PhD Candidate; Renaissance Art
she/her/hers
Jillianne Laceste is a PhD Candidate focusing on early modern Italian art and visual culture with a particular interest in the Global Renaissance. Her research investigates Genoese representations of the Americas and Christopher Columbus in relation to Republic of Genoa’s maritime identity and political position to Spain and Spanish America. Prior to BU, Jillianne earned an MA in Art History from Southern Methodist University, as well as an MA in Museum Professions and BA in Art History from Seton Hall University’s dual-degree program in museum studies.
Jillianne’s work has been supported by dissertation research and conference travel awards by BU, the Italian Arts Society, the Sixteenth Century Society, and the Renaissance Society of America. She was also a recipient of a Kress Fellowship for language study at Middlebury College’s Italian School. Her museum experience include collections and curatorial work at the Thomas Edison National Historical Park, the DuSable Museum of African American History, the Meadows Museum, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. In addition to working on her dissertation, she currently serves on the Emerging Scholars Committee of the Italian Arts Society.
Research Interests:
- Early modern Italy
- Cross-cultural exchanges and the Global Renaissance
- Identity and otherness
Dissertation in Progress: “Creating Columbus: The Visual Culture of Colonial Encounters in Early Modern Genoa”
MA Thesis: “Making Sense of Music in Early Modern Self-Portraiture”
2020-2021: Symposium Co-Coordinator for the Graduate Student History of Art & Architecture Association
2019-2020: Guest Scholar Lecture Series Coordinator