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Art History Degree

B.A., Certificate, Minor

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Art history degree students study works of art in their social, political, and intellectual contexts. They learn to think, read, and write about art and interpret visual imagery.

Each year, our artist-in-residence program brings to campus a nationally recognized artist who produces work and teaches a special seminar. The program honors Frances Niederer, a beloved art historian who taught for many years at Hollins.

Tracks

Art History Major

Students progress through chronological survey courses into upper-level seminars and research projects. The art history major culminates in the senior seminar, which includes the public presentation of research. A degree in art history builds strong analytical and visual skills.


Art History Minor

The art history minor gives you a broad overview of some more advanced courses. Specialize in a particular period or style, or expand your knowledge to multiple topics.

Arts Management Certificate Program

This certificate in arts management connects your major in one of the arts with career interests in various fields of arts management. You鈥檒l take courses in business and communication studies and complete two internships in an area of arts management. A certificate in arts management strengthens your qualifications for roles in galleries, museums, and cultural institutions, especially when combined with a degree in art history. You’ll then create a final project. You can meet the certificate in arts management requirements through prudent choices in your general education courses and electives without adding to your total credit hours. Contact us today to begin the process of earning your certificate in arts management.

鈥淎s their capstone project, Senior Art History majors spend the fall semester researching, workshopping, writing, and editing a thesis paper on a topic of their choosing. In the spring semester, they craft their thesis paper into a public presentation. Through this process, they gain confidence with public speaking and learn the art of presenting their ideas in a clear, concise manner.鈥

Genevieve Hendricks

鈥淕oing to archaeological locations and interacting with the almost living remnants of people from a long time ago was powerful.鈥

Eleanor Robb

"The art history program at Hollins is one of the university鈥檚 most multi-faceted programs. The program helped develop my critical thinking and communication skills, all while giving me the expertise needed to navigate today鈥檚 visual media landscape. The best benefit of a more intimate department is receiving one-on-one mentoring: Professors Kathleen Nolan and Genevieve Hendricks have a keen sense of your gifts and offer constant encouragement, both pre- and post-graduation."

Natasha Campbell

"[I鈥檓] a passionate lover of art history. [I] appreciate the value of an arts education as a means to explore any subject, time period, philosophy, and culture."

Faith Herrington

"Hollins just isn鈥檛 one thing. It鈥檚 different for every one of us, and it changes on a daily basis. It鈥檚 in that moment when Hollins becomes more than a school. Your classmates become our sisters. Your professors become your mentors. Classrooms and studios become your dorm room. Moody Plaza becomes your personal patio, and the dining hall becomes the main source of your entertainment. It鈥檚 when you unconsciously call Hollins home."

Rugaber Collection

Art History Majors Build Careers

Click for just a few examples of our student and alumnae/i experiences below.

  • Internships at Hollins

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    Eleanor D. Wilson Museum, January or semester-long internships

  • Signature Internships

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    The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC
    Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA
    DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Washington, DC
    International Spy Museum, Washington, DC
    Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA), Winston-Salem, NC

  • Internships beyond Hollins

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    The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
    Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke, VA
    DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, Colonial Williamsburg, VA

  • Graduate School Placements

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    Many art history majors find Hollins connections beneficial in getting into top master鈥檚 programs.

    Williams College
    George Washington University
    Bryn Mawr College
    American University
    University of Virginia
    Northwestern University
    University of Texas
    The Courtauld Institute of Art

  • Art World Employment

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    Graduates work in prominent galleries, museums, and auction houses.

    National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
    The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC
    DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, Colonial Williamsburg, VA
    University of Virginia, Historic Preservation, Charlottesville, VA
    Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke, VA
    Baylor University Library

    ART HISTORY
    Art History Majors Build Careers
    Program Faculty
    Hollins

Students write an original research paper and then present it during the annual symposium.

Associate Professor of Art History Genevieve Hendricks says, 鈥淭he Art History Symposium provides the whole Hollins community with the chance to share in our students’ success and celebrate them as emerging art historians.鈥

  • Recent Topics

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    鈥淒orothy Gillespie: A Forgotten Chapter of the Women鈥檚 Art Movement鈥

    鈥溾楢 Beautiful Body and a Beautiful Mind:鈥 Florentine Women in Quattrocento Portraiture鈥

    鈥淯nbuilt Modernity: Florence and the Visionary Architecture of Superstudio and Archizoom鈥

    鈥淐l茅mentine-H茅l猫ne Dufau鈥檚聽Deuxi猫me D茅but: Reintroducing a Forgotten Female Artist鈥

    鈥淭he Implications of Architectural Style in the Gilded Age: Biltmore House and Maymont Mansion鈥

    鈥淎 Matter of Class: Sin Yun-bok鈥檚 Depictions of聽Kisaeng聽as Participants of Everyday Life鈥

    鈥淢inimalism to Sustainability Practice: the Work of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe鈥

    鈥淎 Matter of the Family: The Macdowell-Eakins Collection鈥

    鈥淔ood: Crossing the Binary鈥

    鈥淎rtificial Archives: Memory and Ephemera in Installation Art鈥

    鈥淏inary Opposition: Greek Myths on Greek Pottery and Etruscan Hand Mirrors鈥

    鈥淓cho and Narcissus鈥

    鈥溾楾ake This as an Example, You Maidens鈥: Lessons of Decorum in Santa Maria Novella鈥

    鈥淓ternal Wanderer: Displacement and Fragmentation in Chagall鈥檚 Jerusalem Windows鈥

    鈥淥n Her Knees. Wyeth鈥檚 Helga Portraits Through a Feminist Lens鈥

    鈥淎 Paradox of Forms: Feline Goddesses as Protectors and Destroyers鈥

    鈥淪amuel H. McVitty: The Passionate Collector鈥

    鈥淪ex, Slumming, and a Striptease: Robert Henri鈥檚 Salome鈥

    鈥淎 Lack of History. A Lack of Land. A Lack of Art? Jewish Art in Diaspora鈥

    鈥淢argaret Rosalie Culligan: Half Sick of Shadows:聽Reexamining the Pre-Raphaelite Lady of Shalott鈥

    鈥淎riel K. Rudy: Between Heaven and Earth: Collective Memory Across Time and Place in the Quilts of Harriet Powers鈥

Art History Symposium

Start Your Journey at an All Women鈥檚 University

Ready to thrive in a supportive, empowering environment? Hollins University is a women鈥檚 university where your voice matters and your potential is limitless.