Art History and Arts of the Americas Program to Host Graduate Research Symposium at the Momentary

The University of Arkansas School of Art's Master of Arts in Art History specializing in the Arts of the Americas program will host its second annual student research symposium on Monday, April 21, from 2-5 p.m. in the Momentary's RØDE House in Bentonville, Arkansas. A reception will follow from 5-6 p.m. Further event details can be found on HogSync.

The symposium will feature research presentations from graduating M.A. students spanning diverse time periods, geographies, and methodologies. Joining the students for panel discussions will be several colleagues from Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, a key partner of the graduate program. Welcome remarks will be delivered by Abigail Guay, director of research, scholarship and library at Crystal Bridges, alongside Kelvin Parnell Jr., Endowed Assistant Professor in Arts of the Americas at the School of Art. Moderated Q&A sessions will be led by Crystal Bridges assistant curators Josie Johnson and Larissa Randall, who is also a graduate of the M.A. Art History/Arts of the Americas program. 

The symposium builds on the momentum on a milestone celebrated last spring: the graduation of its first cohort of master's students. Last May, graduates presented research at the first annual symposium of the M.A. Art History/Arts of the Americas program. The graduates discussed under-told stories of makers, interdisciplinary approaches to the study of art and highlighted knowledge systems that exist outside dominant narratives. 

The program has grown substantially in both students and faculty. Graduates from the inaugural cohort and the 2026 graduating class have gone on to secure curatorial and leadership roles at museums, galleries, and arts and culture organizations, and have been accepted into prestigious Ph.D. programs at institutions including Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Yale University. 

Presenting M.A. Students and Research Topics

• Elise Boulanger — "Holding, Nurturing, & Gifting the Earth: Responsibility in Caddo and Osage Ceramic Practices" 

• Skyler Dunbar — "Reassessing the Real: Seeing Dream-Work in the Dreamworld Realism of Philip Evergood" 

• Isabella Hernandez — "Tracing Indigenous Veins in 16th-Century Maps of Nueva Galicia" 

• Michelle Kamanga — "Between Thread and Life: The Living Quilting Tradition of Gee's Bend" 

• Aili Waller — "Wooden Glass: Chaim Gross as Louis Comfort Tiffany's Posthumous Interpreter in the 1930s" 

"Our second annual symposium will allow the broader community to get a glimpse of the rigorous and imaginative scholarship underway in the M.A. art history program. Graduating students have been working for several months on these advanced research projects—visiting archives and communities of artists and, in some cases, developing their own art practice in dialogue with historical traditions," said Jennifer Greenhill, School of Art director of the graduate program for art history & professor of art history. "We're grateful to partner with Crystal Bridges in supporting these students, many of whom have integrated their research into meaningful work experience at the museum."

One example Greenhill shared as part of that integrated work include student Aili Waller, whose project complements research conducted at Crystal Bridges in collaboration with curator Jen Padgett. Waller's work focuses on the acquisition of a Louis Comfort Tiffany window. Tiffany, an American artist and designer, is known for his work in stained glass and interior design. The son of Charles Lewis Tiffany, founder of Tiffany & Co., Louis Comfort Tiffany also served as Tiffany & Co.'s first design director. Waller's work contributes to a broader reexamination of Tiffany's artistic practice and legacy. 

Greenhill noted that work presented at the previous symposium has also been further developed. Research by M.A. art history alumni Larissa Randall (assistant curator of American Art) and Ella Nowicki (Windgate Curatoral Fellow, 2025-2026) has informed America 250: Common Threads, the current exhibition at the museum, which is also offering free tickets to all U of A campus members. This work is made possible through the partnership between Crystal Bridges and the M.A. Art History program at the School of Art. 

The April 21 symposium is free and open to the public. Snacks and refreshments will be provided. Prospective students are encouraged to attend and learn more about the program's research focus areas. 

The M.A. Art History specializing in the Arts of the Americas program is housed in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences' School of Art and offered in partnership with Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. The two-year program provides students with interdisciplinary training and applied museum experience, preparing graduates for careers that demand visual literacy, critical thinking, communication, and research, in museums, galleries, academia and beyond.  

Students have unique access to a world-class collection of American art through Crystal Bridges and the Momentary, and a vibrant community of scholars with mentorship and internships with local arts organizations like Art Bridges. Museum curators and related staff also have access to the University of Arkansas resources and faculty. 

"This partnership reflects Crystal Bridges' deep commitment to scholarship, access, and the next generation of art historians," said Abigail Guay, director of research, scholarship, and library at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. "We are delighted to support this program and to see students engaging so meaningfully with our collections and research resources." 

For more information about the School of Art, visit www.art.uark.edu.