Crystal Bridges Announces 2016-17 Tyson Scholars
by June 20, 2016 12:00 am 158 views
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville recently announced this year’s participants in the Tyson Scholars program.
Tyson Scholars aims to support academic study of American art history through a residency program for art history professionals in various stages of their careers.
The program provides housing and access to the museum’s art and library collections, in addition to lectures, community engagement activities, and educational collaborations with the University of Arkansas, according to a press release from Crystal Bridges.
Scholars for 2016-17 are Jennifer Camp, PhD candidate at the University of Virginia; Klint Ericson, PhD candidate at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill; Michael Gaudio, PhD, professor of art history at the University of Minnesota; Craig Lee, PhD candidate, University of Delaware; and Jennifer Padgett, PhD candidate at Washington University.
“With the establishment of the Tyson Scholars program, Crystal Bridges has joined institutions such as the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Gallery of Art, which have similar programs that support new scholarship in American art,” Crystal Bridges’ executive director Rod Bigelow said in the press release. “The impact of the program expands the interpretation of American art, advancing the field of research and the museum’s vision of being a dynamic, learning institution.”
The program was established in 2012 through a $5 million commitment from the Tyson family and Tyson Foods Inc. Since its inception, the Tyson Scholars program has supported the work of 15 scholars, attracting museum and academic professionals in a variety of disciplines from across the world, according to the press release.
Curator Mindy Besaw said Tyson Scholars have produced dissertations, books and articles in academic art journals including the American Art, Archives of American Art Journal, and Panorama, Journal of the Association of Historians of American Art.
In addition, two past Tyson Scholars have published books that expand on their studies while in residency at Crystal Bridges: “Barnstorming the Prairies: How Aerial Vision Shaped the Midwest,” by Jason Weems, and “The American School: Artistry and Identity in the Late Colonial and Early National Era,” by Susan Rather, according to the press release.