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Graduate Qualifying Paper

Conference Presentations, Graduate Qualifying Paper, Research

Michaela Peine presenting at 40th Annual Art History Graduate Student Symposium

In the beginning of March, Michaela Peine was invited to present her paper, “Tangible Devotion: A Tactile Understanding of Fra Angelico’s Virgin Enthroned,” an excerpt from her QP research, at the Florida State University 40th Annual Art History Graduate Student Symposium. Presenting this paper gave Michaela an opportunity to hone her research and writing, presenting a facet of her work and receiving feedback that will contribute to her ongoing research.

Michaela’s paper focused on a small double-sided panel entitled Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saints Peter, Paul, and George, Four Angels, and a Donor, painted c. 1446 by Fra Angelico. This research argues that this panel shares many key similarities with deschi da parto—the trays presented to women upon giving birth—but also that it also contains vital elements that mark it as a devotional object, not meant to be given to a new mother, but instead deliberately borrowing the iconography of birth trays in order to operate as an item of devotion for a male donor. Virgin Enthroned is not a static art piece; rather, the physical qualities of this panel reveal that this is an object that is meant to be held closely, turned over, and passed from hand to hand. By understanding the tactile qualities of this painting and imagining the spatial and physical environment it would have inhabited, it is possible to examine the psychological and spiritual narratives within Virgin Enthroned. Through this methodology she seeks to “embody” the piece, understanding its spiritual impact through its sensory qualities. Activated by the physical presence of the viewer, this tiny panel encapsulates the complex relationship between art, religious devotion, civic engagement, and the gendered gaze in quattrocento Italy.

Michaela was invited to submit her paper for publication with Athanor, the graduate publication of the Art History department at Florida State University. Her paper will be published in November, and she will present her QP in December.

September 2, 2024 by m9stansburyo

Graduate Qualifying Paper, Research, Research Travel

Nicole Petersen in Siena

In September 2023 Art History graduate student Nicole Petersen (@nicole.etal_ travelled to Florence and Siena via a travel grant awarded by the department. They visited Italy to work on their Qualifying Paper project, which focuses on the hexagonal bowl in Pietro Lorenzetti’s “Birth of the Virgin” altarpiece (1335-1342) and how women experienced the work in its original placement in Siena Cathedral.

Detail of Pietro Lorenzetti’s Birth of the Virgin altarpiece in Siena

The first photo shows a selfie of them from the top of the Torre del Mangia with Siena Cathedral in the background. The second photo shows one of the many detail photos of “The Birth of the Virgin” they captured to utilize in their paper.

Nicole Peteresen on Torre del Mangia, looking toward Siena Cathedral

August 29, 2024 by m9stansburyo

Graduate Qualifying Paper, Research, Research Travel

2024 Research Travel: Madeleine DeGrace in London, Kew, and Beaulieu House, Southhampton

In January of 2024, Madeleine DeGrace had the opportunity to complete research for her Qualifying Paper at Beaulieu Palace House near Southampton, the British National Archives in Kew, and the Imperial War Museum in London.

How far along are you in the program?

2 years, this is my 4th semester! I am planning on graduating in December 🙂

What is your area of interest?

English country house architecture and their uses in WWII as espionage training schools

Do you work? On campus/off?

I have an internship at Minnestoa History Center in their Interpretive Programming division, and I am one of the gallery guards in the American Museum of Asmat Art at St.Thomas

Where were you traveling?

I went to England for one week, specifically to Southampton and London to visit Beaulieu Palace House, the Imperial War Museum and the National Archives to see first-hand the sites and artifacts connected to my Qualifying Paper with Professor Victoria Young.

Image of Beaulieu Palace House from January 5th, 2024

Why did you have to go there?

It was primarily to view Beaulieu House in person and gather as much information as I possibly could that wouldn’t be available in the US. For architectural research (as with all research) it’s important to see and be in the space you are interpreting, otherwise you don’t really feel a connection to the space. The British National Archives are pretty locked down in terms of online access, so a lot of the primary source documents I needed had to be accessed in person.

What institution/person did you work with at the location?

I scheduled a visit with Beaulieu palace house staff to have them give me a private tour walking through the house, and that was quite valuable, but at the IWM and the National Archives, that was primarily led by me. I was able to reserve a ton of documents to view at the national archives and they had them ready for me to look through.

SOE field radio at the IWM’s exhibit on secret operations and spies

What was the content of your research?

I was looking at the house and its history, most importantly, looking at how it was used as a training school for the SOE in WWII. Most of the documents I was pulling at the National Archives and the research I was doing at the Beaulieu House focused on the SOE training schools at these sites and how a grand old country house could be used as a training school.

How were your days structured?

Most days were a quick breakfast, museum/site visit trip for the whole day, hunker down for dinner and relax. It was pretty lowkey and chill because it was pretty cold and got dark really early, and both my dad and I ran out of steam after a long day of museums (museum fatigue is really real!)

What was your favorite part of the findings/research results?

This research is a continuation of my undergraduate senior thesis, in which I studied female agents of the SOE, so for me to get to walk on the same grounds as these women whom I looked up to is really important to me. I found that research so important since many of these women were looked down upon in the immediate post war, so for me to see them in exhibit galleries on walls or to see objects that were connected to them directly was my favorite part of the research. Also, at the National Archives, I pulled out the personnel files of all of the women I studied and to see their handwriting and look through their documents was also so special to me and important.

Madeleine pouring over SOE documents at the national archives

Anything else notable about the trip/the work you did?

My dad and I drove on the wrong side of the road down country lanes in the New Forest and it was very stressful! But it was very fun! My mom is also a flight attendant for United so we flew standby there and back and we were able to fly business class both ways, which slays.
I got to hear Big Ben and St Paul’s Cathedral’s chimes, which was very cool!

August 14, 2024 by m9stansburyo

Graduate Qualifying Paper, Graduate Student, Research Travel, Uncategorized

Renaissance Florence: Ghirlandaio’s quattrocento goldsmith promotional frescoes

In a seminar on early Renaissance Florentine art with Dr. Lois Eliason, Ingrid became interested in the frescoes of Domenico Ghirandaio (1448-94), one of the most celebrated artists of the late 15^th century in Florence. Her research on his Birth of the Virgin (1485-90) fresco in the Tornabuoni Chapel at Santa Maria Novella became the foundation for her Qualifying Paper topic, and draws on a variety of methodologies – including stylistic, feminist, materialistic, and theories about sensory experience in art – to better understand the artist’s work and contributions.

Ingrid at the Tornabuoni Chapel of Santa Maria Novella, Florence

Ingrid had two hypotheses that were crucial to investigate in-person: Firstly, how did Ghirlandaio intentionally introduce sound into his frescoes, creating a multi-sensory experience? Secondly, how did Ghirlandaio’s involvement in his family’s goldsmith business influence his art in comparison with his contemporaries?

Through a travel grant awarded by the Art History department, Ingrid was able to explore these questions onsite in Florence, providing her with an a wealth of contextual information that simply would not have been possible through digital or library research alone. Some particularly valuable scholarly experiences including attending a mass a Santa Maria Novella to experience the acoustics Ghirlandaio would have been working with, and the discovery of a golden plate at the Bargello Museum that was nearly identical to one depicted in Ghirlandaio’s Santa Fina fresco (1477-78). These will be important contributions to her qualifying paper.

August 9, 2024 by m9stansburyo

Graduate Qualifying Paper, Graduate Student, Research, Research Travel, Students

2023 Travel Highlights: Michaela Peine in Boston

Michaela Peine (she/her) is a graduate student in the department of Art History. She is in her 4th semester at St. Thomas, and plans to finish the program in 5 semesters. Michaela’s area of interest is in the relationship between tangible/sensory qualities and psychological narratives in Italian Renaissance art. When she is not attending classes, Michaela works as a gallery guard at the AMAA, as well as with UST Campus Life. Off campus, Michaela holds an internship with the Cathedral of St. Paul, where she is working with their archives – developing an exhibit connecting their art and architecture to the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel.

Michaela in Boston!

In 2023, Michaela conducted research in Boston from November 9-14th . With Dr. Lois Eliason as her faculty advisor, Michaela connected with Frederick Ilchman, the chair of European Art at the Museum of Fine Arts. Here are some questions we asked Michaela regarding her research and her time at the Boston MFA:

Q: What was the purpose of this project? What was the content of your research?
MP: The panel that I’m writing my QP on (here) (Virgin Enthroned by Fra Angelico) is in the MFA collection, and I was able to meet with Mr. Ilchman to examine the panel, dig through their curation files, learn about the provenance, curation, and conservation of the piece. In particular, a lot of my theories about this panel were founded on the question of if it was double-sided. Mr. Ilchman confirmed that the panel was double sided, and I was able to read through the MFA’s documentation of everything that is known about the panel’s reverse.

Q: How were your days structured?
MP: I spent most of my time at the MFA. I first took a day to visit their collections and my panel again – while I was there, they had an amazing exhibit on that related to many of my research questions. I went back another day to meet with the European Art department and the conservation staff who had worked with my piece. Another day I spent in the Massachusetts Historical Society, where I looked through journals, photographs, and materials relating to the provenance of the panel.

Q: What was your favorite part of the findings/research results?
MP: In the curation materials about my panel was an old slide with a color photograph of the back side of my panel! The reverse of the panel was split from the painting, and is now separate from the work on display in the MFA, in a (very secret) private collection. This was the first time I saw any image of reverse, and it was incredible to have so many of my hypotheses supported!! I think I sent Lois an email entirely in capslock, out of excitement.

Q: Anything else notable about the trip/the work you did?
After I finished my work in the MFA, Mr. Ilchman brought me down (through many many levels of security) to the MFA’s collections to show me paintings and works not on display. At one point he pulled out a rack that had three paintings by Monet.

: Virgin Enthroned by Fra Angelico, the panel Michaela focused her research on.

: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, another museum that Michaela spent time in while in Boston

February 15, 2024 by mokt6334

Graduate Qualifying Paper, Graduate Student, Research, Research Travel

Great Conversations Changed the Direction: Thoughts on Meeting Artist Andrea Carlson

Dakota Hoska is a graduate student in the Master of Arts in Art History program. Dakota was awarded a Department of Art History Research Grant to support travel and research for her Qualifying Paper.

Carlson’s tools in her studio

There’s a lot I thought I knew. I had seen Andrea Carlson speak several times, and I had watched many of her interviews. We hold her piece Sunshine on a Cannibal at the Minneapolis Institute of Art where I work, and I have seen it installed on a few occasions. I thought I had good insights on this artist as a topic for my Qualifying Paper (QP), but, even so, many things changed after I was able to travel to Chicago and meet with Carlson in person. The opportunity to travel to Chicago was supported through a grant from the University of St. Thomas Department of Art History. I am very thankful that I was afforded that opportunity because it really influenced the direction of my final paper.

Andrea Carlson, taking a break for a recorded conversation after touring the Field Museum Collection

Andrea Carlson is a deeply thoughtful artist with a very complicated deliberation process as it relates to the visuals found in her work. It would have been very difficult for me to whittle down which direction to take in my analysis of her work without meeting with her in person. Before going to Chicago, I had a 3 ½ page outline of things that I believed were possible to address in my QP. After meeting with Carlson, I was able to carve 2 ½ pages off my outline. Not simply because the topics were no longer relevant, but because after speaking with Carlson I realized the subjects were either SO meaningful for the artist that I would need considerable more time to address them than the QP allowed, or because I discovered the issues didn’t relate to the artist in the way I had assumed.

Andrea Carlson, studio visit. Carlson’s work is often so large, she can only see sections of it at a time because of her small space.

Traveling to the artist’s location allowed me to visit her museum, meet her friends, and tour institutions where she often serves as an advisor or where she simply goes for inspiration and learning opportunities. This helped me prioritize the subjects I wanted to address in my QP as well as develop a new and very important professional relationship.

After leaving Andrea after a long day of touring the Chicago Art Institute, she directed me to cross through this park to return to my hotel where I had a lovely skyline view of the city of Chicago.

One day, I would like to do the first major exhibition of Carlson’s work, as well as produce her first monograph. I don’t know if I’ll get that opportunity, but if I do, it is this trip that began my journey towards that destination. I think non-academics may assume that we scholars are sitting home in front of our computers with stacks of books in front of us, seldom seeing the light of day. (OK, that is very true some of the time). But I think the best scholarship is closely tied to the personal experience, and travel grants like this one help to make those kinds of individual encounters possible.

A sneak peek of some of the imagery Carlson is working on for her next big painting, Red Exit.

My deepest thanks go to the University of St. Thomas Department of Art History for my grant. It really changed the trajectory of my paper, helped me streamline my research, and allowed me create a strong and lasting relationship with this very important Native artist, who I’m sure will continue to be a focus for me throughout my career.

March 26, 2019 by Dakota Hostka

Graduate Qualifying Paper, Graduate Student, Research Travel

Navigating New Space and Exploring the Walls

Michelle Turner is a graduate student in the Master of Arts in Art History and Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies program. Michelle was awarded a Department of Art History Student Research Grant to support her Qualifying Paper research.

A screen-shot of the temperature differences between the locations on my trip and Minneapolis, which was experiencing the 2019 Polar Vortex.

This January, right as the 2019 winter vortex hit, the University of St. Thomas provided me the opportunity to leave. Thanks to the Department of Art History Student Research Grant, I was able to travel to England and develop my Qualifying Paper abroad. My paper focuses on British artist Sonia Boyce and her ongoing relationship with wallpaper throughout the span of her career. Many scholars and critics either focus on the conceptual similarities across Boyce’s oeuvre or they silo her work into two camps: her drawings pre-1990 and her collaborative work post-1990. My paper aims to bridge Boyce’s art practice by also attending to the aesthetic.

I was first introduced to the work of Sonia Boyce by Dr. Heather Shirey in her spring 2018 seminar “Afropean: Africa and Europe.” Boyce was suggested to me by Dr. Shirey as a possible research subject. My paper began by exploring Boyce’s visual commentary on Britain’s race relations. Her work was intended to be one case study among a collection of others that highlighted the disparity between ideas of diversity and inclusion. Yet, as I began to survey the breadth of Boyce’s work, in particular, her collaborative and often performative pieces post-1990, I became fascinated by her new use of wallpaper. In her pre-1990 drawings, wallpaper was used as a regular backdrop behind her figures, but in her later work, Boyce took wallpaper off the canvas and gave it new dimensions, the ability to engulf and alter the space we inhabit.

A photo with Sonia Boyce.

Nervous that at any point I would step upon a source which had undoubtedly already written on this topic, I both voraciously surveyed whatever records and writings I could find and proceeded with caution. With less than ten days before our final class presentations, I emailed Dr. Shirey my intention to switch my paper’s focus. I was met with “you are in the trenches with the research, and you’ll be the best judge as to what is possible at this point in the research/semester.” I took that as a go.

Ultimately the topic was well received and turned into my Qualifying Paper. Over the summer, I reached out to Boyce directly and in the fall, I applied for the Department of Art History Student Research Grant. My time abroad allowed me the opportunity to see many of Boyce’s work in person, hold conversations with a number of art professionals who had worked directly with Boyce and/or her work, as well as meet and interview Sonia Boyce.

Me in front of Boyce’s 1986 drawing Lay back, keep quiet and think of what made Britain so great.

England was a RUSH but a wonderful one. My first day in the UK, I dropped my bags in London and travelled 2+ hours out of the city to visit the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter. Here I viewed “Criminal Ornamentation,” an exhibition curated by British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare. Boyce’s 1986 drawing Lay back, keep quiet and think of what made Britain so great was a part of this show. Lay back, keep quiet and think of what made Britain so great was the work which first introduced me to Boyce, so it was moving to begin my travels by seeing this piece.

A section of the Newham Trackside Wall, now empty. Sonia Boyce’s collaborative design will be installed on this surface before the end of 2019.

Over the next two days, I ebbed and flowed around and out of London. I had the chance to visit the Arts Council Collection where Curator, Beth Hughes generously pulled Boyce’s 2010 etching I Have Found a Song for me. On another day, UP Project’s Commissions Curator, Niamh Sullivan introduced me to Boyce’s current commission project, the Newham Trackside Wall. Due for completion in 2019, the Newham Trackside Wall will be the longest public artwork ever made in the UK, stretching over a mile long. Additional stops included the British Museum, The Lightbox gallery in Woking where Boyce’ work From Tarzan to Rambo: English Born ‘Native’ Considers her Relationship to the Constructed/Self Image and her Roots in Reconstruction was on view as part of an exhibition, and a detour to the Young Vik to see a one-man show by the actor who famously cried “You shall not pass!” to protect a band of hobbits.

A section of the Newham Trackside Wall with remnants of wallpaper promoting the commission project.

Following this run, I took the weekend to explore Birmingham and Manchester. In Birmingham, one highlight was seeing the exhibition “Women Power Protest.” Boyce’s 1985 drawing Mr. Close Friend-of-the-Family Pays a Visit Whilst Everyone Else is Out was on display here. A second highlight was visiting EastSide Projects and meeting Director Gavin Wade. Mr. Wade was kind enough to tour me through what the space was like when Boyce held her 2017 Wallpaper / Performance sessions at the gallery. In Manchester, the main stop was – as should come as no surprise – the art gallery. What did come as a surprise, however, was seeing Boyce’s 2018 work Six Acts on view as part of the permanent collection. This was the first material wallpaper by Boyce I had seen in-person; better still, it was installed and on view in a public space.

An educational panel of the “History of Black Britain” on display at the Black Cultural Archives in London.

Returning to London, there was a lot to take in from the weekend, but a lot left to see and do over my last two days. Visits were made to the John Soane Museum, the Tate Modern, the Whitechapel Gallery, the Black Cultural Archives, and the Victoria & Albert Museum – where I was lucky enough to view an assortment of wallpaper samples, by Boyce and others, thanks to Senior Curator of Prints, Gill Saunders. Another thanks is due to Curator Claire FitzGerald of the Government Art Collection who led me past security and guards to see a large screenprint of Boyce’s Devotional chart in the Foreign and Commonwealth Offices. Of course, the trip came full circle by having the chance to meet Sonia in person. We met at the Royal Academy and she treated me to English cake and tea, a welcomed refreshment for one too nervous to eat anything beforehand. There may not have been any icing on the cake, I can’t remember, but none was needed. My thanks to all who in their generosity made this trip more than I could have hoped or imagined.

March 15, 2019 by Michelle Turner

Graduate Qualifying Paper, Graduate Student, Research Travel

Researching Memory Politics in Memorial Museums: the National September 11th Site

Amanda Lesnikowski is a graduate student in Master of Arts in Art History program. Amanda received a Department of Art History Travel Grant to complete research for her Qualifying Paper, which she will present in May 2018.

The National September 11th Memorial and Museum in New York

Thanks to the University of St. Thomas’ art history department student travel grant, I was able to spend part of January at the National September 11th Memorial and Museum in New York. I am planning to graduate with my M.A. in art history this coming May. My qualifying paper will focus on the role of memory politics in two memorial museums: The National September 11th Memorial and Museum and the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk, Poland. By looking at different aspects of the National September 11th Memorial and Museum, I will be able to better understand how its spaces have incorporated the many emotions and opinions that surround the 2001 terrorist attacks. In the end, I hope to discover how memorial museums that began as single monologues have become inclusive spaces with community-based dialogues. When a museum, such as the Museum of the Second World War, has a historical agenda, it is left to exhibit history with a particular point of view—one that the museum has chosen as being representative of whatever history it has put on display. The power this decision-making gives to a museum can sometimes lead to it having a conflicting relationship with its government. State voices wish to recall memories that will serve a national interest, but those memories do not always align with what the museum has chosen to display.

I applied for the grant with the intention of spending one day outside at Michael Arad’s memorial pools, Reflecting Absence, and a second day inside at the museum, designed by SNØHETTA and David Brody Bond. I wanted to use this travel opportunity as a chance to walk through the spaces firsthand, read wall labels, listen to tour guides, and observe visitors. While travel websites like Yelp! and TripAdvisor are useful, nothing compares to an in-person experience. When I went online to purchase my tickets, I was disappointed to see that they were not touring the outdoor memorial. I knew that the memorial was open to the public starting at 7:30 a.m., so I thought I would get my bearings outside using their mobile app before going into the museum. After exploring a bit on my own, I took my mobile ticket to the K-9 unit at the museum’s entrance before walking through a security set-up that reminded me a lot of an airport.

An example of merchandise available for purchase in the gift shop.

I have read a lot about the commodification of tragedies so I made a beeline to the gift shop. I was dying to know if there were really coffee mugs commemorating the September 11th terrorist attacks. I walked around the store snapping photos of all of the things that made me shake my head. All of the walking and snapping did not fill the time until my 11:30 a.m. tour, so I went to the tour desk to see if I could sneak on the next tour and the reissued me a new ticket.

The memorial museum is built underneath where the World Trade Center’s north and south towers once stood. You begin the experience on the ground level where security is, and the first sub-level is where you find the gift shop, membership desk, and tour desk. According to our tour guide, the memorial museum has a dual mission: to memorialize those who were killed and to educate on the events of the day and days that followed. He also told us that the tour would have four themes: violence, heroism, solidarity, and remembrance.

These panels are where we began our tour.

Our group began to walk down a shallow ramp where a large map of the United States showed where the planes originated and where they ended. Large, vertical panels showed an outline of the United States and played images of people reacting to the towers. Overhead audio played of people sharing where they were when it all happened. Our tour guide met us at the end of this area and told us that our group was about to explore Foundation Hall followed by Memorial Hall. The tour would not include the in memoriam or historical exhibitions. I was really surprised by this! None of my previous research acknowledged that the tour was only of large artifacts and the foundation walls.

Overlooking Foundation Hall, you can see only a fraction of the exhibition space.

The tour began overlooking Foundation Hall where the iconic last column was standing. We continued down a ramp which led us to the survivors’ stairs. This important set of stairs is what saved so many people that Tuesday morning. We broke from talking about Foundation Hall to learn about Memorial Hall. This is where the unidentified remains are housed. Behind a large blue wall is the office of the city’s medical examiner. Within that private space is also a reflection room for families of victims. Next, we turned our focus back to Foundation Hall. Our tour guide took us to a twenty foot antenna fragment, an elevator motor, Ladder Co. 3’s fire truck, and a piece of steel from the north tower that had an outline from the plane’s impact. Our tour guide left us at the end of our hour at the base of the last column. I asked why the tour did not include the in memoriam or historical exhibitions and our guide said that given the content the decision to explore these two exhibitions needed to be a personal one.

The survivors’ stairs were the first artifacts to come to the museum.

Underneath the north tower is both a temporary exhibition space and the historical exhibition. These areas, along with the in memoriam, did not allow for photography. The historical exhibition is divided into three sections: the day of, pre-September 11th, and the days that followed. These three areas were very emotional, so much so that I actually appreciated the ban on photography. The south tower sat atop the in memoriam exhibition. A large square room was full of photographs of the deceased. Wrapping around the room in alphabetical order, the photos where accompanied by a recording of the reading of their names. In the center of the space was a small room with benches where you could sit to listen and read the stories being played out loud. It took me an hour to move through, but I do not regret the time I spent inside.

This blue wall is an iconic representation of the memorial museum.

This experience was incredibly important to my qualifying paper research. I want to thank the University of St. Thomas’ art history department for their generosity and support!

The last column is another popular image from both Ground Zero and the memorial museum.

April 10, 2018 by Amanda Lesnikowski

Graduate Qualifying Paper, Graduate Student, Research, Research Travel, Students

An Exploration of the Irish Holy Wells of St. Brigid

Clare Monardo is an art history graduate student currently completing her qualifying paper on the Irish Holy Wells of St. Brigid. She was awarded the Art History Department Graduate Research Grant to help make this project possible. Clare will present her paper at the Fall 2016 Graduate Student Forum on Dec. 16th.

This summer I was fortunate to be able to travel around Ireland for three weeks researching the holy wells of St. Brigid in Ireland, which is the topic of my qualifying paper for this program. I have been exploring the St. Brigid’s holy wells for two years now and had hit a wall due to a lack of photographs and site-specific records, prompting this trip.

A sign marks St. Brigid’s Well, Killare, County Westmeath. In order to access the holy well, which is located in a copse of trees, visitors must walk through a field of grazing sheep. Photograph taken by author on June 4, 2016.

Holy wells are noteworthy settings because, in addition to being semi-man-made places of prayer and contemplation out in nature, many of them are believed to cure physical ailments in addition to spiritual ones. Almost every town in Ireland has at least one holy well, with some counties having upwards of one hundred, for a total of approximately three thousand wells in the country as a whole. The landscape in which holy wells reside shows an amalgamation of pre-Christian and Christian practice and have been enhanced by man-made additions such as signs, well-houses, paved paths, shrines, and the Stations of the Cross.

Stations of the Cross at St. Brigid’s Well in Cullion, County Westmeath. A path allows visitors to circumambulate the well while praying the Stations of the Cross. Photograph taken by author on June 4, 2016.

Throughout the course of my research I have come across one hundred holy wells dedicated to St. Brigid in Ireland, not all of which are still in use today. I was able to visit ten of these holy wells while in Ireland, along with local libraries, historical sites, and the Solas Bhríde center in Kildare run by Brigidine nuns. My qualifying paper focuses on four sites, located throughout the country: two wells in Tully, County Kildare; one in Ballysteen, County Clare; one in Faughart, County Louth. These four holy wells were chosen because of their popularity, the fact that they are still venerated today, and because the greatest amount of information regarding the Irish holy wells of St. Brigid focuses on these particular sites. Some of the holy wells that I visited were clearly marked and had road signs pointing the way, making them easy to find. Others, however, were not so obvious, leading to lots of extra driving around (which was already somewhat stressful as it’s on the opposite side of the road from what we’re used to!) and eventually having to ask for directions from locals. These included the St. Brigid’s Well in the Faughart graveyard and another located down the road from Raffony Graveyard.

A stone beehive hut encloses St. Brigid’s Well in Faughart, County Louth, and there are steep steps going down to the water. To the left of the well are clootie trees. Photograph taken by author on June 12, 2016.

Tucked into a hillside down the road from Raffony Graveyard is St. Brigid’s Well, Raffony, County Cavan. Photograph taken by author on June 10, 2016.

Two holy wells associated with St. Brigid, known as St. Brigid’s Well and St. Brigid’s Wayside Well are located in Tully, County Kildare. Both of these sites are still visited today, but the popularity of the Wayside Well has diminished in recent decades with the renovations of the nearby St. Brigid’s Well.

St. Brigid’s Wayside Well in Tully, County Kildare. Stone steps lead down to the murky and stagnant water, and a small amount of clooties and other items point to this well still being a place of veneration. Photograph taken by author on May 30, 2016.

Ritual is an integral part of the holy well experience and it can involve not just the holy well, but also sacred trees and stones. Oftentimes trees nearby holy wells have pieces of cloth, called clooties, tied to their branches, marking them as being venerated. When visiting a holy well the afflicted takes a piece of his or her clothing and ties it to the tree with the belief that the disease which is plaguing them will be transferred from their body to the tree.

Located at the back of the axial site is St. Brigid’s Well. To the left of the well is a clootie tree with colorful ribbons and pieces of cloth tied to its branches. Tully, County Kildare. Photograph taken by author on June 1, 2016.

A small bridge passes over the stream at St. Brigid’s Well in Tully, allowing visitors to access the clootie bush on the right and the statue of St. Brigid on the left. Photograph taken by author on May 30, 2016.

In addition to clooties, it has become quite common for visitors to leave a variety of other objects at holy wells. St. Bridget’s Well in Ballysteen, County Clare had the largest accumulation and assortment of items that I came across during my trip. Not only were there prayer and memorial cards, but also religious statues and images, rosaries, photographs, flowers, religious medals, an empty vodka bottle, a pair of children’s shoes, and a sparkly hula-hoop.

At St. Bridget’s Well, Ballysteen, County Clare, access to the holy water is gained by entering a whitewashed well-house that surrounds the well and proceeding down a dark and narrow passage. Multiple layers of votive offerings have built up inside the well-house. Photograph taken by author on June 8, 2016.

By going on this research trip I not only was able to access local sources that had been unavailable to me previously, but I also gained a better sense of how one is supposed to move through and use the space of holy well sites. Information from both types of visits will help me understand how ritual and space affect and inform one another at the holy wells of St. Brigid in Ireland as I continue to move forward with my qualifying paper.

November 2, 2016 by Marria Thompson

Graduate Qualifying Paper, Graduate Student, Research, Research Travel

Pictish Stones

Sandy Tomney is an art history graduate student completing her qualifying paper research on the Pictish Stones found within Scotland. She was awarded the Art History Department Graduate Research Grant to help make this project possible.

Hundreds of carved stones and stone fragments have been found within Scotland’s landscape. Many of these sculptures are attributed to the peoples known as the Picts who lived in northern Britain during the early historic period. Art historians and archeologists have been studying these monuments for several hundred years and are still working towards better understanding Pictish art and society. Recently, on a trip to Scotland, I had the opportunity to examine some of the monuments and their find sites first hand.

St Orland’s Stone is an example of an early historic Pictish monument. (photos by author, 2016)

Due to the large number of Pictish stones that have been found, I decided to use iconographical similarities to limit my investigation of the stones. The ten monuments that were to be examined are carved with quadrupeds that have clawed feet, long legs, long tails, long duck-like noses, large eyes, and profiled bodies. It just so happened that each of these monuments was originally found near Scotland’s east coast. Each was discovered south of the Cairngorms and slightly inland from the coastline among agricultural land. With the exception of the Forteviot Church Stone, each of the other monuments was originally found north of the River Tay.

Example of quadrupeds with clawed feet, long legs, long tails, long duck-like noses, large eyes, and profiled bodies found on Meigle No. 4. (Photo by author, 2016)

Aberlemno No. 2 still stands in the local kirkyard. During the winter months it is covered with a protective box. (Photos by author, 2016)

The monuments have similar iconography, but visiting their find sites revealed a topographical connection between the stones as well. Seven of the find sites visited were near rolling fields of barley and other grains. This landscape differs greatly from the more mountainous regions to the west and north. The eighth and most northerly Dunfallandy Stone’s find spot was near Killiecrankie along the floodplain of the River Gary. The River Gary cuts through the southwestern tip of Cairngorm National Park. Although the area’s landscape is in transition from rolling hills to mountains, similar to the other find spots, much of the land is dedicated to agriculture. Of the stones that were visited, only St. Orland’s Stone found in a field near Forfar and the Aberlemno stones situated along the local road and in the local kirkyard potentially remain in their original find spots. Most of the monuments have been moved into museums or churches to avoid further deterioration that may be caused by the elements.

The village of Meigle is surrounded by productive agricultural land such as this barley field. (Photo by author, 2016)

The River Gary near the Dunfallandy Stone’s find site. (Photo by author, 2016)

The trail to the remote St. Orland’s Stone in Angus. ((Photo by author, 2016)

Visiting the small museums not only allowed me to view the stones in the study, but also provided a chance to see other Pictish stones. Seeing Strathmartine No. 3 on display at The Meffan Museum and Gallery in Forfar allowed me to better discern details on the stone that photographs just could not capture. In addition to Strathmartine No. 3, the museum was exhibiting the stones found nearby at Kirriemuir. About twelve miles from Forfar is the Meigle collection of twenty-six monuments that is housed in an old school house. The Meigle Museum had on exhibit three of the monuments that were on the list of those to see. Viewing the monuments allowed for a better understanding of the scale of the stones and how they might function within their original cultural landscape. Although their collections did not include any of the monuments on my list, I also visited the St. Vigeans Stones and Museum as well as the Museum of Perth. Both museums are located within the region and the monuments they exhibit may be useful as comparisons.

Strathmartine No. 3 on display at the Meffan Museum and Gallery in Forfar. (Phots by author, 2016)

Strathmartine No. 3 on display at the Meffan Museum and Gallery in Forfar. (Photo by author, 2016)

Originally found just outside of Aberlemno, the Woodrae Castle Stone was one of the stones on the list that was a “must see.” It is now on display at the National Museum of Scotland, and a trip to the Edinburgh museum provided an opportunity to personally observe the details on the amazing stone. The museum trip also permitted me to view an array of other Pictish stones, as well as, Celts a major joint exhibition between the National Museums of Britain and Scotland. Although the museum in the busy city felt like another world after exploring the country side, it was well worth the detour.

The Woodrae Castle Stone at the Scottish National Museum, Edinburgh. (Photo by Robin Tomney, 2016)

Overall the trip allowed me to visit the find sites of all ten monuments and actually see eight of the ten stones. In addition, it was helpful to see other Pictish stones that did not have the same iconography as those in the study. The field information that was collected was helpful and greatly added to the research I am currently conducting.

October 26, 2016 by Marria Thompson