Mary L. Cornille (GRS’87)
Boston University Graduate Symposium in the History of Art & Architecture

The 41st Annual Mary L. Cornille (GRS ’87) Boston University Graduate Symposium on the History of Art & Architecture will be held on March 21st and 22nd, 2025 at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.

Alternate Realities: Reconsidering Power, History, and Representation

Poster advertising the 2025 The 41st Annual Mary L. Cornille (GRS ’87) Boston University Graduate Symposium on the History of Art & ArchitectureYou are cordially invited to the 41st Annual Mary L. Cornille (GRS ’87) Boston University Graduate Symposium in the History of Art & Architecture, occurring Friday, March 21st and Saturday, March 22nd in the Trustee Room at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

The theme for this year’s symposium is “Alternate Realities: Reconsidering Power, History, and Representation.” The symposium aims to center themes of alterity through critically interrogating dominant historical narratives, canonical art prejudices and hegemonic power structures in visual and material culture, and in the field of art history.

Further, we are pleased to announce that the keynote speaker for this year’s symposium is Dr. Charmaine A. Nelson, Provost Professor of Art History at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her lecture, entitled “When the Sitter was Enslaved: Slavery, Portraiture, and Power” should be most compelling and thought provoking. More information about the keynote lecture can be found here.

This year’s symposium will begin with a graduate student panel at 3:00 pm on Friday, March 21st. The keynote lecture is to follow at 5:30 pm. The final graduate student panel will begin at 10:00 am on Saturday, March 22nd with a luncheon to follow at noon. There will be 30 minutes of Q and A following each panel and the keynote lecture. There will be light refreshments provided for both days of the symposium.

Professional headshot of Dr. Charmaine Nelson
Photo credit: Meghan Tansey Whitton

Keynote Speaker:
Dr. Charmaine A. Nelson
Provost Professor of Art History, History of Art & Architecture Department, UMASS Amherst
Talk Title: “When the Sitter was Enslaved: Slavery, Portraiture, and Power”
[more information here]

 

 

This event is generously sponsored by Mary L. Cornille (GRS ’87). For inquiries, please email artsymp@bu.edu.