularly interested in artists who cross cultural boundaries and the importance of place. Her book Frida in America: The Creative Awakening of a Great Artist was published in 2020 by St. Martin’s Press and has received many positive reviews in publications such as the New York Times, Art in America, and Publisher’s Weekly. Stahr is also interviewed in the forthcoming BBC three-part docuseries on the life and art of Frida Kahlo.

Christina (Chris) Penn-Goetsch (They/She) finished their BA at the University of Virginia and a PhD at the University of Iowa. This professor has taught at Cornell College for 26 years now and was the recipient of Cornell’s Exemplary Teacher of the Year in 2018. They have had an active career in college service that includes serving as the chair of the college’s Diversity Committee and acting as advisor for Alliance and Gender Safe Space. Their main areas of research focus on early modern Italy and contemporary feminist art. Penn-Goetsch has taught for the Smithsonian Journeys program in Southern Italy and continues to offer college classes about architecture and imperialism in Rome, Italy. Their interest in asset framing stems from teaching classes in African, African American, Native American, Chicana, and Feminist art, as well as a new course last year, “Queer Eye for Art History.”

A two part in-depth dialogue about creating inclusive pedagogical spaces to present and teach women’s history with Jenevieve DeLosSantos, assistant teaching professor of art history and director of special pedagogic projects at Rutgers University and Ashleigh Coren, women’s history content and interpretation curator at the National Portrait Gallery and acting head of education for the Smithsonian’s American women’s history initiative. In part 1 of this conversation, Coren discusses the importance of engaging with the wide spectrum of art practices by women artists and developing critical pedagogical strategies to facilitate culturally responsive teaching, to approach difficult conversations around race, gender and class and support educators attempting to provide more inclusive content. Part 2 expands the conversation to include additional pedagogical strategies to open up teaching women’s histories to broader audiences, set up community norms, manage the approach to difficult traumatic topics that could be triggering, empower communities to help tell broader stories and address the erasure of certain communities.

Ashleigh D. Coren is the acting head of education for the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative and the Women’s History Content and Interpretation Curator at the National Portrait Gallery, where she focuses on collections research, student and teacher programs, and public programming. Previously, she was Special Collections Librarian for Teaching and Learning at the University of Maryland, College Park and an adjunct lecturer in the university’s College of Information Studies. She holds a BA in Art and Visual Culture from Bates College, and an MS in Archives Management from Simmons University. She has held previous positions at West Virginia University and Emerson College and in 2018 she was named an ALA Emerging Leader. Her writing has been published in The Journal of American Folklore, Viewfinder: Reflecting Upon Museum Education, and the International Review of African American Art.

Jenevieve DeLosSantos is Associate Teaching Professor of Art History and Director of Special Pedagogic Projects in the Office of Undergraduate Education for the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University–New Brunswick, New Jersey. In her dual role, she teaches art history and manages several programs related to teaching and learning and diversity, equity and inclusion in undergraduate education. Her research focuses on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Art History and explores topics related to trauma-informed pedagogy and equitable, inclusive teaching practices in the art history classroom. Her current projects include, guest editing the series “Hard Lessons: Trauma, Teaching, Art History” for Art Journal Open and the forthcoming book Poetries – Politics: A Celebration of Language, Learning and Art with Rutgers University Press. Her other scholarly interests include nineteenth-century American Orientalism and more broadly, race and imperialism in nineteenth-century visual culture.

A two part in-depth dialogue about creating inclusive pedagogical spaces to present and teach women’s history with Jenevieve DeLosSantos, assistant teaching professor of art history and director of special pedagogic projects at Rutgers University and Ashleigh Coren, women’s history content and interpretation curator at the National Portrait Gallery and acting head of education for the Smithsonian’s American women’s history initiative. In part 1 of this conversation, Coren discusses the importance of engaging with the wide spectrum of art practices by women artists and developing critical pedagogical strategies to facilitate culturally responsive teaching, to approach difficult conversations around race, gender and class and support educators attempting to provide more inclusive content. Part 2 expands the conversation to include additional pedagogical strategies to open up teaching women’s histories to broader audiences, set up community norms, manage the approach to difficult traumatic topics that could be triggering, empower communities to help tell broader stories and address the erasure of certain communities.

Ashleigh D. Coren is the acting head of education for the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative and the Women’s History Content and Interpretation Curator at the National Portrait Gallery, where she focuses on collections research, student and teacher programs, and public programming. Previously, she was Special Collections Librarian for Teaching and Learning at the University of Maryland, College Park and an adjunct lecturer in the university’s College of Information Studies. She holds a BA in Art and Visual Culture from Bates College, and an MS in Archives Management from Simmons University. She has held previous positions at West Virginia University and Emerson College and in 2018 she was named an ALA Emerging Leader. Her writing has been published in The Journal of American Folklore, Viewfinder: Reflecting Upon Museum Education, and the International Review of African American Art.

Jenevieve DeLosSantos is Associate Teaching Professor of Art History and Director of Special Pedagogic Projects in the Office of Undergraduate Education for the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University–New Brunswick, New Jersey. In her dual role, she teaches art history and manages several programs related to teaching and learning and diversity, equity and inclusion in undergraduate education. Her research focuses on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Art History and explores topics related to trauma-informed pedagogy and equitable, inclusive teaching practices in the art history classroom. Her current projects include, guest editing the series “Hard Lessons: Trauma, Teaching, Art History” for Art Journal Open and the forthcoming book Poetries – Politics: A Celebration of Language, Learning and Art with Rutgers University Press. Her other scholarly interests include nineteenth-century American Orientalism and more broadly, race and imperialism in nineteenth-century visual culture.

What does it look like to actually exist within graduate school? Most grad and post-doc students spend their degrees carefully balancing their schooling alongside holding full-time jobs, building professional connections, supporting themselves financially and physically, and engaging in their creativity outside of school. This podcast explores the question: what does the world of academia look like while situated within these experiences, and how do graduate programs support their students with community and access to resources? Grace Oller and Hannah Warren are currently receiving their master’s degrees in the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences at New York University. Grace attends the Institute of Fine Arts and is seeking a degree in Art History and Archeology, while Hannah is receiving her MA from the XE: Experimental Humanities and Social Engagement program. In this conversation, Grace and Hannah discuss what brought them to NYU, how they have navigated their first year, and what their hope is for the future of their programs, specifically addressing how community has been fostered in these spaces. This episode hopes to extend empathy to students facing the same battles, while providing a moment of contemplation for those who may exist outside of this specific realm of academia. As creatives and academics, Grace and Hannah explore the integration of art, education, and building connections with others.

Grace Oller is a Graduate Student at New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts (IFA) studying Modern and Contemporary Art History and Curatorial Practice. Born and raised in rural Ohio, she attended the Columbus College of Art and Design and received a BFA in Fine Arts with minors in Creative Writing and Art History. She has held positions as an Exhibition Assistant at the Columbus Museum of Art, co-editor in chief of the online publication, IFAcontemporary, and a contributing writer for a forthcoming book published by NYU’s Grey Art Gallery celebrating the Anonymous Was a Woman award. Her work challenges ideas surrounding accessibility and labor in the art world, and you can find her around New York enjoying the delicious sounds of live jazz.

Hannah J. Warren (she/her) grew up in Upstate NY but currently resides in Brooklyn, NY, obtaining a Master's degree in Experimental Humanities and Social Engagement from NYU. Hannah received her BA in English with an emphasis in writing, and a minor in Women and Gender Studies from Hartwick College in 2020. Recently Hannah has had poetry published in The Bookend Review, and has helped edit the poetry in her programs magazine Caustic Frolic. Beyond her joy for writing, Hannah enjoys spending her time traveling, reading, buying books, and trying to keep her plants alive. Hjw2170@nyu.edu. *This podcast, Past The Door, was recorded by Grace Oller and Hannah Warren, and edited by Hannah Warren.

Ann Lepore and Jeanne Brasile discuss interdisciplinary engagement in the studio art classroom with an emphasis on student-centered activities in an inclusive environment. What lessons were learned by the professor and her students in this period of pandemic? What roles do community, conversation and social justice contribute to a visual arts curriculum and what is that relationship in the inverse?

Ann LePore was raised in the garage under her father’s car. The works she creates are heavily influenced by her experiences as a champion of science, civil society and as a seeker of secret landscapes. Her processes include projection mapping, animation, printmaking, installation, and data visualization. LePore has exhibited with e-Flux and Serpentine Gallery, London, and also shown her work in New York, Paris, Rome, Berlin, Moscow and Art Basel Switzerland. Much of her research has been completed during artist residencies including at the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, and aboard the Research Vessel Sea Wolf. Ann received her MFA from the School of Visual Arts. She is currently Associate Professor of 3D Design and Animation at Ramapo College of New Jersey.

Jeanne Brasile is the Director of the Walsh Gallery at Seton Hall University. She earned her M.A. in Museum Studies at Seton Hall University and studied art history and studio art as an undergraduate at Ramapo College of New Jersey. Her background in non-profit administration spans over 20 years and she serves on numerous boards and committees within the arts community. Brasile specializes in curating and is primarily interested in developing interdisciplinary exhibitions that challenge visitors to re-think their perceptions about art, art-making and the role of the museum/gallery. Brasile often speaks and writes on issues in contemporary art and art practices.

In this conversation Steve Rossi speaks with Michael Asbill and Amanda Heidel, about Amanda’s Mushroom Shed MFA thesis project, which explored the mushroom lifecycle as a model for community engagement through developing connections between the State University of New York at New Paltz Sculpture Program, the Biology Department, and the surrounding community. Themes relating to interdisciplinary collaborations, faculty mentorship, and individual vs. collaborative authorship are all explored.

Steve Rossi is currently an Assistant Professor and Sculpture Program Head at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, where he has been developing interdisciplinary studio art pedagogy connected to the varied fields of environmental ethics and occupational therapy. He received his BFA from Pratt Institute in 2000 and his MFA from the State University of New York at New Paltz in 2006. His work has been exhibited at Dorsky Curatorial Projects, Eco Art Space, NURTUREart, the Open Engagement Conference at the Queens Museum, Bronx Art Space, the Wassaic Project, the John Michael Kohler Art Center, the Jules Collins Smith Museum of Fine Arts, and the public art festival Art in Odd Places among many others. He has participated in artist residencies with the Vermont Studio Center, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and Gallery Aferro in Newark, New Jersey. As a part-time faculty member, he has taught in the First Year Program at Parsons School of Design and the Sculpture Program and Art Education Program at the State University of New York at New Paltz.

Michael Asbill weaves arts advocacy, community engagement, environmentalism, and curatorial endeavor into his installation and public art practice. His work has been experienced in venues such as Sporobole and Galerie Zybaldone (Sherbrooke, QC), Flux Factory (Long Island City, NY), The Oregon City Elevator, and the Poughkeepsie Train Station. As a core collaborator with Habitat for Artists, Michael contributed to eco and social engagement projects for Smack Mellon (Brooklyn, NY), Arts Brookfield (New York, NY), Washington DC’s Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the Corcoran Museum (Washington, DC), and 601 Tully (Syracuse, NY). He has received numerous grants, awards, commissions, and honors including the New York State/Province of Quebec Artist in Residence Exchange Grant, inclusion in the “Introducing” series at the Roger Smith Hotel, and was honored, at the 2018 Arts Mid-Hudson/Ulster County Executive Arts Awards, with the title of “Artivist” which was invented to acknowledge his community contributions. Michael is the founder and director of CHRCH Project Space (Rosendale, NY), a residency for the development of pioneering, community-based, participatory artworks. Michael is a visiting lecturer, and currently head of the sculpture program, at the State University of New York in New Paltz.

Amanda Heidel is an artist and educator living in Ithaca, NY. Her research in life cycles, collaborative structures, and community engagement led to the creation of Mushroom Shed, a community project that looks to the mushroom lifecycle as a model for community engagement. In addition, Amanda teaches outdoor mushroom cultivation and facilitates the Community Mushroom Educator program through Cornell Small Farms Program. She is also the Grants Manager for Choice Words Ithaca, a grant writing and fundraising firm that helps businesses, nonprofits, educational institutions, and municipalities identify and acquire grant funding.