School of Art Welcomes Art History Endowed Professors

Photo by Martin Schapiro/Danielle Spires

John Blakinger and Jennifer Greenhill

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Jennifer A. Greenhill and John R. Blakinger will be the first endowed professors in the School of Art’s art history program at the University of Arkansas, bringing expertise that will greatly contribute to the school’s growth and ability to shape new generations of historians, artists and designers.

The School of Art was established in fall 2017 thanks to the generous $120 million gift from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation. Art history is a particular focus of the gift with aspirational goals of ranking in the top 25 art history programs in the nation.

“We are excited to have Jennifer and John join the School of Art,” said Gerry Snyder, executive director of the School of Art. “Each professor brings exceptional experience and research to the art history program that will further propel art education and assist in achieving goals outlined in the gift. In collaboration with our current extraordinary art history faculty the program will foster intellectual and creative vibrancy on the campus and beyond.”

about jennifer greenhill

A leading scholar of American art, Greenhill joins the art history program as an endowed professor of American art and the inaugural director of graduate studies and museum partnerships with Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

“Professor Greenhill brings a rare distinction and an international reputation in the area of American art and visual culture with her pioneering studies of humor in 19th and early 20th century America and of the visual strategies of American advertising circa 1900,” said Lynn F. Jacobs, program director of art history. “As our inaugural director of graduate studies and museum partnerships, her expertise and experience will be instrumental in building connections between the new graduate program and Crystal Bridges.”

Greenhill will steer and craft the Master of Arts program focused on Arts of the Americas that is planned to open for enrollment in fall 2023.

“The region is positively buzzing with entrepreneurial energy and a willingness to experiment,” Greenhill said. “Over the next few years, we aim to double our faculty and expand our expertise in fields that help us to grow the program, develop initiatives to foster international collaboration and exchange, and provide new opportunities for creative research that meaningfully responds to the most pressing issues of our time. The partnership with Crystal Bridges, and the great work happening at Art Bridges Foundation and The Momentary, will make the program a dynamic training ground for students who care about art and about making a difference in the world.”

As an alumna of Terra Foundation for American Art international programs and a recipient of a Tyson Scholar Fellowship at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, she will further connect the art history program to regional, national and international communities.

“Jennifer is an extraordinary leader in the field of American art,” said Margi Conrads, director of curatorial affairs and strategic art initiatives at Crystal Bridges. “We are thrilled to welcome her back to Northwest Arkansas after her 2018-19 Tyson Scholar fellowship, where she worked closely with museum’s collections, library and exhibitions. We look forward to working together to expand our art ecosystem with enhanced offerings including a distinguished graduate program.”

Prior to joining the School of Art, Greenhill was an associate professor of art history at the University of Southern California and the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She has a doctorate from Yale University, a Master of Arts from Williams College and Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Greenhill is currently writing a book on the experimental efforts of commercial artists, magazine art directors, advertisers and psychologists to develop visual strategies of suggestive advertising at the turn of the 20th century. She also enjoys sharing ideas beyond the academy, with a recent essay in The Atlantic on American art in the Trump era, and a conversation with legendary comedian Paula Poundstone on her podcast, “Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone.”

about john r. blakinger

Blakinger joins the art history program as an endowed associate professor of contemporary art. He studies the history, theory and criticism of late modern and contemporary art, with a special interest in the relationship between art and politics.  

“Associate professor Blakinger, working on the intersection of aesthetics and politics, will greatly strengthen and advance our research and teaching in the area of contemporary art,” said Jacobs.

His research and teaching consider connections between art, science and media technologies. He recently published a book, Gyorgy Kepes: Undreaming the Bauhaus, exploring the artist Gyorgy Kepes's interdisciplinary collaborations with science and technology during the Cold War.

“I am thrilled to join the School of Art at a moment of incredible opportunity,” Blakinger said. “I look forward to collaborating with faculty across the school as we launch our graduate program, establish new cooperative ventures with Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and renovate the Fine Arts Building as a new home for the arts on campus.  At a time when the humanities are under siege, it's exciting to join an institution that is committed to expanding the reach of the arts across the academy and in the region.”

Blakinger is currently researching recent political controversies in contemporary art for a new book. The project explores the resurgence of the culture wars and considers how digital technologies have facilitated new forms of aesthetic activism in the arts.

“We are thrilled to welcome John to the School of Art,” said Marty Maxwell Lane, associate director of the School of Art and associate professor of graphic design. “The art history faculty are contributing significant achievements to the field. John’s research and accomplishments will continue this trend and will be an incredible example to our students.”

Blakinger holds a doctorate in art history and Master of Arts from Stanford University and a Bachelor of Arts in art history from Wesleyan University.

Previously, he was a departmental lecturer in the history of art as well as the 2018-2019 Terra Foundation visiting professor of American art at the University of Oxford.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among fewer than 3 percent of colleges and universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.