[arthistorymajors] A gift from me to help you answer that vexing question!

[Cecilia Flanagan]

Dear Art History majors:

We thought it would be useful, as you head off to your respective 
holiday dinners with judging relatives who ask you, "Why would you study 
art history?", to have a ready answer you can hand them, courtesy of 
first place essay winner, Michelle Maasz.  I am copying you on the full 
text of the email that went to our Friends of Art History to remind you 
about all the other great goings-on in your department and encourage you 
to get on top of things in the new year so you don't miss a single 
awesome opportunity as an Art History major at UC Irvine.

Happy holidays and see you in 2014!

Cecilia



Dear Friends of Art History:

Here, as promised, is the first place essay for your reading 
pleasure.The second place essay will be sent to you in January, followed 
by the third place essay in February. As a reminder, we invited our 
undergraduate majors to explain in 1,000 words or less why they would 
encourage their fellow anteaters to consider majoring in Art History. 
The essays were judged by a panel comprised of LaVonne Smith, Gordon 
McAlpine and myself; and three students received FOAH awards!

Before you begin reading, please take a moment to accept our gratitude 
for your support these past two years, during which we have provided a 
total of thirteen paid internships and grants for students taking unpaid 
internships!These internships are invaluable to our UCI Art History 
students and we are so proud of the enthusiasm and energy they bring to 
our program!

We recently awarded three students Winter Quarter 2014 on-campus 
research internships.Alex Garcia will be working with Professor Jamie 
Nisbet on several projects, including Ant Farm’s Cadillac Ranch and the 
late sphere sculptures of Walter de Maria in Japan, France, and Germany. 
She will also assist him in planning an exhibition of the art of Allen 
Atwell, a largely-forgotten but influential 1960’s psychedelic 
artist.Golzar Yousefi will be working with Professor Alka Patel, 
researching India-Iran connections through time.

Please look for an invitation in your email inbox tomorrow or Wednesday, 
designed by Michelle Maasz, our first-place essayist and research-intern 
for Chair and Professor Bert Winther-Tamaki for the Japanese Arts and 
Globalizations (JAG) UC multi-campus conference to be held here at UCI 
January 31-February 1, 2014 , at which we hope to see you.

We wish you the happiest of holidays and look forward to seeing you in 
the New Year.


Cécile

P.S.If you wish to make an additional donation to our program before 
year-end, or become a member, please visit: 
http://www.humanities.uci.edu/arthistory/friends/join.php for 
instructions or contact Cecilia at 949-824-5386 or c.flanagan at uci.edu.

*/And now:Why Art History?The winning essay, written by Michelle Maasz:/*

/“Seriously, it’s such a versatile design! When viewed from the south, 
the entire ridged façade just disappears! Now that we’re east of it, it 
seems to morph into…”/

//

/My detailed explanation of Costa Mesa’s Center Tower was interrupted by 
my co-worker passing me the fries. “You are the most observant girl I 
have EVER met,” she said incredulously. “I’ve worked here for four years 
and *never* gave that building a second thought.”/

//

/I know engaging in a formal analysis of a random office building isn’t 
normal lunchtime conversation.This wasn’t the first time I’d encountered 
this reaction to my penchant for interpreting visual cues of the world 
around me. I suppose not everyone intuitively deconstructs the design 
details of buildings, paintings, advertisements, films, and everyday 
objects; but, for those of us who engage in visual analysis, daily life 
is a rich and engaging experience. /

//

/My studies in art history have changed the way I think, enhanced my 
appreciation for other cultures (both ancient and contemporary) and 
transformed my perception of the world. I am sure those who have taken 
an art history course will confirm my contention that the analysis, 
research, and practice inherent to this discipline bolster one’s 
critical thinking abilities. Art history is like studying anthropology, 
sociology, history and more “inside out.” Considering the various 
implications of an aesthetic object prompts the realization that any 
given artifact encapsulates the history, mindset, social and cultural 
practices, and personality of its creator and era. Each object is a 
microcosmic embodiment of a macrocosm of information. /

//

/I could wax on about the particulars of why I am passionate about art 
history, but I suspect many readers would space out and dismiss my 
accolades. Let’s consider instead the practical reasons why YOU, or any 
other fellow anteater, should be interested in taking an art history 
course. Granted, we all need to knock GE Category IV out of the way, but 
allow me to share my *Top Five Reasons to Study Art History at UC Irvine.*^/

//

/1) *Change the way you think.*/

/Art historical inquiry sparks individual interpretation. My art history 
professors challenge students to explore their own personal reactions 
and impressions of a piece of art before launching into concrete 
historical analysis. This approach engages students in an authentic way 
by providing the opportunity to synthesize one’s visceral reaction and 
inherent intuition with preexisting scholarship about the topic. 
*LEARNING* is encouraged over brute memorization. Art history classes 
are formatted differently than the hard sciences (and even other 
humanities courses) and are genuinely thought-provoking and interesting./

//

/2) *Build rapport with a faculty member*. /

/UC Irvine’s art history professors are truly committed to their 
students, and passionate about their individual areas of expertise. They 
teach classes that align with their own areas of research, and their 
enthusiasm is contagious. I never imagined I would be interested in 
pre-modern Mediterranean art but, a few weeks into the quarter, my 
professor’s zeal for the material sparked the interest of every student 
in the class.
/


//

/Upper-division art history classes are typically small and provide a 
great opportunity to get to know the professor personally. Art history 
students have access to their professors, who know them by name and are 
genuinely interested in contributing to their success. I feel very 
fortunate to have had such great professors over the last three years!/

//

/3) *Connect to a culturally active community.* /

/There are many opportunities to connect with peers, alumni, and other 
arts supporters and leaders as an art history major (or minor). The 
students who run the Art History Undergraduate Association (“AHUA”) 
provide behind-the-scenes museum tours, small workshops geared towards 
art history majors’ interests (like study abroad and post-grad career 
planning), and a variety of rewarding community service opportunities 
(like mentoring elementary school kids and helping high school students 
with the college application process).They host an open gallery art show 
bringing students, faculty, alumni and community artists and patrons 
together annually. AHUA gives undergrads opportunities to practice 
skills that will directly translate into their future careers, like 
writing grant proposals, curating art shows, and organizing special 
events. AHUA isn’t restricted to art history majors; all UCI 
undergraduates are welcome to join. This creates multiple opportunities 
for students interested in the arts to meet and engage in fun and 
interesting activities together.
/


//

/Art History majors benefit from the Friends of Art History (“FOAH”), an 
organization made up of community members and leaders, alumni, faculty, 
and staff. FOAH provides *paid* on-campus internships with faculty and 
staff, grants for otherwise unpaid internships, and a community/alumni 
network for art history enthusiasts beyond graduation. Students taking 
these internships develop and refine many skills including critical, 
creative, and analytical thinking, problem-solving, verbal and written 
communications, research, and collaboration.I can personally attest to 
FOAH’s generosity, and am grateful for the community and alumni support 
I have received while being a student at UCI./

//

/4) *Develop vital creative thinking skills to set you apart from other 
job and grad school applicants.* /

/People sometimes think art history is a limiting major that can only be 
applied in a niche field. However, most of us aren’t going to be museum 
curators. Employers, more and more, seek applicants who can think 
outside of the box and solve problems creatively. The skills art history 
majors gain as undergraduates will serve them well in a variety of 
fields. My peers are aspiring teachers, lawyers, artists, doctors, 
journalists, business owners, and academics. I am personally pursuing a 
career in performing arts administration. I have honed my writing 
skills, attention to detail, cultural awareness, and fastidiousness 
during my years of studying art history and I know these skills will 
benefit me as I progress in my career./

//

/5) *Enjoyment*. /

/Art enhances our human experience. We all need to spend more time 
around it. If you’re dragging your feet to your required classes, I 
recommend adding at least one class you can truly enjoy, and make it art 
history. Take a class that aligns with your extracurricular interests; 
maybe something like L.A. Street Graffiti, Impressionist paintings, or 
Asian-American art. Whatever it may be, the students in these classes 
*want* to be there, and will share your enthusiasm for the topic. I’ve 
met plenty of Bio majors who take art history classes because they truly 
enjoy them. The positive energy in an art history class can lift your 
spirits and reignite your desire to learn, which is, really, why we all 
came to UCI in the first place. /

//

/If you’d like to be challenged in your thinking, get to know and learn 
from awesome professors, become a part of a cultured community, set 
yourself apart from other job applicants, and/or take an interesting and 
engaging class outside of your area of expertise, I have an idea for 
you. Study art history! /

//

/




/

//





-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://maillists.uci.edu/pipermail/arthistorymajors/attachments/20131216/86d36d0f/attachment-0001.html>
-------------- next part --------------
_______________________________________________
FOAH mailing list
FOAH at uci.edu
https://maillists.uci.edu/mailman/listinfo/foah