Brown University History of Art and Architecture

Our History of Art and Architecture alum are involved in extraordinary projects and scholarship. We are delighted to share Volume I of their recent publications. Find more information and book links in our Linktree!

Book 1: “Objects in Exile: Modern Art and Design across Borders 1930-1960” by Robin Schuldenfrei, HIAA ‘95

Book 2: “Contending Representations III: Questioning Republicanism in Early Modern Genoa” by George L. Gorse, HIAA PhD ‘80

Book 3: “Staring into the Sun: Stories from a Chinese American Family 1895-2015” by Madelyn Postman, HIAA ‘94

Book 4: “What is Highly Unlikely But Not Impossible?” By Jeanne Gerrity, HIAA ‘02

Book 5: “Designed to Impress: Guido Mazenta’s Plans for the Entry of Gregoria Maximiliana of Austria into Milan (1597)” co-authored by Janis C. Bell, HIAA PhD ‘83

Book 6: “The History of Western Art” by Janetta Rebold Bento, HIAA PhD ‘82

Enjoy and stay tuned for more editions!

Brown University
Brown Alumni & Friends

We have exciting news!

Please join us in welcoming Robyn Barrow to the History of Art and Architecture Department as Assistant Professor with a focus on medieval European art and architectural history in the world. We are thrilled that you’re joining us at Brown!

Robyn Barrow is an art historian of medieval Europe in a connected world. She specializes in art, cultural exchange and environmental histories of Scandinavia and the North Atlantic. Her region of study encounters the sovereign homelands of the Inuit and Sámi, and she has traveled extensively in the Arctic. Her manuscript, Tracking North: Art, Ecology and Exchange in the Medieval Nordic World explores cultural systems extending across the vast spaces of the north. The project illuminates the ways that systems of secular and religious power were creatively negotiated by communities across the wide Norse-settled region in the Middle Ages, from Gotland to Greenland. Her second project, Thaw: Revelation and Erasure in the Medieval North, considers the relationship between medieval art and the temporalities of contemporary environmental crisis.

Professor Barrow entertains a wide range of interests in her teaching and mentorship, from the art and architecture of medieval pilgrimage to longer histories of art in Kalaallit Nunaat.

In Fall 2026, she will teach the seminar Plunder, Wonder and War: Histories of Collecting in Sweden, 1500-1700.

Her research has been supported by major institutions including the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts; a collaborative initiative between the Fulbright Foundation and National Science Foundation for Arctic Research; and the Swedish Institute. Her published work has appeared in major journals such as The Medieval Globe and Different Visions.

Before joining the department in 2026, Professor Barrow taught at Middlebury College.

Welcome, Professor Barrow!

Congratulations to HIAA Assistant Professor Gretel Rodríguez who will serve as the next Director of the Classical Summer School at the American Academy in Rome beginning in Summer 2027. Rodríguez’ research focuses on the art, architecture, and archaeology of the Roman Empire, investigating the relationship between art and society and issues of viewership, identity, and acculturation in relation to ancient artistic production.

She has conducted research across Rome, the Bay of Naples, Southern France, and Chiapas, Mexico. Her scholarship has appeared in American Journal of Archaeology, Res: Anthropology and Aesthetics, and Theoretical Roman Archaeology Journal. Most recently, she was a Spring 2026 Faculty Fellow at Brown’s Cogut Institute for the Humanities, where she worked on a project titled Water Sanctuaries of the Roman World.

“I am deeply honored and excited to join the American Academy in Rome as Director of the Classical Summer School,” said Rodríguez. “This long-standing program offers students the unique opportunity to learn about Roman art and architecture with the city itself as a living backdrop and, therefore, it will also be a special type of pedagogical experience for me.”

“I look forward to incorporating some of my past research on Roman honorific arches and viewer experiences into the design of the course, but I am especially excited about sharing my new research on Mediterranean water cults with the participants. I see this program as a wonderful chance to test and develop new ideas, and I hope this will, in turn, make a meaningful contribution to the students’ growth as future scholars and teachers.”

The Classical Summer School, founded in 1923, is an intensive five-week program exploring the history, archaeology, art, and material culture of ancient Rome through seminars, site visits, discussions, and student presentations. It is designed for middle school, high school, and university educators, as well as qualified graduate students, who wish to study the development of Rome through its material remains and literary sources.

Congratulations, Gretel!

We’re so excited (and proud!) to share that award-winning author Xochitl Gonzalez, HIAA Alum ‘99, will be delivering the Baccalaureate address at Commencement this year!

Xochitl is a New York Times bestselling author, staff writer for The Atlantic, Trustee at the Brooklyn Public Library, board member of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation, and a Brown University Trustee.

Her award winning books include “Anita de Monte Laughs Last”, “Olga Dies Dreaming”, and her latest release “Last Night in Brooklyn”. She’ll be sharing insights from her decorated literary career and her advice for the Class of 2026.

Welcome back, Xochitl! Congratulations!!

Congratulations to the 2026 HIAA/ARCH Honors students on completing (beautifully) their Senior Theses! Their dedication to their chosen topics was clearly evident, and their presentations engaging and professional. BRAVO!

Sincere gratitude to Professor Annie Maloney, who mentored the students admirably.

This spring the Architecture DUG sponsored a day trip off campus to New Canaan CT to visit 3 architecturally significant properties. It was a gorgeous day to explore The Glass House, a National Trust Historic Site built by Philip Johnson, wander through Grace Farms, a curving 80 acre cultural and humanitarian center, and enjoy a private tour of the privately owned Lee House II, designed by John Black Lee in 1956.

Thanks go to the ARCH DUG members and Professor Dietrich Neumann for organizing this inspiring trip!

History of Art and Architecture and affiliated students and faculty were again treated to an object study session at the RISD Museum. In conjunction with HIAA’s Implements of Impression lecture series, Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago Yung-Ti Li joined us at Brown to deliver his talk “Archaeology and the Ever-changing Cityscape of Anyang: Craft, Production, Spacial Organization, and Infrastructure of the Late Shang Dynasty Capital.”

Among the many early bronze and jade pieces made available to us, here Yung-Ti was discussing the bronze Chinese “Lei Vessel” from 1200-1100 BCE. A gift from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation 2007.90.9, the object is a lidded vessel with abstract surface patterns and two bovine-headed handles.

We are so grateful to Alexandra Poterack, RISD Museum’s Director of Academic Programs, for making these extraordinary opportunities possible!