Description
Building on our Seeing Race Before Race project, this week-long intensive course will use the tools of humanistic inquiry to recover experiences and stories that have been lost, hidden, or even suppressed in the surviving historical, literary, visual, and cultural record of the past.
Through discussions, presentations by guest instructors from a variety of disciplines, and extensive hands-on work with the Newberry Library’s rich collections of historical, literary, and especially visual sources from before 1800, participants will learn how to bring together visual and archival material to identify, contextualize, and effectively make these hidden stories visible to audiences both within and outside of the academy.
Focusing on material culture, the seminar will help non-art historians find visual material and apply art historical approaches to books and documents, while also familiarizing art historians with the ways in which archival knowledge and book history can enrich their study of visual culture.
This course is co-sponsored by the Herzog August Bibliothek.
Eligibility
The course will enroll 15 participants by competitive application. First consideration will be given to advanced graduate students and junior faculty in the Center for Renaissance Studies Consortium universities. Applications are accepted from advanced graduate students and junior faculty from universities, professional staff of libraries and museums, and from qualified independent scholars.
Accepted participants will receive some funding to help cover the costs of attending the institute. Consortium members may also be eligible to receive Consortium Grants to help defray travel costs. For more details, consult your local consortium representative.
Application Instructions
To apply, click below. Please note the character restrictions in the application form fields. The application deadline is March 15, 2026 at 11:59 pm Central Time.
Click Here to Apply