Aimée Froom, Curator, Art of the Islamic Worlds, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Some of the most significant yet understudied aspects of the history of blue and white ceramics over the last millennium are the artistic, technical and economic exchange between Persia, or Iran and China. This workshop talk focuses on blue-and-white ceramics through the lens of an exceptional group of Persian blue-and-white ceramics produced from the 9th to 17th century on view at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston in the exhibition Between Sea and Sky: Blue and White Ceramics from Persia and Beyond. These works provide key points to understanding blue-and-white ceramics in a Persian and Islamic context, and shed some light on a more nuanced interpretation of the contribution of Persian blue-and-white to the world history of ceramics.

Dr. Charissa Terranova, Professor of Art and Architectural History at UT Dallas

This talk explores biotic and abiotic autopoiesis, or self-creation and self-direction, in contemporary art-and-biology. It focuses on a variety of agencies, the agency of bioartists, agency of the microorganisms with which they work, and aesthetic agency of nonhuman animals in biotic art. As such, the talk seeks to outline a new post-Kantian sense of autonomy within art.

Dr. Elizabeth Molacek, Visiting Scholar, UT Dallas

Recent research on museum collections has called for increased focus on the context of collecting, the economic factors, and the individuals whose point-of-view are reflected in what is considered part of the canon. This talk examines the earliest collections of classical art in American museums, arguing a cultural product/creation of scholars working across the Atlantic, to create a picture of the classical past fit for their contemporary American public. By examining the relationships between early American ‘influencers’ and their counterparts in Rome—in particular a group of Italian art dealers—we are able to understand better the ways that collections of classical art in the U.S. should be viewed as artifacts, which convey specific notions of the past.

Dr. Ali H. Alibhai, Visiting Assistant Professor at UT Dallas and the Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History

The Aghlabid rulers of medieval Ifrīqiya (present-day Tunisia) built several prominent basins (mawājil) outside the city of al-Qayrawān in 862. These hydraulic structures are some of the largest artificial bodies of water built in the medieval Islamic world, the largest being a 128 meter diameter and being able to contain 53,000 meters cubed of water. This workshop is aimed at discussing the role of hydraulic structures in the formation of symbols of authority and legitimacy in early medieval Islamic civilization. In medieval Islamic political thought, water was linked with ideals of piety and justice, characteristics deemed necessary for the legitimization of kingship and rule. Based on this connection, medieval Muslim rulers paid specific attention to the patronage of hydraulic structures. This workshop highlights how these elements shaped both the visual and political vocabularies of medieval Islamic societies, focusing on the Aghlabids as an example. 

Dr. Edleeca Payne Thompson, Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History at the University of Texas, Dallas

A recent PhD graduate at The University of Texas at Dallas, Edleeca was the recipient of a Texas Curatorial Fellowship in 2012 from UTD, and the Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History, to assist with research for the Dallas Museum of Art's African gallery re-installation in 2015. This talk explores the role of African art in displays at the Dallas Museum of Art from "The Arts of Man" exhibition to present. 

Dr. Paul Galvez , Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History at the University of Texas, Dallas

Since 2015, Paul Galvez has been based at the Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History at the University of Texas, Dallas. Continuing his longstanding interest in the materials of art, his current project on Paul Gauguin’s sculpture situates this understudied and highly diverse body of work at the heart of nineteenth-century controversies over race, religion, and colonialism.