SMU Art History RASC/a

SMU Art History RASC/a Rhetorics of Art, Space and Culture: Ph.D. Program in Art History at Southern Methodist University

RASC/a (derived from the Spanish vernacular for “scratch”) stands for “Rhetorics of Art, Space, and Culture” and marks a new curricular initiative in graduate studies launched in 2011. The department chose the unusual name to underline the commitment to shaping a small and dynamic graduate program that emphasizes close mentorship, innovative methodologies, and scholarship that challenges tradition

al disciplinary boundaries. The program builds upon the strengths of the faculty and area resources, with particular emphasis on historical and new media, visual technologies, architecture and the city, race and gender, and transnational scholarship.

Congratulations to Dr. Claudia Zapata (PhD ‘22) for curating “Radical Histories: Chicano Prints from the Smithsonian Ame...
09/04/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Claudia Zapata (PhD ‘22) for curating “Radical Histories: Chicano Prints from the Smithsonian American Art Museum” at the H’ART Museum in Amsterdam!! The exhibition closes on Monday, September 6.

Congratulations to SMU Art History alum Dr. Claudia Zapata (PhD ‘22) for having a film in the Dallas Latino Film Festiva...
09/04/2026

Congratulations to SMU Art History alum Dr. Claudia Zapata (PhD ‘22) for having a film in the Dallas Latino Film Festival this weekend!! Dr. Zapata’s film is titled “Texas Pride” and will be screened this evening at 8:15 pm at the Latino Cultural Center!!

First graduate student workshop of the school year! ✅ Thank you to Dr. Anna Lovatt, Dr. Stephanie Langin-Hooper, and PhD...
09/02/2026

First graduate student workshop of the school year! ✅ Thank you to Dr. Anna Lovatt, Dr. Stephanie Langin-Hooper, and PhD student Erin Wilson for speaking about best practices in teaching!

We are SO back. Welcome to our new and returning students! We had a wonderful time at our welcome back event and heard a...
08/31/2026

We are SO back. Welcome to our new and returning students! We had a wonderful time at our welcome back event and heard about our returning graduate students’ summer travels! And of course there were snacks.

After my two months at the JCB, I will travel to New Haven, Connecticut, for my final fellowship of 2026 at the Beinecke...
08/28/2026

After my two months at the JCB, I will travel to New Haven, Connecticut, for my final fellowship of 2026 at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University. As a substantial part of my dissertation examines the concept of “mystic marriage” between nuns and their heavenly bridegroom, I will spend much of my time at the Beinecke examining materials that explore marriage and its conventions in the early modern Hispanic world. The Beinecke’s collections also offer valuable insights into early modern conceptions of morality and the ways in which they intersected with ideas about sexuality. I am looking forward to finishing up my research tour at the ! Thanks for spending the week with me!

After my time in Indiana, I road-tripped to Providence, Rhode Island, where I am currently a fellow at the John Carter B...
08/27/2026

After my time in Indiana, I road-tripped to Providence, Rhode Island, where I am currently a fellow at the John Carter Brown Library at Brown University. The beautiful and serene reading room at the JCB has been a wonderful place to consult texts on monastic life in early modern Spain and Mexico, as well as prints depicting nuns and their relationships with devotional images. I am so grateful to the providing such a welcoming space to continue my research!

After returning to the U.S. from Madrid, I traveled to Bloomington, Indiana, for a fellowship at the Lilly Library at In...
08/26/2026

After returning to the U.S. from Madrid, I traveled to Bloomington, Indiana, for a fellowship at the Lilly Library at Indiana University. During my month-long fellowship, I was able to delve into their rich collection of early modern Hispanic materials, with a particular focus on Inquisitorial documents and devotional literature intended to guide nuns in religious life, including sermons and instructional manuals outlining proper conduct. I am incredibly grateful to Lilly Library for their generous support and assistance throughout my fellowship!

While in Madrid, I had the opportunity to present my research to colleagues at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. I am ...
08/25/2026

While in Madrid, I had the opportunity to present my research to colleagues at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. I am incredibly grateful to the community of scholars at the Autónoma for their thoughtful feedback, suggestions, and encouragement regarding my dissertation, Divine Intimacy: Sexuality and Spirituality in Early Modern Hispanic Art. I was able to share new insights that emerged from my archival research and receive valuable comments and perspectives that will continue to shape my work.

My name is Laura Martin, and I am a 4th year PhD candidate in the Art History department. I am writing my dissertation o...
08/24/2026

My name is Laura Martin, and I am a 4th year PhD candidate in the Art History department. I am writing my dissertation on religious images and their relationship to sexuality in the early modern Hispanic world. This week I will flashback to some of my research trips I have taken in 2026, beginning with my time in Madrid. I went to Madrid mostly to work in the Inquisitorial archives at the Archivo Historico Nacional. But I also got to visit museums and see many of the works which will be included in my dissertation.

Image Credit: Jose de Ribera, The Assumption of the Magdalene, 1636, Royal Academy of San Fernando

Join us this week as we follow PhD candidate Laura Martin on her summer art history adventures!
08/24/2026

Join us this week as we follow PhD candidate Laura Martin on her summer art history adventures!

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