Enhance Your Education

Distinctive Programs in Art History

There are ample opportunities to enhance your education in art history through independent research, off-campus study, and internships. These programs are integral to a Knox education, teaching you how to apply your skills in "real world" situations.

Student Research and Creative Projects
Knox is a leader in promoting top-notch undergraduate research. In fact, more than 90% of all Knox students complete an independent research or creative project by the time they graduate. Many students' projects are supported by an unusually rich array of Knox College funding programs that together provide students more than $200,000 each year in support of their work. These sources include: Richter Memorial Scholars Program, Ford Foundation Research Fellows Program, Ronald E. McNair Fellows Program and departmentally supported independent studies. In addition, special fellowships awarded to Knox through national competitions and through the research grants of Knox faculty make Knox a leader in promoting top-notch undergraduate research. Example of recent student research projects include:

• "Composition/Color: Still Life Painting," Anna Kryczka, '07, art history major.
• "Dolls and German Modernism," Anne Miller, '06, art history and German major
• "Open Studio: Body of Work," Keenan Wells, '06, art and art history major, independent study/senior research funded by Richter program.
• "Observational Painting Study," Matthew Katz, '06, art and art history major.

College Honors
Outstanding students may elect to undertake College Honors in their senior year, carrying out an advanced research project presented and defended to a faculty committee that includes a distinguished outside examiner. Examples of recent honors projects include:

• "Mondrian and Music: A Historical Study of the Development of Form," Zlatan Pobric, '09.
• "Velázquez's Las Meninas: Courtly Ritual and the Emblematic Display of Philip IV," Caroline Cobb Manganaro, '09.
• "Re-Reading Raushchenberg: Hybridity and Media Studies," Anna Therese Kryczka, '07.
• "My Double: The Trope of the Doll Within the Work of Hannah Höch," Anna Miller, '06.

Off-Campus Opportunities
Knox offers plenty of opportunities to begin exploring the world while still a student. Almost 50% of Knox students participate in off-campus study and consider their studies abroad to be the highlight of their college experiences. Knox offers several off-campus study opportunities, both in the United States and abroad, that provide valuable experiences for students interested in art history.

• Chicago Semester in the Arts program gives you intensive exposure to the dynamic arts scene in this major American city. Your time in the program will include an internship with a gallery, an arts service organization or an individual artist, an interdisciplinary core course, specialized topic courses and visits to a wide variety of cultural events.
• Arts of London and Florence program immerses you in the arts, drawing upon the cultural resources of the two cities to explore the historical and contemporary richness of Western culture. Courses in art, architecture, drama, Italian language and history will be complemented by trips to museums, galleries and the theater, as well as discussions with local scholars.
• Florence Semester includes living with an Italian family, in a city that provides the perfect environment for study of Renaissance art. Your understanding of the richness of its artistic and cultural heritage will be facilitated by Italian language instruction and courses providing a broad perspective on Italian contributions to world civilization. Course work will be supplemented by field trips to museums and galleries and to other Italian cities.
• Knox in New York is a fall term course that extends into December. On campus, students participate in a drawing course and a seminar on art and the role of art in society in preparation for the intensive classes at the New York Studio School in Greenwich Village. New York includes studio work, lectures, and visits to gallery and museum collections. The students also assemble an exhibit of their own works for display at Knox.

On-Campus Events
The annual Al Young Art Exhibition awards endowed prizes in drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, ceramics and sculpture. Each year, a significant artist is brought to campus to judge the Al Young competition and to provide individual critiques for the student competitors. Recent judges have included John Walker (Yale University), Judy Koon (School of the Art Institute, Chicago), Stanley Lewis (American University), Bernard Chaet (Yale) and Patti Warashina (University of Washington).

Internships
As a student of art history at Knox, you'll have the opportunity to expand your education—to get that valuable experience you hear so much about—by completing an internship. Internships provide an opportunity to explore and test career options, to gain experiences and skills needed to succeed as a professional, to build a resume, to network and make critical connections, and to experience a work environment. More and more employers are looking for college graduates with career-related experience. Knox's Center for Career and Pre-Professional Development specializes in helping you find an internship that best matches your goals and interests.