May 28, 2026
CLARK ART INSTITUTE HOSTS WILLIAMS COLLEGE
GRADUATE PROGRAM SYMPOSIUM
Williamstown, Massachusetts—On Friday, June 5, 2026, from 9:15 am to 5 pm, the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art holds its annual symposium at which graduating Masters students deliver presentations on their individual research activities. The symposium is presented in the auditorium of the Clark Art Institute’s Manton Research Center.
The Graduate Program in the History of Art, operated jointly by Williams and the Clark, is one of the most respected programs in its field. Alumni have gone on to become influential scholars and leaders of renowned museums and arts institutions, among other organizations. The graduate program is housed at the Clark, providing student classrooms, administrative offices, and individual research carrels or offices for each graduate student.
This year’s presentations, timed in conjunction with Williams College’s 2026 Commencement weekend, address a variety of topics in the history of art, including the artistic tradition of ancestral Peruvian textiles, the implications of depicting beheadings in seventeenth-century Seville, the relationship between print and sound technologies in the late nineteenth century, efforts to shape the public perception of color through photography during the Nazi period, and the interplay of painting and phenomenology in the late twentieth century. All presentations are free and open to the public.
Presentations will be approximately twenty minutes each, delivered in thematic panels of two or three speakers that are followed by a moderated discussion.
Presenters include:
Chioma Agbaraji [Prince George’s County, Maryland]
Maximillion A. Alegria [Baker, Florida]
Hannah Tsung-Ling Chew [Menlo Park, California]
Cristine Elizabeth Escudero [Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey]
Natalie Ginsberg [Newark, Delaware]
Alexis Kelly [Irvine, California]
Charlie Qing Xu Kong [Shanghai, China, and Vancouver, Canada]
Elizabeth Levie [San Francisco, California]
Andrew Lu [Beijing, China]
Cèlia Pardillo-Lopez [West Lafayette, Indiana, and Barcelona, Spain]
Emma Poveda [Los Angeles, California]
At 4:30 pm on Saturday, June 6, the Clark hosts the graduate program’s annual hooding ceremony, honoring the students’ accomplishments.
The symposium and hooding ceremony both take place in the auditorium at the Clark Art Institute’s Manton Research Center, 225 South Street, Williamstown, Massachusetts.
For more information, visit gradart.williams.edu.
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 nearly 300,000 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. Its 140-acre campus includes miles of hiking and walking trails through woodlands and meadows, providing an exceptional experience of art in nature. Galleries are open 10 am to 5 pm Tuesday through Sunday from September through June, and daily in July and August. Admission is free to all from January through March. From April through December, admission is $22 for adults, $20 for seniors (65+), $10 for young adults (18–25) and college students, and free for all visitors under 18. Admission is free year-round for Clark members. Free admission is also available through several programs, including First Sundays Free; a local library pass program; and EBT Card to Culture. For information on these programs and more, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303.
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