CLARK ART INSTITUTE NAMES CAROLINE FOWLER AS ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH AND ACADEMIC PROGRAM
August 15, 2018
[Digital image available upon request]
Williamstown, Massachusetts—The Clark Art Institute announces the appointment of Caroline Fowler as associate director of its Research and Academic Program (RAP).
Prior to joining the Clark, Fowler was the A.W. Mellon Fellow in the Physical History of Art at Yale University from 2016–2018, where she taught graduate seminars on the history and philosophy of conservation practice, and coordinated workshops and symposia that introduced graduate students to the theoretical and practical concerns of working with objects. She received her PhD from Princeton University and has held fellowships at the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts in Washington, DC, the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles, and the Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte in Munich.
“Caroline Fowler is an exceptional scholar who brings many different perspectives, and great vitality and intelligence to the Research and Academic Program,” said Olivier Meslay, Hardymon Director of the Clark Art Institute. “We are delighted to have her join the Clark’s staff and look forward to the dynamic programs she will nurture through her work.”
A specialist in early modern art and intellectual history, she has published widely on intersections between artistic practice and philosophy with articles appearing in Art Bulletin, Art History, and Word & Image, among other journals and edited volumes. Her first book, Drawing and the Senses: An Early Modern History was published in the Harvey Miller book series Studies in Baroque Art in 2017. Fowler is currently completing her second book—a global history of paper and its impact on artistic practice entitled, From the Holy Land to the New World: A Paper Renaissance.
“It will be an honor and an exciting challenge to help shape the future of RAP,” said Fowler. “I hope to contribute to maintaining RAP’s legacy as a site for polemical and field-changing academic research while fostering what makes RAP unique as a place of inquiry—impacted by the beauty of the natural landscape, the rigor of the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art, and the dynamic presence of the Clark’s collection and exhibition programming.”
ABOUT THE RESEARCH AND ACADEMIC PROGRAM
The Clark is one of a small number of institutions globally that is both an art museum and a center for research, critical discussion, and higher education in the visual arts. Its Research and Academic Program encourages fresh approaches to the production of knowledge about all periods and genres of art, and particularly the objects, conditions, and issues they comprise.
The Clark’s program is internationally recognized as one of the leading centers for research in the visual arts and has established collaborations with partner institutions including the Getty Research Institute (California); the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts at the National Gallery of Art (Washington, DC); the Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art (France); the Institute of Art History of the Estonian Academy of Arts; Power Institute at the University of Sydney (Australia); Universidad Nacional de San Martín (Argentina); Asia Art Archive (Hong Kong); Asian Civilizations Museum (Singapore); and the University of Witwatersrand (South Africa), among others. These activities have received generous support from The Manton Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, the Center for Spain in America, and the Getty Foundation.
RAP hosts an active residential fellowship program that attracts leading scholars from around the globe who come to the Clark’s Williamstown campus to study, research, and write. Acting as a convener, RAP gathers an international community of scholars to participate in a lively program of conferences, colloquia, and workshops on topics of vital importance to the visual arts.
The program is further enriched by access to the extensive resources of the Clark library, which holds a collection of more than 270,000 volumes and is recognized as one of the nation’s premier art history libraries. The Clark also houses and co-sponsors the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art, creating unique opportunities for RAP scholars to engage with students through a variety of programs and activities.
ABOUT THE CLARK
The Clark Art Institute, located in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, is one of a small number of institutions globally that is both an art museum and a center for research, critical discussion, and higher education in the visual arts. Opened in 1955, the Clark houses exceptional European and American paintings and sculpture, extensive collections of master prints and drawings, English silver, and early photography. Acting as convener through its Research and Academic Program, the Clark gathers an international community of scholars to participate in a lively program of conferences, colloquia, and workshops on topics of vital importance to the visual arts. The Clark library, consisting of more than 270,000 volumes, is one of the nation’s premier art history libraries. The Clark also houses and co-sponsors the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art.
The Clark, which has a three-star rating in the Michelin Green Guide, is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Galleries are open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm; open daily in July and August. Admission is $20; free year-round for Clark members, children 18 and younger, and students with valid ID. Free admission is available through several programs, including First Sundays Free; a local library pass program; EBT Card to Culture; Bank of America Museums on Us; and Blue Star Museums. For more information on these programs and more, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303.
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