Toward an Engaged Art History
I am an art historian and associate professor of Early Modern Art at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. In spring of 2023 I was named Distinguished Scholar in the Public Humanities by the Provost’s office.
Although I specialize in art and visual culture of early modern Italy, I am more broadly interested in the ways in which objects are manufactured, how they move through space and time, and in what ways they contribute to the production of knowledge and belief.
Fueled by a desire to see the decolonization of art history.
My work on the complex intercultural relationships between Italy and India during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries is fueled by a desire to see the decolonization of art history and by the need to disrupt the interpretation of so-called canonical works of art.
Putting historically-grounded, rigorous research into the service of civic life.
In addition to my work in the field of global early modern studies, I am also dedicated to the cultivation of public humanities initiatives in Cleveland and work closely with area non-profits LAND Studio and Zygote Press to incorporate art history into community-engaged practice. I believe that art history can and should be harnessed to build a more just, equitable society.
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Essays and Writings in Art History
My most recent book, Italy by Way of India: Translating Art and Devotion in the Early Modern World considers how cultural production between India and Italy shaped both European perceptions of India and the development of an Indian Christian art during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. I have written two other books, and published essays in leading peer reviewed journals and anthologies.
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Baroque without Boundaries
This digital humanities project charts the increased contact among cultures during the 17th and 18th centuries through the visual and material objects that originated from various sites of production. The project seeks to restore agency to the artists and peoples who have been underrepresented in the art historical literature and interrogates the place of “exchange” in these often-uneven power dynamics between peoples.
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Public Humanities & Civic Engagement
I oversee the Public Humanities & Civic Engagement Graduate Certificate at Case Western Reserve University. The certificate addresses the growing demand for greater access to both experiential learning opportunities and civically engaged work in communities across greater-Cleveland, while also expanding graduate student paths toward future employment and increasing interdisciplinary relationships across campus.
