Past Events

How does artwork shape historical memory? The story of the Amistad Africans, one of the few successful slave ship mutinies in American history, which led to a trial at the U.S. Supreme Court, was the subject of multiple works of art, including prints, paintings, quilts, and monuments. The subject is iconic in American art history. How was the character of Cinque of the Amistad developed for white abolitionist audiences? In what ways could a painting owned by a Black Philadelphian…

This project documents the impact of a mural-making program in the late 1970s, a time of social unrest, the degradation of American cities, and differing attempts by politicians and community groups to address severe inequities. A special program which channeled funds to cities began in 1976 -- the year of the American Bicentennial (the 200th founding of the nation-state) allowing localities such as mayoral and city council administrations to devote funds across social and cultural projects in an attempt to…

The Oxford Seminars in Cartography Conference: 26 September 2023 Cartography has long been recognised as art and science. This conference explores how art affects cartography’s process, products, and personnel. Ranging over all types of map, all areas of the world, and all time periods, the conference considers the relationship between art and cartography. Themes may include but need not be confined to: Maps in art: maps and globes have long featured in portraits, genre scenes, and other works of art.…

Three Rude Crosses: The Jerome Family Pilgrimage to France, 1919 For mother of American aviator Gilbert Nelson Jerome, there was no chance that she was going to wait for the United States government, for her parish priest, for her daughter, or for anyone else to tell her when the time was right to go to France to trace her son’s last movements. Less than a year after the Armistice, Elizabeth Maude Jerome was on a steamship to France with her…