(Featured photo above: Students attending the Art History Open House.)
Events organized by the Art History Majors Committee in November gave students a chance to explore their favorite field of study, including taking a close look at rarely displayed artworks.
In addition, two of our very own art history graduates, Valerie Gottridge ’25 and Emma Flaherty ’24, connected with students over Zoom to share their personal journeys in applying to graduate school.
Gottridge is doing her master’s program at Hunter College of the City University of New York (CUNY), and Flaherty is doing her PhD in early modern art at Princeton University. Both began their graduate programs in Fall 2025.
When asked what is the number one tip that she would provide for art history majors applying to graduate school, Flaherty said: “Focus on seeking out programs where there is both a potential advisor and overall department that you believe you could work well with.”
In my opinion, it is very important that your personal research focus complements your advisor’s area of expertise, but you should also make sure that there are other faculty members in the department that are in your subfield or have similar research interests to yours. You will thrive academically in an environment where you can make scholarly connections with your advisor and the department at large.
Emma Flaherty ’24
The alumni panel held on November 14 was organized in collaboration with the Gordon Career Center.
The Majors Committee also worked with the Davison Art Collection to give our majors, minors, and students enrolled in Fall ’26 ARHA courses an opportunity to look at Latin American and South American artworks up close.
The viewing on November 20 displayed 12 artworks, including Sleep (El Sueño), a 1932 lithograph created by Mexican painter Diego Rivera, and Make the Economy Scream, a copper box containing charcoal drawings on plastic sheets, by Chilean-born, New York-based artist María Verónica San Martín. The drawings show the faces of victims of human rights violations.
One of the students who attended the viewing was Yiyun Han ’28. “It was a special privilege to view artworks up close and without glass, which allowed for a full experience of their original colors and textures,” Han said.
She said Make the Economy Scream was “especially astonishing.”
The charcoal drawings on plastic surfaces gradually fade with each reading, making this work both breathtaking and heartbreaking in its act of narration and commemoration. I am very grateful for this opportunity and for Curator Miya Tokumitsu’s insightful introduction.
Yiyun Han ’28
Han was also one of the participants of the Glass House field trip in October. She said both experiences were “unforgettable and educational.”
“I’m looking forward to future exhibitions from our rich collection, as well as field trips to art spaces around our community. These experiences have definitely deepened my interest in considering an Art History major at Wesleyan,” Han said.
Earlier on November 7, the Art History Open House attracted numerous first-year students and sophomores interested in art history. Junior and senior majors Adrian Peoples ’26, Annie Hedgepeth ’26, Oliver Brown ’26, Juliette Payot ’26, and Dinah Landsman ’27 enthusiastically shared their knowledge of the program and why they chose art history as their major.
The Majors Committee has more events planned for Spring 2026 and we look forward to seeing you there!