Museum Studies Program, U-M Rackham Graduate School

Kudos for Summer 2024

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Kudos to…  Luna Khirfan (MSP03) who has completed two recent publications.  Luna is a lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report by Working Group II on Impacts, Vulnerability, and Adaptation where she co-authored “Chapter 6: Cities, Settlements and Key Infrastructure.”  The report is available from https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/    Luna is also currently authoring Chapter 5:  “Mapping the Solution Space for Climate Action: The Role of Urban Planning and Design” for the UN-Habitat’s 2024 World Cities Report (to be released at the World Urban Forum, which will be held in Cairo, Egypt in November 2024).

Kudos to…  John Low (MSP05) was recently promoted to Professor of Comparative Studies at Ohio State University.

Kudos to… Ksenya Gurshtein (MSP06) who wrote a review of an exhibit by photographer Arthur Tress that appeared in Hyperallergic.

Kudos to… Tamara Schreiner (MSP06) recently published a book, Teaching Data Literacy in Social Studies.  The book includes information about working with primary sources in museums and libraries.

Kudos to… Sarah Gothie (MSP09) had two articles published:

Kudos to… Ashley Miller (MSP10) has been named the new Assistant Curator of African Art at the University of Michigan Museum of Art. Over the past few years since completing her PhD in the History of Art here at UM, Ashley served as the Interim Director of the Ann Arbor Art Center and as a guest curator at UMMA.

Kudos to…  Caroline Braden (MSP13) wrote a chapter called “Accessibility Evolving at The Henry Ford” that was included in a book that was recently published, An Accessible Past: Making Historic Sites Accessible.  Caroline’s writing is about the evolution of the accessibility programs at The Henry Ford.

Kudos to…  Rebecca Bloom’s (MSP14) paper that she wrote about her MSP independent study project has been published in the book, Tibetan Monastery Collections and Museums: Traditional Practices and Contemporary Issues.  Also, via her Director of Curatorial Affairs position at the Southern Utah Museum of Art, she was awarded a NEA grant for a Fall exhibition “Salt Lines: Exploring Climate, Environment, and the Saline Influx.”

Kudos to…  Caitlin Clerkin (MSP14) who recently began a new 3-year position as the Frederick Randolph Grace Assistant Research Curator for Ancient Art at the Harvard Art Museums.  In this role, Caitlin is focused on planning a reinstallation of the ancient art collections galleries.

Kudos to… Susan Dine (MSP15), Senior Lecturer in Asian Art & Architecture, has created a proposal for a museum studies minor that has been approved by Vanderbilt University.

Kudos to… Shannon Ness (MSP15) joined the staff at the University of Michigan Kelsey Museum of Archaeology this winter as the University Programs Coordinator. In this position, Shannon leads tours and object-handling sessions for university classes and assists with other programming for the Education Department.

Kudos to…  Zoe Ortiz (Jenkins) (MSP16) who began a position as Assistant Professor  in the Department of History at the University of North Texas.

Kudos to…  Mary Pena (MSP16) until recently taught at Smith College as a Digital Pedagogy Fellow and Lecturer in the Department of Anthropology.  As of this Fall, Mary has begun a tenure-track position as Assistant Professor in Anthropology at Dartmouth College, beginning with a two-year postdoctoral appointment as a Mellon Faculty Fellow.  Mary is also curating an ongoing three-part exhibition series through the Diaspora Solidarities Lab, a multi-institutional Black feminist partnership.  The first exhibition titled, “Alive in their Garden,” was physically on view at Michigan State University in Spring 2023, and it was subsequently digitized as a virtual tour. This project was selected for peer-review in a special issue of Reviews in DH, a journal focused on digital scholarship in African diaspora, critical ethnic, and postcolonial studies.  This fall, Mary will be finalizing plans for the culminating exhibition, opening in March 2025 at MSU.

Kudos to…  Felix Zamora Gomez (MSP16) who recently began a position as Program Coordinator for Engagement at UM’s Arts Initiative where he oversees workshop offerings and manages the Graduate Student Arts Research Grant.  Also, a third rotation of new acquisitions went on display in “A Gathering,” an exhibit curated by Felix and currently on display at UMMA.  Felix also published 3 pieces of research this past year:

Kudos to…  Comfort Mtotha (MSP19) just published her article, “The “Saint” of Livingstonia: Assembling, Memorializing, and Representation of Missionary Paraphernalia at the Stone House Museum in Malawi” in Museum of Anthropology. 

Kudos to… Richard Bachmann (MSP20) was awarded a Rackham Public Scholarship award for this coming year that will allow him to continue work that began with his MSP Capstone project by carrying on his engagement with Woodbridge residents to create the Woodbridge Oral History Archive.  Richard has also been selected to work as a Rackham Doctoral Intern with the Inclusive History Project (IHP) next semester and will work on building the IHP’s public engagement program including cross-campus programming with partners from the Flint and Dearborn campuses.

Kudos to… Antonello Mastronardi (MSP20) received a fellowship from ANAMED Research Center for Anatolian Civilization, at Koc University, Istanbul.

Kudos to… Katelin Mikos (MSP21) spent the summer at the American School, participating in a seminar title “The Archaeology of Caves: Cult and Life Throughout the Ages.” She is also a Rackham Public Engagement Fellow at UMMA and has been invited to serve a 2-year term on the Presidential Advisory Committee on Public Art at U-M.

Kudos to…  Mia Glionna (MSP22) began a position as the new Zero-Textbook Cost Librarian at Cerritos College.  In her role, she works with faculty members to create zero-cost degree pathways with open education resources.

Kudos to… Charlotte Juergens (MSP22) is a Brooklyn Arts Council grant recipient. The grant funds are supporting Charlotte’s work on her feature documentary in production, currently titled “Afterthought.” Last fall, Charlotte screened “Afterthought” as a part of a series of programs she organized and which received Arts & Resistance Theme Semester funding.

Kudos to…  Chad Machinski (MSP22) continues his work with Michigan Audubon, and he recently participated in a podcast with the Barry County Conservation District to discuss his work with Audubon, conservation efforts, and bird sanctuaries in Barry County.

Kudos to… Lauren Alberti and Caroline Everts (both MSP23) have received American School of Classical Studies at Athens Fellowships for the next academic year.

Kudos to…  Jack Schmitt (MSP23) who contributed to a recent exhibition and corresponding book.  Jack worked as the Exhibition Coordinator on the UM Humanities Collaboratory project, Black Washtenaw County, in the creation of the exhibition “Family Foundations: Four Stories of Black Washtenaw County Community Building, 1850 to 1950.”  The event featured remarks from descendants of the families and announced the publication of the corresponding book that features family narratives written by the descendants, oral history transcripts, photos and archival documents, and segments of the respective family trees.  Jack was also awarded the Margaret Mann Award in the School of Information.  Each year, this award goes to one or more students who demonstrate exceptional academic ability and professional promise. The Award recognizes the heritage of UMSI and the deep roots of professional education in the information field at the University of Michigan. The award recognizes future promise through evidence of accomplishment at UMSI.