KU Department of Art History

Congratulations to Julie Thompson Borger (PhD Candidate). Julie was appointed the Getty Graduate Curatorial Intern for the Manuscripts Department from September 2026 until August 2027.

Prof. David Cateforis is quoted in this recently published article about the renowned Nebraska landscape artist and KU alumnus Keith Jacobshagen. On May 22, Prof. Cateforis was pleased to attend the opening reception of the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art’s Jacobshagen exhibition, The Shape of the Prairie, which was handsomely installed by the museum’s registrar and exhibitions manager Megan Benitz (MA ‘05).

Keith Jacobshagen, famed prairie painter, finds essential and eternal in endless Nebraska sky - Flatwater Free Press Unlike other landscape artists who capture obvious scenic glories of crashing ocean waves or snow-crested mountains, Jacobshagen has devoted his life to depicting what much of the rest of America calls flyover country.

Shout-out to Reyna Catching (MA ’25) who in April was promoted to Assistant Curator at the National WWI Museum and Memorial, where she previously worked as the Education Coordinator.
Additional exciting news from Reyna: her research on the museum’s monumental painting Panthéon de la Guerre culminated in an interactive feature for the museum’s centennial exhibition. Reyna identified the painting’s approximately 250 notable figures and created brief biographies of them accompanied by photographs. Visitors can access this material by selecting figures on a touchscreen interface keyed to the painting. The photograph shows Reyna posing next to the screen.

Congratulations to our distinguished alumnus Robert Mowry (MPhil ‘75) who last month was awarded the 2026 Grand Prize of the Order of National Merit of the Republic of Korea, in recognition of his work to build a collection of Korean art for Harvard and for promoting Korean art and culture in the West through lectures, publications, and exhibitions. As Bob couldn’t travel to Seoul on short notice, his dear friend GuGu Kim accepted the award on his behalf, while Bob officially acknowledged it and expressed thanks via Zoom. Sponsored by government ministries and agencies, this national award was administered through the Kim Koo Museum and Library, Seoul.

Ph.D. students Arial Kim, Logan Ward, and Heeryun Suh joined Prof. Maya Stiller at the Academy of Korean Studies today to visit the Woljungdo exhibition at the Jangseogak Archives. Before exploring the exhibition, the group enjoyed lunch together and discussed their ongoing research projects!

Congratulations to Preston Tindal on receiving the Edmund Eglinski Prize for Study Abroad. A senior majoring in global and international studies with a minor in philosophy, Preston has been awarded this $750 scholarship to support study of French language and culture in Paris this summer. In Paris, Preston is particularly excited to visit the Musée Carnavalet, L’Institut du Monde Arabe, the Musée de Cluny, and the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature.

https://arthistory.ku.edu/eglinski-prize

Hats off to Megan Weis who has received the Eglinski Prize for Study Abroad. This $750 scholarship will support Megan’s study of French language and culture this summer in Paris. A senior double-majoring in astronomy and physics and with a minor in French and Francophone studies, Megan is eager to explore France’s rich and extensive art history, and especially Impressionism, which she says is her favorite movement.

https://arthistory.ku.edu/new-resources-and-funding-opportunities

Congratulations to Greta Hyde on receiving the Edmund Eglinski Prize for Study Abroad—a $750 scholarship. Greta is a junior business major with minors in political science and French and Francophone studies. Greta, who will be taking French language courses this summer in Paris, writes, “I am looking forward to looking at different works of art in a variety of mediums at some of the best museums in the world.”

https://arthistory.ku.edu/eglinski-prize

Congratulations to Leah Chizek for successfully passing her PhD comprehensive exams today!

Congratulations to PhD student Logan Ward on completing ten months of advanced academic Korean language study at the Inter-University Center for Korean Language Studies at Sungkyunkwan University! Logan’s participation in this intensive program was made possible through substantial support from the Department of Art History at the University of Kansas, reflecting our commitment to graduate student research and language training.
The 1st photo shows Logan responding to questions following an excellent research presentation delivered entirely in Korean. His talk, titled “Manhwa in the U.S. Military Government’s Chukan Digest (1945–1947)” in English, highlighted research he conducted over the past several months.

The other photo is a snapshot from the graduation ceremony. Both photos were taken by Logan’s PhD advisor, Professor Maya Stiller.

We are proud of Logan’s accomplishments and look forward to welcoming him back to KU this fall!