Coalition of Master's Scholars on Material Culture

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Coalition of Master's Scholars on Material Culture

The mission of the Coalition of Master’s Scholars on Material Culture (CMSMC) is to provide a plat

26/10/2024

We are excited to announce Volume 2 of Material Matters! This volume explores the topic of "What is Material Culture?" and showcases work from emerging scholars through two feature essays, book reviews, exhibit reviews, and research on the rise. Topics explored include cultural attribution of Greco-Roman artifacts, Mesopotamian textiles, weaving at Black Mountain College, Japanese workwear, artist Beatrice Glow, and teaching material culture online. Click here to read these amazing articles: https://cmsmc.org/vol-2

Image courtesy of the MFA: Nelson Figure 1: Stamnos (jar) with group of female athletes bathing, attributed to the Group of Polygnotos, c. 440-430 BCE, Classical Period. Ceramic, red-figure, 41 x 31.5 cm (16 1/8 x 12 3/8 in.). On view at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Gallery 212A-B. Accession Number: 95.21.

19/03/2024

Our final presenter is Rachael Nelson! She will analyze the display of a red-figure Attic ware stamnos at the MFA, Boston. The MFA classifies the stamnos as being of the material culture of Athens, Greece. This is the vessel’s culture of production, however, the stamnos was discovered in an Italic context, yet any discussion of this beyond a note on the vessel’s purchase is absent from museum materials. She calls into question the one dimensionality of single-culture attribution and highlights a few of the complexities of dealing with objects that are linked to intercultural trade and exchange, particularly in the Ancient Mediterranean.

Nelson is an archaeologist and art historian whose research focuses on the material culture of the Etruscans and the relationship between material and visual culture in the Ancient Mediterranean. She completed her BA in Classical Archaeology and Fine Arts at Saint Anselm College, during which she participated in excavations with the Mediterranean Institute of Archaeology in Orvieto, Italy, working on Etruscan and Late Republic/Early Imperial Roman sites. In 2023 she received her MA in the History of Art and Architecture as well as a certificate in Museum Studies from Boston University.

18/03/2024

Artist Joe Cimino is our next presenter for the 2024 symposium! Cimino’s presentation, “Materials of the Past: Discerning Digital Materiality as a Method for Analyzing History,” will discuss his project, Leviathan (2023), partially inspired by Herman Melville’s novel Moby Dick, and explores the material history of oil and resources harvested from animals during the height of the Industrial Revolution, investigating how we can trace these effects well into contemporary times. Through layering archival footage, found footage, and his own, Leviathan approaches this history through an empathetic lens, resulting in a moving collage of images and
sounds from the past and present to fathom how this “lucrative idea” devastated ocean ecology and human lives alike.

Cimino is an Italian-American time-based media artist, musician, podcaster, and adjunct professor, currently based in the United States. He holds a BFA in studio art from Rowan University and an MFA in studio art from Studio Arts College International (SACI).

15/03/2024

Next in our symposium lineup is Luli Zou. Zou will discuss Sylvester Manor’s Canton black lacquer box and its journey from China to Long Island. Utilizing a variety of scientific tools, historical research, and previous scholarship, the provenance of this tea box can be confirmed, providing a better understanding of the Sylvesters as well as Canton export lacquerware.

Zou is currently an MA student at Bard Graduate Center. She holds a BA in history and an MSc in conservation. Previously, she worked as a research fellow at the Preservation Society of Newport County, conducting a lacquerware conservation survey. Additionally, she interned with the Bureau of Historic Sites in New York State and various Chinese cultural institutions. Passionate about Chinese export wares and chinoiserie objects, especially lacquerware, she combines conservation and object-based material culture methodology to explore narratives behind, contributing to a broader understanding of 18th-19th century America and China’s cultural communication.

14/03/2024

Our symposium will include four emerging scholars, first up is Damián Sabatini! He will present “Visualizing the Universe: The Role of Pictures in Mediating the Relationship Between People and Outer Space.” Drawing on his research among amateur astronomers at two London Astronomical societies, he argues that the objecthood of pictures – understood from a material culture perspective – plays a key role in shaping people's relationship with the universe, which is influenced by new technology and more accessible ways to capture and share pictures of the skies.

Sabatini is an anthropologist from Chile (2020) interested in Material and Visual Culture Studies, Digital Anthropology, Anthropology of Techniques, Media Studies, and Anthropology of Outer Space. In 2023, he completed a master’s degree in Material and Visual Culture at University College London, supported by a scholarship from the Chilean government, where he developed an interest in extraterrestrial anthropology.

13/03/2024

We are very excited to announce our symposium lineup; our keynote speaker will be FBI Special Agent Jake Archer! He is a senior member of the FBI's Art Crime Team and a Philadelphia Division team leader for the FBI's Evidence Response Team. SA Archer conducts art and cultural property-related investigations, repatriations, and training domestically and internationally. Having earned a master’s degree in Art History- Cultural Heritage and Preservation Studies from Rutgers University and now pursuing a PhD, he researches the development of care for art and artifacts subjected to the law enforcement process.

23/01/2024

Announcing our 2024 symposium- "What Is Material Culture?" The symposium will take place on Saturday, March 23 and will feature 5 emerging scholars and a keynote speaker who will explore what does material culture even mean? How do our fields define it, what biases and assumptions do we bring, and more!

Registration link: https://cmsmc.org/register
Interested in speaking at our symposium? The CFP is open until Feb 23! CFP and application can be found here: https://cmsmc.org/call-for-papers-symposium

07/12/2023

Love material culture? Looking for Christmas presents or a treat for yourself? Check out our latest "I Study Stuff" and "Material Culture Maven" merch on our website: https://cmsmc.org/shop

28/11/2023

This consider donating to CMSMC! With your steadfast support, CMSMC has grown into a vibrant community, with 1,600 readers each month across 95 countries. Looking ahead, our sights are set on hosting an in-person symposium in 2025. This will be a culmination of our dedication to fostering dialogue and collaboration. To achieve this goal, we aim to raise $2,500, marking a significant milestone in our journey towards fostering diverse scholarship and academic development. Any amount helps but those who donate over $100 will receive a PRINTED copy of our Material Matters journal. Thank you for your support; you can donate here: https://donorbox.org/donate-to-cmsmc

17/11/2023

Happy ! This op-ed by Kate Grindstaff about the new exhibit at Seward House Museum, Rooted in Reform, discusses the site's connections to Auburn Prison (now Auburn Correctional Facility). Through sensitive research, building new partnerships, and the desire to push traditional museum boundaries, a seemingly local and niche historic house can have the power to approach a national story and engage a national audience. Read now: https://cmsmc.org/opeds/small-museum-big-mission

09/11/2023

Reminder, we are holding our "How to Write an Abstract for Publication" Panel next week on Tuesday, November 14!!! Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/how-to-write-an-abstract-for-publication-panel-tickets-692702049477?aff=oddtdtcreator

16/10/2023

CMSMC is thrilled to introduce our new annual publication schedule and that our inaugural issue of Material Matters is now live! Centered around the theme of History Should Make You Uncomfortable, our issue showcases four master's scholars' work on material culture, including topics like empire & colonialism, food ways & displacement, surrealism in the museum space, and sensationalist journalism & criminality. Visit our website to read more: https://cmsmc.org/

29/09/2023

Join a CMSMC panel to discuss tips and tricks on how to write a successful abstract when submitting work for publication.

20/09/2023

Join us on Thursday, October 12 for a Material Culture Career Path event with Ann Cannon, Associate Curator of American Art at the Fenimore! This event is like a group informational interview and we will hear about Ann's education, experience, and career tips!

13/09/2023

Welcome back to another academic year! Learn more about what CMSMC has going on this Fall and the year to come!

24/06/2023

Happy Saturday!

To celebrate we will be highlighting LGBTQ figures in history.

Richmond Barthé was an African-American sculptor and painter. Born in 1901 in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, he is best known for his depiction of black subjects in his work and his association with the Harlem Renaissance. He was the first black artist whose work was featured in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s permanent collection.

“All my life I have been interested in trying to capture the spiritual quality I see and feel in people, and I feel that the human figure as God made it, is the best means of expressing this spirit in man.” Especially during the beginning of his career, Barthé drew inspiration from stage performers in NYC, such as Josephine Baker. Over the years, he gained recognition for his work, winning several awards and becoming a member of the National Sculpture Society.

Barthé was a prominent member of the LGBT community in NYC, with a large circle of friends who included Langston Hughes and Claude McKay. Following his time in New York, he lived in Jamaica, Switzerland, Spain, and Italy, before settling down in Pasadena, California, where he lived until his death in 1989.

Images: both public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
1: Still from the 1935 film "A Study of Negro Artists", highlighting the development of African-American fine arts.
2. "Blackberry Woman" by Richmond Barthé, 1932. Smithsonian American Art Museum, not on display.

21/06/2023

Happy Wednesday!

To celebrate we will be highlighting LGBTQ figures in history.

Josephine Baker, born Freda Josephine McDonald on June 3, 1906, in St Louis, Missouri, was a dancer, singer, and actress. She was the first black woman to star in a major film, Siren of the Tropics (1927). Although she may never have officially come out, Baker was known to have a number of affairs with both men and women, including, allegedly, Frida Kahlo.

During her lifetime, even after moving to France, Baker supported the American Civil Rights Movement. She refused to perform for segregated audiences in the USA, even after being offered high compensation for her performances. She also served as a spy for the French Resistance and received the Croix de Guerre and Legion of Honour medals for her work. She died in Paris on April 12, 1975.

Image: Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

19/06/2023

Happy Monday~

To celebrate we will be highlighting LGBTQ figures in history.

Alan Hart (1890-1962) was a physician, radiologist, and novelist who studied and treated tuberculosis. He is known for his development of the x-ray detection technique used in TB screening programs. His work in the field of tuberculosis did not stop there, as he also raised money for research and for patients who could not afford treatment otherwise. Hart was a trans man. Assigned female at birth, he was one of the first known people to have a gender-reassignment surgery in the USA.

Alongside his medical career, Hart was also a writer. Over the course of his life, he published over 9 short stories and 4 novels, all mostly fiction, but which incorporated medical themes.

Image: Alan Hart in 1943, via Wikimedia Commons.

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